Subject leader training

1. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding Subject leader training • NAC12106 : Extending the Role of the Science Subject Leader - National Science Learning Centre, York • Aimed at experienced science subject leaders who want to explore best practice and interact with research at local, national and international levels. • During three residential periods you will reflect on and enhance your leadership skills across three main areas: • teaching and learning • assessment for learning • strategic leadership and management • Essential Science Enquiry Skills at KS1, 2 & 3: How to Improve Pupil Progression While Having Fun! • ASE and the Science Learning Centre East Midlands are delighted to bring you the international acclaimed Anne Goldsworthy who will convey tried and tested strategies for improving confidence and independent learning by the explicit teaching of skills. • Find out about a variety of fun games and activities to teach children about the skills of science. • Get some great ideas for helping children to develop their conclusions and explanations. • Try out some of the Science Enquiry Games for all 3 key stages like Question Quibble, Measuring Madness, Fair Test Scramble and Repeat Readings Rumble. Teacher training – staff meeting and coaching for planning Can you sort any of the materials into groups? ‘A plant has no leaves’ How many different reasons can you think of to explain why the plant has no leaves? Open ended investigations

2. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding All staff, including TAs, have also had practical CPD…

3. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding We try to be more adventurous/creative with teaching. We are more aware of what good practise looks like. In investigations we don’t feel that we should have all the answers. We understand more about developing the skills e.g. predicting and not having to do it all at once. We are more confident to have a go and not worry about always having the answers. There are more investigations rather than teacher demonstration. Impact on teachers The range of skills needed when planning and teaching science has been clarified (as per your excellent training ). In the classroom lessons focus more on teaching and assessing AT1 skills. We are now more confident teaching science and enjoy it more. We are willing to take more risks and try things we wouldn't have done before - raising the ceiling on learning e.g. dissection in Y1. Lessons are more practical and open ended in outlook. Good to have the support of a specialist when confidence is low in a particular area The children are much more interested in science as it has been made more real life to them. They can see a purpose and a reason for learning the science. Same as teaching it to be honest! Impact on pupils

4. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding • B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4) Looking at the technology used at home, children made telephone calls (pretend) and used a microwave to make porridge (real) FS set up a baby clinic, children bought in photos of themselves as babies and made books to show how they have changed from a baby to a child and what they can do now. FS set up role plays, displays and learning areas to investigate real life people and events. Collecting items from the local country park to create a seasonal display – observing changes around them during different seasons. The children have enjoyed visits from people who help others, including a paramedic, a fireman, nurse and a builder, and then tried out related activities.

5. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4) Year 5/6 investigate the nutritional content of their favourite McDonalds Year 5/6 - we try to link even the most abstract concepts, such as forces and evaporation, to aspects of children’s lives and their own experiences.

6. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4) WALT - understand that some materials change when they are heated WALT: survey our favourite foods Recap sorting activity from previous lesson. Which foods do you like? Which is your favourite? Healthy/unhealthy? Thumbs up to show. Draw tally chart on board and explain/model how to complete. Children to work in pairs to complete tally charts and collect data about favourite foods. Plenary – a)Share graphs. Are the popular foods healthy/ unhealthy? b) When do you have special types of food? (birthday/cake etc) Year 2 try to relate lessons to things that their children see or use in their every day life, e.g. materials- why they are used and how some can change. Or health and growth- what foods we eat, what babies need to survive and how exercise affects us Make a pancake mixture in groups following the recipe, encourage children to recognise that when mixed together the ingredients form a liquid. With adult support, cook the pancakes and observe that when heated, the mixture turns from a liquid to a solid. Ask the question: Does heating always turn something into a solid or make a solid harder? Allow children to discuss and then form predictions about what will happen to the chocolate. Melt the chocolate WALT: describe what babies need to survive. Discuss the properties of the white bread slices on our tables, based on our previous learning about properties. Toast some of the bread and children to compare. What has happened to the bread? What has produced this change? Explain to ch that we are going to invite Miss Scott in and her baby to help us learn more about what babies need to survive and how they grow. What sorts of things would we need to ask? Do you have brothers or sisters that are babies? What do babies eat? How much can they move? What can they do for themselves? Walt – understand that materials have various properties that make them suitable for different uses WALT: describe the effect of exercise on our bodies Using a range of everyday classroom objects, children to consider the specific uses of the objects and why each material has been selected for this purpose. Words from yesterday on table Explain that we will be doing some exercise. How do you feel now before exercise? Model how to check pulse. Take class outside to do some exercise. How do you feel now? What changes have happened?

7. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches - open ended activities In Foundation Stage, learning environments are set up for children to observe and explore as they wish, with adults to support their learning or catch their observations and comments. The more sand I pour in, the faster it goes. When I squash it , it sticks together When it’s full of water, it will sink Isobel was being ‘Mummy Bear’ with the porridge The animals will be happy and warm now in their new house He’s 100.

8. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – open ended activities Year 5/6 try to ensure that several open-ended activities are included in each topic, either in the oral/starter… …or the independent tasks (Problem-solving/making things) (Research) Use hand lenses and gloves to investigate the surface of the nettles, thistles and roses. What can you see?How do these plants try to avoid being eaten by animals? Can you name any other plants that use this technique? Which animals will this protect them from? Which animals won’t it protect them from?How else can flowers avoid being eaten? (Clue – Digitalis, Poison Ivy) …or by using questioning Open-ended activities get rid of the notion of a ‘right answer’, encourage children to think for themselves and are perfect for ensuring more able learners are challenged while allowing less able children to work at their own level. (Observation/sorting and classifying)

9. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches - open ended activities Year 2 use open-ended activities to probe their children’s understanding and challenge their more able. (Sorting and classifying) (Making things/observation) (Problem-solving)

10. B1: The science subject leader has delivered CPD to some other teachers. Kingsley Primary – 15 teachers Enjoyed the WOW factor which can be achieved with simple techniques and resources A very ‘buzzy’ science session Lots of different practical ideas. A lot of practical ideas that could be transferred to other subject areas. Lines of enquiry are a great way to develop thinking skills Practical ideas, hands on approach – very useful Great session- good thinking skills. Along with our scientist-in-residence, I have led two training sessions for other schools - both received excellent feedback. Hi  Many thanks for today, we felt very welcome and everybody is fired up and very positive about moving science on at Kingsley - hopefully that's in your feedback too. You did deliver on excitement and Sc1 but also Maths, S&L etc.  I will be asking staff to show evidence of just one thing from the training that impacts on teaching and learning in Jan/Feb. Thanks again , Elaine Bridgewater Primary – 24 teachers Good to be refreshed with science ideas

11. B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – hands on opportunities (Principles statement 3) Hands-on experiences mean enjoyment, increased confidence and independence and enhanced enquiry skills. Year 2 water proof-test their castle Year 3 try out the actions of different shaped ‘teeth’ FS in the ‘baby clinic’ Making model teeth in Yr 4 Years 5 and 6 make burglar alarms Year 2 use different forces on clay Years 3s investigate different mat materials Years 5 and 6’s ‘Choc cycle’ FS creating ‘houses’ for animals

12. B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – outside opportunities (Principles statement 8) FS Pond-dipping in our wildlife area Year 5 beast hunt at the country park. Yr 2 – Natural/ man-made materials What lives in the pond? Year 3/4 – Walk round Irchester Country Park for rocks and soils. What lives where? What are the conditions of its habitat? Sports sciences What is the effect of exercise on our bodies? Our temporary chicken run Do brown chickens lay brown eggs and white chickens lay white eggs? Walk around school grounds to find living and non-living things – Yr 2 FS Welly Walk – spotting seasonal changes

13. B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science. Most resources are arranged alphabetically in clearly labelled drawers and boxes for ease of location and transport to classes… …however there’s no drawer big enough for the wildlife area! Specialist equipment is kept in the lab. Specialist equipment, e.g. bunsen burner, water bath, electronic scales and magnetic stirrer, is kept in the lab.

14. B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science - appropriate resources are available and used effectively to enhance learning and engage children (Principle statement 6) We encourage visitors to bring us resources and equipment in order to expand our experiences as much as possible… A parent brought in the photographic equipment for ‘light graffiti’ Our Wrenn colleague brought in chickens for a short project. Our ‘tame’ Jencons Area Manager has brought in microscopes, pipettes , dry ice and lots more! A lecturer from the University of Northampton brought in rocks and lenses Channel 4 crew brought in film and sound recording equipment …and another brought robots. Texas Instruments brought in 7 TI-NspireHandheld loggers and a range of sensors including a CO2 sensor, O2 sensor, pulse monitor and pressuremonitor. An NHS manager brought in blood pressure equipment and x-rays

15. B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science - appropriate resources are available and used effectively to enhance learning and engage children (Principle statement 6) Our best resource is our lab and scientist-in-residence: every child gets regular opportunities to work in the lab, every child gets opportunities to work with specialist equipment and investigate things they couldn’t otherwise. So far, this year… Year 2 all got to investigate the life cycle of a range of animals, e.g. ladybirds, as part of their topic on living and growing. Year 1 all got to see and feel a real heart as part of their topic on the body Foundation all got to explore shadows All year 3 got to try chromatography Year 4 all got to investigate the components of blood as part of Black History Month – Charles Drew. Year 5/6 all got to investigate the effect of alcohol on beetroot cells as part of their Healthy Eating topic. …to name but a few!!!

16. B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching simulation to visualise a concept internet for activity ideas websites for researching and programmes for communicating Year 5 recording whole class results ICT is used for visualising, reviewing, learning, teaching, researching, measuring, recording.

17. B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching Video clip of process information Main - Watch video on learning clips: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/preparing-a-tortoise-for-hibernation/10236.html Discuss the need for some animals to hibernate. Identify the animals that hibernate and what needs they have before hibernation. They eat lots to store as body fat to survive the winter, almost like deep sleep, the heart rate slows to conserve energy. Name animals that hibernate – bats, bears, snakes, frogs, ladybirds. Year 2 Presenting information measurement

18. B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching Recording information – year 4 with Wrenn mentors Investigating the Mpemba effect with temperature sensors in year 5 Investigating the warmest thing in the room with temperature sensors in FS Investigating visitors to our wildlife area with night vision and underwater cameras Recording their own Deadly 60 videos for a habitats topic. Investigating the direction and effect of wind in year 1 Presenting research in year 5/6 Presenting information – year 2, planets topicand year 6 with Wrenn mentors.

19. B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching We have just started to post clips from our wildlife camera on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/Lab13Irchester?feature=watch Only 3 at the moment but keep watching! Blogs about our science activities are posted weekly (check us out at http://lab13network.wordpress.com/lab_13s/irchester/), and there are regular Tweets too – follow us @Lab_13Irchester

20. B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science. ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching Topic information and links are displayed on our learning platform