The ASE is delighted to be hosting its Annual Conference, generously sponsored by AQA, at the University of Nottingham from 9th to 11th January 2025. International sessions are incorporated throughout the event’s 3 days and we will have a great exhibition with lots of exclusive Conference offers. Post-16 focus-day and for those involved in leading and delivering professional development, the Teacher Developers’ Group programme is Thursday. Friday is the dedicated Technicians day, kindly sponsored by Philip Harris, and Early Career Teacher day. Sessions for both Primary and 11-19 are threaded throughout all 3 days with a focus on Research on Saturday.
Book your tickets now at https://ase2025AnnConf.eventbrite.co.uk - and remember, if you are an ASE member you will benefit from hugely discounted prices! Check out our membership here - it’s free for Early Career Teachers and only £25 for Technicians!
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Our Place on Earth is a Wonderseekers (the charity behind Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium) programme, with objectives to build partnerships to broaden our organisational expertise and credibility, expand and diversify our science engagement work to engage children with the natural sciences and local natural heritage, develop essential science enquiry skills and build awareness of local conservation. These objectives will be achieved by developing engaging, inclusive learning experiences and resources, on-site and in communities, to create equitable opportunities for children, especially those from underserved communities. Further, the output of this programme is to facilitate children's voice and be a better learning organisation, by developing equitable co-working practices with children, scientists and other practitioners. This will allow us to deliver a relevant, relatable project and inform future developments and social change.
This session will discuss the findings from the development phase of the programme, highlighting the activities undertaken, the lessons learned from those sessions, including how we have worked with an artist and scientists in developing the activities for children. The findings from our study into the voices and concerns of children about the environment, will be shared with the audience, as well as an outline of how we have made the activities accessible to a diverse range of needs. The focus of this session will be on accessibility and how to provide opportunities to capture children’s voice and provide them with a sense of agency about the environment, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. We feel that it is important to highlight to children that climate change is on their doorstep and is something they can tangibly get involved with - creating a network of opportunities within the local community (e.g. citizen science, experience days with researchers and in-house school trip activities). The programme also entails the design of an exhibition space that will function as an accessible learning space too.
Attendants of the sessions will be able to engage with some of the activities that were carried out during the development phase of the programme, including learning about soil, sound in nature, light pollution, sustainable farming and the conservation of endangered species. Following a short presentation and activity period, there will be time dedicated to Q&A to discuss matters such as SEND provision, what accessibility means to you and us, how strive to provide as equitable an experience as possible and what we are doing to open the floor to children’s voice.
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.
Senior Lecturer in Education, Nottingham Trent University
Dr. Natasha Serret BA (Hons) MA PGCE SFHEAPrimary BA Joint Course LeaderSenior Lecturer in EducationNottingham Trent UniversityNottingham Institute of Education
Thursday January 9, 2025 09:45 - 10:35 GMT
Pope A17
“I now understand that planning a practical lesson is nothing like planning an English lesson”. This revelatory quote comes from a Science Ninja Leader on our Science Ninja’s research project. Observing practical lessons, looking at pupil work and talking to teachers has shed light on many practical activities where the teachers recognised that their practical lessons did not support their intended learning. During this session we will share examples of pupil outcomes from some of these lessons.
Finding out what the teachers wanted from the activities and working with them to plan better lessons has provided us with a deep understanding of the kinds of support primary teachers need. In juxtaposition to the poor pupil outcomes shared, we will showcase activities we’ve since produced; explaining how we’ve incorporated the knowledge gained, through our research, so that they support teachers, in the ways we now know they need, to plan effective hands-on learning experiences.
Ex -secondary and primary science teacher now working (and loving my roles) as a consultant for Primary CLEAPSS, the Ogden Trust, PSQM, TAPS and more. Based in Devon.
Thursday January 9, 2025 11:15 - 12:05 GMT
Pope A17
Lisa Mooney has recently joined AQA as a Subject Support Manager for Science, she holds BSc Chemistry from the University of Manchester; PGCE Combined Science from the University of Liverpool and an MA in Teaching & Learning from the University of Chester. Lisa has 28 years of teaching... Read More →
Since 1903, we’ve been rewarding achievement by designing and delivering fair and inclusive assessment. We do this because we believe that quality assessment is an essential ingredient for a good education. We’re the most chosen exam board in England and we set and mark the papers... Read More →
Thursday January 9, 2025 12:15 - 13:05 GMT
Pope A17
Science outside the primary classroom: Supporting teacher trainees' skills in effective outdoor teaching and learning.
This project aimed to enhance the confidence, learning and teaching of students in ITT by understanding the benefits that outside learning opportunities provide schools and children. The research team analysed the responses of a confidence audit before/after a training intervention took place.
Working alongside Teach Outdoors Ltd, which aims to encourage educators to utilise their outside spaces and natural areas sustainably and effectively to teach the curriculum, we designed and piloted a blended training course for students working with school age children as part of their degree.
This gave students at Northampton University an opportunity to explore how an outdoor environment can be utilised to support child development and used as an active learning tool.
This session will allow delegates to explore the resources used and reflect on their own practice in teaching science outside the classroom.
Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Northampton
Helen is a Senior Lecturer in the Initial Teacher Training team in the Faculty of Health, Education and Society and is currently the Module Leader for the science modules, lectures on the Research Practitioner module and has been the Module Leader in designing and delivering a brand... Read More →
Associate Professor of Learning and Teaching, University of Northampton
Emma is the Deputy Head of Subject for Sport and Exercise at the University of Northampton. There are seven undergraduate degrees on offer (Physical Education and Sport, Sports Coaching, Sport and Exercise Science, Sports Management and Leadership, Sports Rehabilitation and Conditioning... Read More →
Thursday January 9, 2025 13:15 - 14:05 GMT
Pope A17
This workshop will share practical ideas about how, when starting a new topic, teachers can quickly and easily find out what their students already know and what misconceptions they may hold. It will then consider what can be done with these insights and how subsequent progress can be demonstrated. This session has links to the book Understanding Children's Ideas in Science sold by ASE/Millgate House
Page Keeley is an American science education consultant and author of over 20 books linking research to practice, including several award-winning books in the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series. She works with school districts, universities, and organizations throughout the... Read More →
An author and CPD presenter, I was a teacher for 20 years, 12 of them as team leader. I then worked as a consultant, supporting teachers and science teams, training teachers and developing curriculum materials. I am now a Series Editor for Collins, CPD Trainer for AQA and Development... Read More →
Thursday January 9, 2025 14:15 - 15:05 GMT
Pope A17
Drawing on the Carbon Literacy Project, come and learn what carbon literacy involves. More importantly, you will leave with some ideas for how you can make a difference to our planet.
