ASE 2025 Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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!

15:45 GMT

Teaching KS2 pupils about the nature of science: an oracy-based approach

Friday January 10, 2025 15:45 - 16:35 GMT

Pope LT C17

Rationale:
This workshop addresses two important themes in primary science education:
•the effective application of oracy to the teaching and learning of science;
•the need to teach conceptual disciplinary knowledge (to develop an understanding of what science is and how the scientific community works) more effectively.

The materials to be shared are being developed as part of a project funded by the PHG Foundation and led by Professor Rupert Wegerif at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. They build on the legacy of the Thinking Together project which set out to enable pupils to make better use of spoken language to think well, both socially and individually. It is hoped that teaching pupils to think well about the nature of science and the scientific community will enhance their appreciation of science as a way of knowing about the world, make the subject more relevant and meaningful to them (build their science capital), and support them to better understand and evaluate information they are exposed to online. We also hope that engagement with the materials will support pupils to feel more ‘present’ and valued as co-constructors of their own understanding of science.

Outcomes:
Each participant will be given a set of materials developed as part of the project.
The session will enable participants to:
•use a set of detailed lesson plans and accompanying resources to teach pupils how to talk and think effectively in small groups and as a whole class (with benefits that extend beyond science lessons!)
•use the materials to explore key ideas about the nature of science and the scientific community with their pupils, mainly through the medium of talk;
•engage students in dialogues that connect the science curriculum to their lived experience, building their science capital;
•develop their own confidence to teach conceptual disciplinary knowledge;
•more confidently facilitate classroom dialogue so that pupils are more actively engaged in co-constructing their own understanding.

Session details:
Participants will be given an overview of the project materials and the opportunity to engage in a number of the activities. There will be time to reflect on the value of the materials and different models for their integration into the science curriculum. These discussions will be informed by feedback from rigorous in-school evaluation. The presenters will draw on their extensive experience of oracy-based pedagogy to model and discuss the effective use of the materials (Neil Phillipson is a SAPERE P4C trainer, an associate of Oracy Cambridge, and an author on dialogic education, as well as being an experienced Primary Science Quality Mark hub leader. A practicing teacher from our teacher-evaluation team, will also attend).

Speakers

Neil Phillipson

PSQM Hub Leader, dialogic education / oracy trainer, Representing Hughes Hall, Cambridge

I have something of a diverse career profile, but this session is really allowing me to join the dots! I'm a former secondary Head of Science and local authority consultant. I have been a PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark) hub leader for 13 years. I also have a strong interest in... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 15:45 - 16:35 GMT
Pope LT C17

Primary

Theme Curriculum and New Teaching Approaches
Key Stage / Audience Type ECTs, Global, Teacher Developers, 7 to 11
Twitter feed @Phillipson70