Aims of the curriculum

I teach across four key stages: Our department has responsibility for science teaching from year 5 to year 13. (Although I personally teach year 6 to year 12).

As I review what we do it leads me to the question: why is it that we do what we do? What do we want our students to achieve and gain from their experiences in science?

A major aim for me this year is produce a plan of the aims for our students I can plan a curriculum around in the coming years. Particularly as the national curriculum changes or vanishes.


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I think that I "get it" now

Pinterest for interesting images
Delicious for interesting and useful websites
Blogger for my learning journey, leadership, politics and pedagogy
TES resources for my resources
Tumblr for my teaching ideas
Facebook for my friends
And twitter for talking to other teachers

Year 6 parents evening

I really think it is important to build positive relationships with parents as well as students. The best schools I have worked at have had support and engagement from parents. Although sometimes it isn't the fault of the school that parents won't engage and sometimes it isn't the fault of the parent they can't find a way to be involved.

Tonight I took my first steps in getting to know parents by attending the year 6 parents evening at the near-by prep school. I really hope that by meeting some of he parents of the children I teach that I can foster useful relationships that will help make connections the students I teach can benefit from.

I have always thought having a group of useful parents, whom can be candid to you, is useful for a head of department. I was asked at an internal interview what I would do to build relationships with parents and I was taken back, offended almost. I had always previously done what I could to communicate with parents about what was going on in the science department and they often engaged with me when they needed support too. (At that point I gave up on getting that role as it was obvious that they ha no idea of the work I had done previously).

Parents are an under used resource in the schools I have worked at before now and I want to make sure that I don't under-use them here.

Do teachers ever switch off?

I am at the cycle show at the NEC. We've just seen a beautiful bike made from copper. What do I think? "I wonder if I could use that as a starter in a lesson!"


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Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

RRS reader

I can't recommend enough using an RSS reader to read blogs. So simple to use, add blogs and save favourite posts for future reference.

I use google reader and an app on the iPhone and iPad that picks up the feed.


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Modelling Electricity

Is it easier to understand electrical circuits by "playing" with batteries, bulbs, leads and ammeters or by modeling it by walking around the room?

If I am honest I think that I wouldn't teach one without the other. I believe that it is important for students to "see" the science for themselves, even if there is an easier way to explain it.

Last week we investigated circuits and revised the concepts students should have come across in year 7. This didn't go as well as I would like: new plan needed!

Today I decided to introduce models to the students instead.

I felt that the students grasped the ideas better. But they did have the "real" experiences from the previous lesson to back up the ideas I was giving them.

At the end of the lesson I asked the group to look at other models. I was impressed with how they managed the task, however their written explanations require work. That's next!

ASE Conference January 2013

I intend to go to the ASE conference 2013. It is being held in Reading, which is convenient for both my  and my science teacher partner, Richard.

As we are both members and will get the 20% early bird discount it isn't too expensive to stay for all four days, three nights.

I want to go to the international day as I teach a lot of international students and communicating with international teachers will help me to understand the prior experiences of the students and therefore teach them more appropriately.

I know that I want to go to some frontier lectures. I enjoyed hearing about cutting edge science. Sometimes I get so involved in education I forget about "science". I want to take as many opportunities as I can to remind myself.

I will also be careful not to arrange any booked courses on Friday afternoon, as I really hope the ASE can get a key note speaker for that time. Although I would like to go to a literacy workshop at that time.

This year I am interested to hear the presidential address and I want to go to some sessions that relate to the changes happening to the curriculum and the way that GCSE/EBC science will be assessed.

The added bonus of the conference will be meeting a lot of the people I know from twitter. Putting a face to the twitter handle will be great.