Encouraging Small People to Think Big

  The Great Science Share for Schools This year was the third year of involvement for myself and our school and have found our Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) journey to be incredibly valuable: so I thought it was a good idea to share some details with you including the GSSfS Special Edition, ‘Primary Science Journal’ and the recent Association of Science Education (ASE) Conference session. GSSfS is such a great annual event to engage children in science and to develop science knowledge and understanding as well as other key transferable skills. I was so happy that Dr Lynne Bianchi, GSSfS creator, asked me to take part in her GSSfS session at the recent online ASE Conference. It was brilliant to hear what had been happening across the country, plans going forward and to see GSS Champions online including Angharad Pass and Dr Jo Montgomery. I was proud to share our GSSfS journey as our school gathers science momentum and confidence.   In previous years--- 2018 W...

Brenda Keogh Lecture, Association of Science Education (ASE) Conference 2021 I was completely delighted to be a speaker during the Brenda Keogh Lecture at the ASE Conference last week. Feeling incredibly honoured and so pleased to take part along with David Allen @CreativePrisci, Helen Spring @SpringLearns and Tom Martin @Farmer_Tom_UK, I wanted to add a blog about it.   During the lecture, we discussed the huge benefits of outdoor learning. Helen Spring is such an expert in this field and Tom Martin’s FarmerTime is a brilliant way to engage pupils in the outdoors and careers education. As a full-time teacher @burlingtonjnr I spoke about our schools outdoor learning journey. Indeed, I introduced Tom and Farmertime at last years Teach Meet during the Conference in Reading. We have been undertaking Farmer Time at our school with Farmer Colin @sw_farmer for 18 months.   I would like to add links here that were referred to in the lecture and also some detail to what was discussed ...

  In recent days, I have been reflecting on becoming part of the Association of Science Education (ASE) community over the last few years and also the amazing positives of 2020- which have come in sharp contrast to the unprecedented year in which we have all been living through a pandemic. Thank you to Hannah Russell and all at the ASE for being such a wonderfully supportive and encouraging organisation which is just awesome!   I was introduced to the ASE by Bryony Turford @priscigeeks in 2017 when undertaking PQSM with my school- as PSQM participants, we were issued with a free Conference pass in the PSQM package.   ASE Conference 2018- Liverpool This was my first ASE conference. I was inspired during sessions such as those from Alex Sinclair and Amy Strachan. There was an international delegation and it was a fascinating and extremely motivational environment. I also attended sessions by Dr Lynne Bianchi- about her book Smart Pickings- and Bryony Turford, Sarah Earle an...

My PSQM journey This began 4 years ago when I arrived at our school as a Year 6 teacher. As a new Science co-ordinator, the Head indicated a commitment to improving Science and it was identified that completing the Bronze PSQM was absolutely pivotal in promoting and supporting our school progression in Science- it has had a massive impact on our school, my Science Leadership skills and the Science learning journey for all of our pupils.   Undertaking PSQM  This was such an amazing experience and I was totally inspired. Bryony Turford- Yorkshire Senior Hub Leader(@priscigeeks)- totally ignited my interest and engagement with Science and teaching it at Primary. Having a positive growth mindset and encouragement is so important and she has that in bucket loads. She is a wonderful mentor and I am certain that she has made a profound impact on my ability as a Science teacher and leader, as well as helping me to ensure progression throughout our school in maximising the Science lear...

I thought it would be good to share my experiences of STEM Learning. Along with PSQM, they and their staff have been so inspirational to me on my ‘Science Lead’ learning journey. In the Beginning Initially, and as a new Science co-ordinator, I was encouraged to undertake the STEM Learning 9 day ‘Developing the Experienced Primary Science Lead’ course. This took place over three 3-day sessions and was funded through an Enthuse bursary due to the fact that the school where I work is in a low socio-economic area. It was such an awesome experience. The STEM Centre is a wonderful place, full of enthusiastic and encouraging staff including Tanya Shields, Sarah Dagnell and Karen Bruynee. The way the course was delivered was so interesting and engaging. There were loads of ‘hands-on’ activities to get involved in- which really helped me to remember the value of hands-on learning. I also learned more about assessment, enquiry types, different science topics, strategies for leading a subject and...

It is so important that our pupils gain skills and knowledge about careers and therefore we are so proud at the school where I work to have recently attained the ‘Primary Careers Mark’. Quality Careers Education activities, and subsequent knowledge, enable pupils to understand and develop characteristics such as resilience and patience- required for their future. Information given is free from gender bias and develops knowledge about careers in their local area; it also helps them to identify their own characteristics and potentially, what kind of jobs they might like and suit. We work to give our children the appropriate IT skills and confidence to be flexible as they travel their learning journey. This really enhances pupil self-esteem as their confidence grows.    Our school has included a careers element within its curriculum for many years, particularly in Year 6 as the pupils have been undergoing transition to Year 7. The Careers Mark programme was brought to our attenti...

My Masters Journey and Top Tips   My journey  It is widely acknowledged that participating in a Masters is admirable and a considerable task; this was an important undertaking for me and a long held ambition. However, working on a full-time basis in school leaves professionals with very little spare time. As a teacher of Six years at the time of starting and also working in Year Six, plus heading towards a big birthday, it seemed like the time was right for me to seize the opportunity and complete this ambition. I feared that if I did not do so, my optimum chance may pass me by. An opportunity arose when I realised the local college was running a ‘Masters in Education’ course in the evenings.   As Science/STEM Subject Lead, I had recently attained the PSQM accreditation with my school which meant I had been busy and had re-familiarised myself with working in an academic way. I felt that whilst learning at the East Riding College, new knowledge gained would inform my work....