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Useful Resources
This page contains Project Reports, Briefing Sheets and other useful resources on the subject of Science. This page is a work in progress, so keep checking for updates.
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Teaching Science to Adults
in England – a snapshot of current provision - [PDF], by
Yanina Dutton and Joan O’Hagan, NIACE April 2007 Final Report of a project commissioned by the National Science Learning Centre (NSLC) commissioned in which NIACE carried out a small research project to learn about “Science for Adults “ programmes across England. Summary report of the Teaching Science to Adults in England – a snapshot of current provision project - [Word] By Yanina Dutton and Joan O’Hagan, NIACE April 2007 |
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| To obtain a copy of the new free-of-charge
Teaching and Learning Framework materials for science, developed by
DfES Standards Unit, (see Newsbytes item) contact
Michael.Kalvis@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
or the appropriate Regional Director: London – Pat Hulin, tel.0207 297 2702 Pat.Hulin@dfes.gsi.gov.uk South West – Geoff Kerr, tel.01823 446 040, geoff.kerr@dfes.gsi.gov.uk South East - Gerry Rodgers, tel. 01483 484 296, gerry.rodgers@gsi.gov.uk Eastern – Di Fuller, tel. 01480 496 226, Di.Fuller@dfes.gsi.gov.uk North – Jan Portillo, tel. 0191 206 4667 jan.portillo@dfes.gsi.gov.uk North West – Judith Edwards, tel. 01925 644 441, judith.edwards@dfes.gsi.gov.uk Yorkshire and Humberside – Colin Coleman, tel. 0113 390 6464, colin.coleman@dfes.gsi.gov.uk West Midlands – Linda Jarvis, tel.01212 376 269, linda.jarvis@dfes.gsi.gov.uk East Midlands – Tim Smith, tel. 01159 299 100, Tim1.Smith@dfes.gsi.gov.uk |
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| Einstein Year Einstein Year 2005 received a lot of publicity and it had its own website at www.einsteinyear.org . The magazine ‘Physics World’ offered a free copy of its Einstein Anniversary edition published in January: a copy can be obtained via the website www.physicsweb.org/samples/ |
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| Having won the Michael Faraday prize for science communication, Sir Martin Rees FRS, the Astronomer Royal based in University of Cambridge, gave a lecture entitled “Einstein’s legacy as scientists and icon” on 27 January 2005. The full text and a video of the lecture can be found on the Royal Society's website www.royalsoc.ac.uk , which also shows a potted history of Einstein’s work and details other celebratory events. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Royal Society’s website has been redesigned and is now excellent. It shows science issues in the news day-by-day, science programmes on TV and radio, and covers policy issues and reports, such as the recent “Science and the Public: a review of science communications and public attitudes to science in Britain” based on research sponsored by the Government Office of Science and Technology with the Wellcome Trust. www.royalsoc.ac.uk/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The British Association for the Advancement of Science has also re-vamped its website at www.the-ba.net . Their base at the new Dana Centre in London, a collaboration with the Science Museum and the European branch of the Dana Alliance, is proving a good focus for adult-friendly debates, on the cafe-bar principle Recent events have included Punk Science, a rude and anarchic comedy night, and a Sinful Things evening of sexy artefacts from the science Museum’s collection as well as more serious topics on the morality of cloning and the ethics of drug-company profits. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) now offers a quarterly Learning e-Bulletin, with updates on news, current priorities and recent project awards. You can sign up by e-mailing Learningnews@nesta.org.uk . At the same time, if you organise or want to find out about educational talks and events you can consult the useful NESTA-supported lecture list at www.lecturelist.org | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Science Museums and Centres If you want to visit a science or technology centre or field station in the UK, there is a useful directory at the website www.scienceworlds.co.uk |
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| The Café Scientifique movement has gained strength since it was set up in the UK in 1998. The idea comes from France and is based on holding open public debates and lectures on scientific topics, with user-friendly venues where anyone can come along and join in over a glass of wine or a coffee (very French, that). Since 2001, the Wellcome Trust has provided funding support and there are now 15 Cafes up and running, including those in Leeds, Nottingham, Oxford and Newcastle, amongst other locations, aiming ti expand to 24 by next year. The TES ran an article about them on 14 May and on 22 May the Guardian did a feature (which can be seen on www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story ). For more information, see the direct website at www.cafescientifique.org | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.teachernet.gov.uk has lots of information and advice about curriculum development and classroom practice. It’s mostly aimed at teachers in schools, but as always some of the information is relevant to teaching adults also. On 23 June, there will be an interactive interview with Dr Derek Bell of the Association of Science Education, who will answer questions about the new science curriculum. See www.teachernet.gov.uk/community . There is also an area of this site devoted to personal, social and health education at www.teachernet.gov.uk/pshe | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Report from NIACE Science
Conference 2003 A report on the NIACE conference called "Science Skills for Life and Work: Learning Opportunities for Adults" which took place at the Royal Institution, London on Tuesday 14 October 2003. |
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| ESRC Teaching and Learning Research
Programme (TLRP) In 2000, the Economic and Social Research Council embarked on a coordinated research initiative to support and develop educational research, to lead to improvements of outcomes for learners of all ages, in all sectors and contexts of education, training and lifelong learning, throughout the UK. The programme is in three phases: primary, secondary and post-compulsory education, and is scheduled to end in December 2008. There are cross-linking themes such as an Assessment Reform Group, and Thinking Skills within which is the Cognitive Acceleration in Science (CASE) Project developed at Kings College, London. In March 2004, TLRP launched its new portfolio of 18 post-compulsory projects to cover a variety of topics in post-16 and further education, higher education, workplace learning, continuing professional development and lifelong learning. This was preceded by a review of available information, including focus groups with 118 adult learners to discuss how they felt teaching and learning could be improved. Literature references highlighted include:
For more information on the ESRC Teaching and Learning Programme see www.tlrp.org.uk |
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Some Science-based Museums:
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| SET4Women is an excellent Website (
www.set4women.gov.uk ) run by the Promoting SET for
Women Unit, based in the Office of science and Technology at the DTI. The
Government has announced a new integrated approach to tackling the problem
if under-representation of women in science, engineering and technology
(SET). This Unit aims to improve the recruitment, retention and
progression of women in SET education and employment, and to increase
their involvement in shaping Government policy. It complements the Cabinet
Office’s Women and Equality Unit and develops policies to mainstream
relevant gender issues in the UK and EU; encourages international good
practice for women in SET; supports networks, projects and research;
provides statistics. Networks supported include: the Association for Women in Science and Engineering (AWiSE); the African-Caribbean Network for Science and Technology; the Fawcett Society; the Institute of Physics Women in Physics Programme; Women in Science Engineering and Technology (WITEC); Women’s Engineering Society and the Women Returners Network. For other EU-based networks, see the Women in Science sector of the EC’s Website. Projects supported include a 3-year pilot mentoring scheme; the Athena project encouraging the promotion of women to senior roles in HE; the WISE Campaign, and the Rosalind Franklin Award for successful women in SET roles. Although girls continue to outperform boys at GCSE science overall, 3 times more boys than girls gained A level physics in particular in 2000. The number of women with SET degrees has risen from 240,000 in 1992 to 290,000 in 2000, while the total for both men and women together has risen from 1.1 million to 1.3 million over the same period. Women still find it more difficult to achieve promotion in SET jobs in HE, as well as research and technical development sectors generally. A comprehensive collection pf statistics, including women’s participation in post-compulsory education, skill-based qualifications and HE, is available under the banner “Setting the scene: gender balance in science, engineering and technology” with statistics revised and updated by the University of Warwick’s Employment Research Institute, for the OST. Relevant published work includes:
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