Trust Projects

Canterbury Christ Church University College (Innovative Project)

In partnership with Kent and Medway Schools

This innovative project based at Canterbury Christ Church University College is designed to promote a whole school approach to teaching science in primary schools in Kent and Medway.

Overview

Initially, the project will focus upon twenty schools within Kent and Medway in such a way that the schools and individual teachers involved in the project will be able to continue to develop in science after the end of the project. One major focus will be to support NQTs. All NQTs now enter their first teaching post having already demonstrated a sound grasp of science subject knowledge and high level skills in ICT such as data logging and a familiarity with web-based teaching and learning materials. 

 

Aims

September 2002. The project started in September 2000. It aimed to develop science in a total of thirty-six schools in Kent and Medway LEAs. Whole school development was to be achieved by:

combining newly qualified expertise in science and ICT with science coordinator confidence and experience
supporting NQTs teaching of science mainly through the science coordinator.
 

Other dimensions of the project aimed to:

support the development of science coordinators as subject leaders
develop the use of Internet and Intranet as a vehicle for whole school development of science.

Programme

The distinctive elements of this project are:

  • a combination of using newly qualified expertise and Science Coordinator confidence and experience
  • supporting NQTs through distance learning and use of the Internet and an Intranet
  • supporting the development of science subject leaders in primary schools.

We anticipate that children will benefit from the project by increasing their confidence and enthusiasm for science and how it relates to the real world, by developing their investigative skills and conceptual understanding, through greater use of aspects of ICT to enhance their learning in science and in increasing their performance in terms of teacher assessment and SATs results especially in relation to the assessment of aspects of scientific investigation.

Canterbury Christ Church University College will also pursue research into some aspects of development within the initiative.

Evaluation

Evaluative data will be drawn cumulatively from a wide range of sources within the programme. Internal evaluation will be carried out by the College Science Link Tutors. External Evaluation will be carried out by Professor Carl Parsons of Canterbury Christ Church University College who is an experienced evaluator of curriculum development projects.

 

Contact

Judith Roden, Principal Lecturer, Faculty of Education : J.Roden@cant.ac.uk

Update

We can report the following:

  • participant subject leaders demonstrated increased confidence in their role of science subject leader
  • subject leaders developed their own primary science Intranet site working alongside and utilising the expertise of their newly qualified teacher
  • newly Qualified Teachers benefited from additional support to enable them to implement a wide range of teaching strategies, especially in relation to investigative science
  • pupils within project schools benefited from the involvement of their teachers especially in relation to improved provision for investigative work, assessment of practical work; the use of a wider range of recording methods
  • cluster groups set up to support teachers within a geographical area were very effective in sharing experiences and supporting the work of individual teachers in individual schools. Some schools reported in creased performance of pupils in National Tests
  • the combination of subject leaders and newly qualified teachers has been a powerful force for change within participant schools
  • the status of science within project schools rose as a result of involvement in the project.

Comments from subject leaders include:

"I knew 'what' and 'how' to teach science before, but I often lacked the confidence to put this into practice, especially when so much time was taken up by numeracy and literacy...The project has given me the confidence to argue for more time for science and to challenge others within the school to include more investigative work."

".together, we [NQT and SC] have run workshops in school, based on the College-based sessions, especially in the different kinds of investigative work and assessment."

".asking my colleagues to provide lesson plans to put onto the Intranet site has encouraged them to really think about investigative approaches and the lesson plans are improving!"

Comments from Newly qualified teachers include

'Teaching investigations to a class of 30 children when you first come in is really daunting...but now I am more confident in classroom management for investigative work and more enthusiastic and willing to try new ideas"

"I'm becoming more confident. I was very unconfident before the project, especially about incorporating practical work. Before, I tried not to do practical work if I didn't have to"

We would be very happy to share the evaluation strategies and guidelines for the development of Intranet sites with schools and HEIs