ASE 2025 Annual Conference

There is no question that a strong, evidence-informed and solutions-focused approach to teaching about climate change is vital to our young people. We have moved on from the "is it happening?" and "what causes it?" stages of our pedagogy, and are now developing and improving our understanding of the best ways to teach a range of diverse and complex impacts, and to explore and suggest solutions in a politicised, dynamic and complex world and education landscape. With many options and programmes available, how do you navigate the best resources for your teaching and your students?  

In this session, we'll explore the ways in which we can draw inspiration from a multi-disciplinary climate science, to improve our teaching of science. Presenting a range of tools, visualisations and simulations - including a short demonstration workshop - this session will inspire you to explore different sources and resources, and take away plenty of ideas and examples to include in training and teaching.

In early 2024, the Department for Education announced additional funding to schools and colleges offering the Level 3 Core Maths course for post 16 students. Building from GCSE Maths, Core Maths develops students’ ability to apply maths to real-world contexts they will meet in other areas of study, work and life. In this workshop, secondary science teachers will gain an insight into the Core Maths qualification and why it is important for teachers and students to be aware of it from KS3 upwards.

This event is being run in partnership with the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), with support from the Dept for Education.

Participants in this session will consider and discuss how they develop teachers' understanding of enquiry types, stimulated by the publication of a new edition of ‘It’s not fair – or is it?’ The authors of the new edition have considered questions such as:

•What are enquiry types?
•How useful are they?
•How have our definitions of them evolved since the publication of the National Curriculum (England) and the first edition of It's not fair?
•What do teachers and children need to know about them?
•Common misconceptions when teaching and learning about the enquiry types

They invite participants to join the conversation and consider the implications this has for their practice.

This session is related to the book It's not fair - or is it? which can be purchased from the ASE/Millgate bookshop.

During a practical activity students will be developing their substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge. When deciding on the purpose of a practical activity teachers need to consider all three of these areas of knowledge and how they develop over time. The Deconstructed Practical is a strategy for identifying and isolating the knowledge needed for, and developed during, a practical activity. This session outlines the strategy and supports delegates in putting the theory into practice.

By the end of this session delegates will have a better understanding of the importance of purpose in practical work and a strategy for developing disciplinary and procedural knowledge over time.

In response to a crisis in recruitment of physics teachers, the DfE expanded those eligible for a bursary enrol on teacher education courses to include international candidates applying for physics teacher education courses. By 2024 the expansion of the physics bursary resulted in a exponential increase in the number of international candidates applying to science PGCE programmes. This significant increase masks the decline in home students applying for courses that lead to qualified teacher status as a science teacher
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These changes highlight a major shift in the diversity of our preservice teachers, mirrored across all institutions involved in this project.

This shift compels us to reflect on and address the impact of our colonial heritage on our teaching practices. Yet, recent policy developments such as the Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework require us, as teacher educators, to prioritize research-informed methods, which risk perpetuating a white westernised curriculum.

To gain new insights that ensure our practices as teacher educators are inclusive and welcoming of diverse pedagogies, we summarize the findings of two research projects:
In the first half of our presentation, we discuss a research project led by Dan Cottle which investigated the experiences of international preservice teachers on PGCE courses across England. We include ECTs on this proposal to centre their voices and gain greater insight into their experiences on their teacher education courses and ECT positions. We as teacher educators proactively use this research to construct ongoing conversations which informs our ongoing practice and support.
Consequently, in the second half of our presentation, we will explore how these discussions prompted us as a group of teacher educators to construct a collaborative self-study to critically examine our practice as a group of science teacher educators. In creating this project, we aim to discover how adopting self-study research techniques could improve our practice as white teacher educators in British universities. As an outcome of our self-study research we construct a guidance document for fellow teacher educators supporting a diverse cohort of preservice teachers.

By attending this presentation, delegates will:
•Gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of international students during their PGCE and ECT courses.
•Examine how to effectively support international students succeed in UK as a science teacher.
•Discuss inclusive strategies when working with a diverse cohort of students.
•Reflect upon the value self-study research, as a technique that can revolutionise any teaching practice.
Due to current government initiatives aimed at addressing the science teacher recruitment crisis, it is imperative that the entire teaching community critically reflect on how they welcome and support an increasingly international audience of preservice teachers.

In an era of diminishing teacher autonomy (OECD 2016; Worth and Van den Brande 2020), many teachers find they are unable to enact change in their practice. In our presentation, we will model some professional learning experiences that we believe can empower teachers to refine their practice.

Our session has two aims. There is a growing body of professional resources that seeks to support children to think scientifically. Firstly, we will model how to introduce a professional resource through an analysis of children's work as illustrations of aspects of Dr. Murphy's Thinking Scientifically Matrix. This matrix articulates a progression in children's thinking in primary science.
Secondly, building on Dr. Serret’s research expertise in enabling pedagogical transformation, we will share some effective approaches that help to communicate evidence-informed pedagogy across a community of practitioners.

Through this, our presentation considers how to introduce pedagogical initiatives (e.g. A Thinking Scientifically Matrix) that allows teachers to integrate this within their existing practice but also encourages them to make small, significant shifts in how they assess, teach and plan in primary science.

In this session you will:
•Have the opportunity to engage in first-hand experiences of applying a pedagogical tool (thinking scientifically matrix) to children’s work.
•Identify how teachers might adapt their planning and teaching when integrating new pedagogy within their existing practice.
•Think about the potential that different professional learning experiences can offer in enabling teachers to enact change in their practice.

How far can we go: Benefits of International Collaboration – based on a Bulgarian experience.
The presenters will describe their research project, which was carried out in collaboration by academics from the UK and Bulgaria and an International education consultant all of whom are members of the ASE. This project came about from cooperation which developed at recent ASE conferences in Sheffield and Northampton.
Our project title was ‘Towards a pedagogy of learning: investigating how the changes in pedagogy impact the teaching and learning of science in Bulgarian secondary schools.’

The Research questions were:

-What are the pedagogical changes in science education in secondary schools since 2020 and how does it align with the government's aims for teaching in schools in Bulgaria?

-Is there evidence that the changes to online pedagogy improve students’ engagement and attitude to learning in science classrooms?

-To what extent is inquiry learning promoted among secondary schools in Bulgaria and its impact on teaching and learning?

Exploring the challenges faced by science education at the secondary school level in Bulgaria has been a collaborative passion that the researchers shared and decided to investigate. The challenges range from issues of curricula improvement, assessments and teacher professional development as they may impact how students are assessed in their learning. For example, students in Bulgaria perform lower than their peers across all subjects in OECD countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), such as in reading and science (OECD, 2019). The OECD advises that to sustain growth alongside a shrinking working-age population, Bulgaria will need to improve investment in education to address skill mismatches and ensure that more young people are prepared to succeed in the labour markets of the future. This has become imminent given that the recent COVID-19 made issues worse.

The research is mixed method and data will be collected through interviews, questionnaires and lesson observations and analysed appropriately.
The presenters will discuss their findings and possible ideas for improving science learning in classrooms and laboratories. This is a chance to be involved in a collaborative learning opportunity and learn from the amazing skills and knowledge of the ASE community. You are welcome to attend this presentation and learn as well as share your knowledge and experience with newer members of the profession. Delegates will have an opportunity to discuss successful ways of

•increasing student motivation and engagement
•effectively carrying out practical activities with limited space and resources
•using new technologies in science learning

In addition, analysis of the professional and personal benefits of international experiences will be considered and suggestions made for resources and opportunities for schools who would like to globalise their curriculum and teachers, advisers, trainers and leaders who would like to expand their horizons. This study addresses some of the UNSDGs such as 1 (no poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 4 (quality education), 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

Drop-in anytime to try our reliable practicals demonstrating core biological principles. Discover relevant, engaging and affordable practicals covering a range of key curriculum topics. Try something new or troubleshoot an old favourite, join us for ten minutes or two hours. Inspiration guaranteed!   (For 11-19 teachers and technicians; ITE and trainees)

This session relates to the ASE Book Teaching Secondary Biology - click here to be directed to the resource in the ASE Bookshop and explore further details

It is now not just possible, but essentially routine, to image, move, and spectroscopically probe single atoms. Indeed, state-of-the-art nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter with better than atomic precision – we can target (and break/form) single chemical bonds. This is achieved using a microscope like no other: the SPM (scanning probe microscope). This ability to not only see but prod, poke, push, pull, pick up, and/or put down individual atoms and molecules means that the world of quantum mechanics becomes tangible even at a GCSE level. I will discuss how we have used the Sixty Symbols project to bring quantum physics of this type to broad audiences (ranging from 5 to 85 years of age), and where this type of approach can be adopted (and adapted) for classroom/lecture theatre teaching.

A core component of our most recent work at Nottingham involves the integration of machine learning methods with atom manipulation, with a particular focus on the automated assembly of artificial nanostructures and lattices. In essence, we’re working towards the development of a 3D printer that uses individual atoms as its fundamental building blocks. I’ll cover our first, faltering steps in this direction. But beyond its direct exploitation in research (at all scales), AI -- including large language models like ChatGPT -- obviously has a rapidly increasing influence on university physics at all levels: undergraduate teaching, Masters courses, PhD training, assessment/feedback in general... Time permitting, I’ll update and expand on the pros and cons of ChatGPT and its ilk (in the context of physics education and training) that are outlined in this video.

In this session we will be looking at the specific practical skills in the GCSE specifications and implications for assessment in our examinations.

We will be using examples from our assessments to support the development of students GCSE practical skills in the classroom.

Drop-in anytime to try our reliable practicals demonstrating core biological principles. Discover relevant, engaging and affordable practicals covering a range of key curriculum topics. Try something new or troubleshoot an old favourite, join us for ten minutes or two hours. Inspiration guaranteed!   (For 11-19 teachers and technicians; ITE and trainees)

This session relates to the ASE Book Teaching Secondary Biology - click here to be directed to the resource in the ASE Bookshop and explore further details

In England, the government framework for initial teacher education is based on educational research from around the world. In this session we will explore:

• how the research identified in the framework influences initial teacher education
• what other research influences initial teacher education, positively and negatively
• what research we would like to see carried out about initial teacher education

ASE Teacher Developers Committee and Research Committee will jointly curate and host this session.

The era of warning about impending ecological disasters has passed. These days we document them. Today’s thirteen-year-olds have already experienced the ten warmest years on record and each passing year will probably be hotter than the last. They are among a generation of young people living with the knowledge that this world, their home, is likely to become less habitable as they grow up. The implications of this for young people, for educators and for education itself are daunting. This is the backdrop to a seminar that will explore the question of how educators’ role(s) might adapt in response to this epoch that we have labelled the Anthropocene.

The seminar will draw on Paul’s research on student-led projects with schools across Europe and on educator competences as well as his role as a teacher educator and his recent work with the youth-led organisation Teach the Future. While making a case for the centrality of emotions in education (particularly in STEM subjects), Paul will consider some of the dangers and double binds inherent in educating about – and advocating for – sustainability in the current political climate. Although rooted in the policy context of England, his talk will highlight issues that are likely to arise in any democratic society with a publicly funded formal education system. If this all sounds rather ominous, rest assured, Paul is not a depressive type. He has always sought pragmatic ways of working with systemic or ‘wicked’ problems and recognises the human need for meaningful sources of hope.

Summary and discussion of recent research into factors affecting the job satisfaction and career intentions of physics teachers in their first five years of teaching. This study was conducted by Dr Mark Whalley of the University of Chester and Ian Horsewell of the Institute of Physics and explores the reasons for the high rate of attrition of early career physics teachers, and how they differ from the teacher population as a whole. Strategies that may address this at a school and MAT level will be discussed as well as broader policy implications.

Drop-in anytime to try our reliable practicals demonstrating core biological principles. Discover relevant, engaging and affordable practicals covering a range of key curriculum topics. Try something new or troubleshoot an old favourite, join us for ten minutes or two hours. Inspiration guaranteed!   (For 11-19 teachers and technicians; ITE and trainees)

This session relates to the ASE Book Teaching Secondary Biology - click here to be directed to the resource in the ASE Bookshop and explore further details

This session is aimed at chemistry teachers who are considering running an A level Chemistry training day aimed at teachers new to teaching A level. The session will explain the logstics of organising the day, how to secure funding, support, promotion of the event and how to evaluate its impact.  The experiments carried out on the training day will be described in detail and include titration methods and organic synthesis. In addition how these practicals fit into the curriculum and are assessed will be included. 

In this workshop, participants will explore the innovative capabilities of state-of-the-art motorized structure kits and systems. Throughout this hands-on workshop, gain comprehensive insights into constructing and controlling the Motorized Crane, Motorized Structure System, and StructureBOT using advanced stepper and servo motors.
Participants will delve into building and programming these dynamic structures, discovering how to effectively demonstrate real-world engineering principles through engaging interactive projects and challenges.

There is also an opportunity for discussion and collaboration to explore how to align these tools most effectively with educational objectives and enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

This workshop will empower participants to use these innovative tools to bring the excitement of real-world engineering principles into the classroom, fostering a dynamic and hands-on learning environment.

Our dedicated Chair Trio invite you to drop-in to the “Chair-Chat” sessions on one of the days of Annual Conference 2025. 

Got a question? Ever wondered about what goes on behind the scenes? Ever thought about getting involved in Committee activities? Are you wanting to know more about Professional Registration or writing an article in one of the ASE journals? First time attending our flagship Conference?

We look forward to hearing your questions and will endeavour to answer them or point you in a selection of possible right directions!

The IOP is delighted to be hosting these informal tea and cake sessions for anyone interested in delivering physics education!  Pop along, eat, drink and chat - we look forward to welcoming you.

Are microscopes overlooked and undervalued in school science? In this session Andy will present four years of data from trainee science teachers on out of school experiences of using microscopes and the challenges of and opportunities for using microscopes in the classroom. Then, Andy will present the argument that microscopes are a gateway instrument to increasing Science Capital and lifelong engagement in STEM activities, as a hobby or as a career. Therefore, early positive informal and formal experiences of using a light microscope at home and at school should be optimised to improve engagement with STEM and uptake of STEM careers.
This will be followed by small group discussion of key questions and an opportunity to critique and develop these ideas.

Outcomes for delegates include engagement with new research data on the challenges and opportunities of using microscopes in secondary school and at home, considering the evidence within the frame of Science Capital, and contributing to discussion on experiences, perspective and solutions. Andy hopes that delegates will be able to engage in lively and thought-provoking conversation that could lead to real changes in practice.

Drop-in anytime to try our reliable practicals demonstrating core biological principles. Discover relevant, engaging and affordable practicals covering a range of key curriculum topics. Try something new or troubleshoot an old favourite, join us for ten minutes or two hours. Inspiration guaranteed!   (For 11-19 teachers and technicians; ITE and trainees)

This session relates to the ASE Book Teaching Secondary Biology - click here to be directed to the resource in the ASE Bookshop and explore further details

Quantum technologies are developing much faster than the classroom curriculum evolves. How can we bring quantum ideas into the secondary school classroom and still deliver our required curriculum content? How can a laser pointer and a prism demonstrate quantum effects?

The new, free resource book from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics provides hands-on activities for your students that will do just that.

This workshop will show some of the fun and simple activities in the Quantum Technology resource and you will see how easily they can be used in your own classroom, and how strongly they connect cutting edge physics with the standard high school curriculum. Waves and superposition, charged particle beams, light, diffraction, refraction, interference, dispersion, lens optics: all parts of the curriculum addressed by these resources, with connections to quantum effects illustrated whilst still highlighting the classical curriculum content.

Diffraction patterns can be interpreted as ‘probability maps’ and this has a direct connection to the quantum world – could dice be used to develop a diffraction pattern? The quantum tunnelling that can produce these probability maps has uses in electron microscopy, but comparing with optical microscopes, including issues with resolving power can take us through optics ideas that our students need to understand. You will try this yourself in this workshop, including making the links to wavelength and the Rayleigh criterion using cheap LEDs and pencils.

If you like the workshop, we can even turn the round of applause at the end into a laser!

ASE Teacher Developers' supports those whose roles include:

1. The design, coordination and facilitation of professional development , mentoring and coaching, whether in school, schools groups or external
2. Subject and departmental leadership

If this is you, come along to the "Meet the ASE Futures Committee" session at the end of Thursday of Annual Conference 2025. We'll share upcoming activities led by the committee and talk about the ways you can get involved. We are keen to hear your views about how the ASE Futures Group can support you and your colleagues.

We look forward to listening to your questions and will endeavour to answer them!