Digitally Resourced Engaging And Motivating Science - Stranmillis College, Belfast (Cluster Project)

10 August 2009

This project involved Y3 children using digital resources to enhance X-curricular science lessons. At a recent dissemination seminar delegates learned how the use of video movie-makers, data-loggers and computer microscopes totally transformed children’s disposition towards enquiry-based science. The seminar also provided opportunites for participating schools to incorporate these approaches into their schemes of work.

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New Approaches to Primary Science Teaching and Assessment - St Mary’s University College, Belfast - (Innovative Project)

31 July 2009

The aim of the project was to provide opportunities for nursery, primary and secondary teachers to link science with history and geography using creative, novel and exciting science teaching approaches based on stories, role-play, thinking time, minds-on science, drama, etc. Our winning formula for this was to run exciting workshops for teachers AND the student teachers with whom they would work on school placements.

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Books And Stories In Children's Science (BASICS) - Stranmillis University College, Belfast - (Cluster Project)

29 July 2009

The aim of this project was to allow teachers from a cluster of primary schools to observe and learn first hand the merits of using books and stories within enquiry-based science. initial research indicated that teachers’ use of books and stories was mainly restricted to non-fiction texts. The project successfully transformed teachers’ practice and a new CPDU arising from BASICS is soon to be published here on the AZSTT website.  

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Winchester University - Teachers and Young Children Exploring their Worlds Together (Innovative Project)

29 July 2009

The University of Winchester has now completed a two year project exploring how children learn science in the early years. As a result the University has published two sets of papers which bring together all the participating teachers’ research studies. This project has also generated a CPD unit ‘Fostering Curiosity in the Early Years’ which has some superb video footage of the project in action.

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Bright Ideas - Oxford Brookes University (Innovative project)

29 July 2009

This project provided a stimulating programme of professional development for teachers to explore the impact of activities designed to engage children in thinking about science. Odd one out, Big Ideas and PMI can all be seen in action in the CPD unit at http://www.azteachscienceco.uk./resources/cpd/bright-ideas-in-primary-scienceaspx.  

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King’s College, London – Border Crossings (Innovative Project)

29 July 2009

As this project comes to a close, plans are in hand to put the activities generated into the Resources section of the Trust website. It is also hoped to produce a Continuing Professional Development unit for the website to show how outdoor activities can be used in the teaching of science and mathematics.  

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Interpreting eco-monitoring data at KS2 - Bath Spa University (Innovative Project)

29 July 2009

The final event for this project has now taken place where schools gave audio-visual presentations of their work. The use of data-loggers for eco-monitoring will be the theme for a new Continuing Professional Development Unit on the Trust's website.  

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Dundee University - Rich Tasks for Teaching and Learning Science (Innovative Project)

29 July 2009

One of the innovative features of this project was the use of podcasts produced by the children to communicate the outcomes of their science work. Following on from this, the Trust is planning to develop a Continuing Professional Development Unit for this website to illustrate how podcasts can be made and used in primary schools.  

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Joined Up Science - Cornwall Education Development Service (Cluster Project)

29 July 2009

Most significantly, Joined-Up Science has developed a model of practice to show how the Specialist Science Colleges can be used to act as a focal point for the sharing of good practice amongst schools on a wider base than their immediate network of partner primary schools. Furthermore the project has shown that investment in training has the potential for the development of a community of leading practitioners.  

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Argumentation in Science - Hampton Hill Junior School (Cluster Project)

29 July 2009

A major outcome of this project has been the creation of two sets of materials for teachers to use to develop students' argumentation skills at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. In due course, these will be published in the Materials section of this website in due course.

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