Website+and+article+links

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6038638.stm


 * Science teaching 'back to front'**

The new GCSE is aimed at attracting more students to science The new GCSE science curriculum has been branded "sound bite science" which takes a back-to-front approach. Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial College London, is among the scientists to attack the core qualification, in which pupils discuss topical issues. He warned a "dumbed down syllabus" may stop those who did not study chemistry, physics and biology individually from getting into good universities. The Department for Education said the new GCSEs did involve academic rigour. In recent years most pupils have studied a "combined science" double GCSE, rather than separate science subjects which are largely confined to grammar and independent schools. Scientific literacy But from this September, most are taking a GCSE in "scientific literacy for the 21st Century" - covering issues including global warming and mobile phone technology. The expectation is they will also do an Additional Science GCSE - either "general", with a more factual basis, or "applied", with a more practical focus. Science is going to be relegated to the position of Latin and Greek and will only be taught in the independent schools Baroness Mary Warnock

Send us your comments However, Sir Richard told BBC News: "If you wish to have a dumbed-down syllabus for the general population that's fine. "But for those who really want to go on and study a subject in depth, and particularly go to a good university like Imperial, then they'll never get there unless they study the individual subjects and take A-levels in these individual subjects." He believes the new GCSEs will make it harder for pupils from state schools to study science at top universities as science departments prefer more traditional courses. Educationalist Baroness Mary Warnock shared his concern. "Science is going to be relegated to the position of Latin and Greek and will only be taught in the independent schools," she said. CORE: SCIENTIFIC LITERACY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Built around key concepts and "the nature of science and how it works": You and your genes The Earth in the Universe Food matters Radiation and life Material choices Keeping healthy Radioactive materials Life on Earth Assessed through minimum 25% external exams and 25% coursework But the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) said it proposes to establish co-operation between schools, colleges and universities by 2008 so every child who wishes to can study the three separate sciences. Professor Andrew Hunt from the Nuffield Curriculum Centre, a pioneer of the new course, said it was time to ask what everybody needed from their science education. "The problem we have always had is that we have designed each stage of education thinking about the people who will go on to the next stage, regarding everyone else as expendable. "The education that we offer everybody should be something that adds meaning and is worthwhile for their future adult lives." The debate was sparked by a report from the Institute of Ideas think tank, in which Sir Richard wrote: "A science curriculum based on encouraging pupils to debate science in the news is taking a back-to-front approach." He added: "Science should inform the news agenda, not the other way round." 'Suitable only for the pub' In a critical essay published by the institute, David Perks, head of physics at Graveney School, London, also describes the changes as a "dumbing down" of the subject. He argues the new qualification will produce citizens without "a thorough grounding in the sciences" and suggests instead everyone should study separate chemistry, physics and biology. Ethicist Baroness Mary Warnock, who has also joined the debate, added: "What counts as an issue to be debated in class is largely, as David Perks points out, dictated by the press. "Far too much teaching at school has already degenerated into this kind of debate, more suitable for the pub than the school room." But the Department for Education and Skills said the qualification would be academically rigorous while encouraging more young people to consider studying science post-16. A spokesman said under the new programme, pupils would study more than one science subject.

All change for the new school year http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5305492.stm

About Cardinal Heenan: From: http://www.alite.co.uk/news/alite_activities_archive.htm


 * Liverpool's national exemplar in whole brain learning**

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Specialist Sports College in Liverpool. They have recently developed a range of what they call whole brain learning initiatives for PE and are enthusiast for the accelerated learning model. Cath Daley, Advanced Skills Teacher listed some of the changes for us: · Widespread use of video for review · Self and peer group review and assessment · Positive language and esteem boards used in all lessons · Lots of chunking of content within lessons · Schemes of work audited for VAK · Video used to demonstrate AL concepts: questioning, reviewing, big picture, connecting · PE Department to act as ‘leading lights’ The work at Cardinal Heenan is to be part of a national case study and will be presented at the National Sports College Conference

School league tables http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/341_gcse_lea.stm

From PublicTechnology.net, May 2006 http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4848 [|Building Schools for the Future: what the investment should deliver]

Keith Phipps MBE, Head of Year and Head of Geography at King Edward VI Camp Hill School and member of the Birmingham Building Schools for the Future steering committee, talks about what to expect from the investment being made to update schools.

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the biggest single government investment towards improving school buildings for over fifty years, the aim being to rebuild or renew every secondary school in England over a 10-15 year period. With a massive public expenditure running into tens of billions of pounds, the impact will be felt in every state school in the UK. A large proportion of schools will be razed to the ground and rebuilt, whilst others will receive funds to redevelop and rebuild areas of their campus.

BSF represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to change not only the built environment, but also the culture of learning to one that belongs in the information age. It will not be enough to simply regenerate new buildings. We also need to make the most of the new learning opportunities afforded by advanced technology and only then will we see a genuine impact on standards in education.

The BSF programme is now well under way and LEAs around the country are busy finalising or submitting their bids for funding. They have to address the aims of the programme which are to: > Rebuild or renew facilities for all secondary pupils in England within 10 – 15 years from 2005-06 > Enable application of the government’s 14 – 19 agenda including personalised learning > Provide flexible, inclusive spaces that accommodate ICT provision support workforce reform > Develop buildings that are high-quality, safe and secure and allow staff to concentrate on their roles as educators.

With such a vast amount of money going into revitalizing school buildings, it is easy to forget that BSF is not simply about updating the built environment, but also the learning environment within. By harnessing the new technology that will be accessible within the 21st century school, we have a real chance to revolutionise learning and significantly raise standards.

Teachers and educators need to respond to research findings into new ways of learning, which suggest that we are more successful when we have increased control over how and when we learn. In recent years, this has become known as the personalised learning agenda. It will truly come into force when technology is fully utilised to allow the pupil more control over their learning. This is an opportunity that BSF offers.

Software that recognises the importance of personalised learning and delivers its content accordingly will become an important tool in the post-BSF school. Content must be accessible for all learners, regardless of their learning style.

The BSF programme can have a sustained impact upon standards if there is an appropriate use of computer technology. Fully integrated virtual learning environments (VLEs) that allow learners access to information at home or at school are an essential part of this. For example, Birchfield’s newest software, the Lesson Kit, has been created with this in mind. Content within the Lesson Kit is SCORM compliant, which means it can be accessed via a VLE or online curriculum. The Lesson Kit range also suits teaching requirements in technologically-advanced schools. Pre-programmed lessons can be delivered via an interactive whiteboard or data projector, or used by learners working independently on individual machines and thanks to a handy assessment tool that is included within the Lesson Kit, students can still be monitored when working on their own.

The most significant impact of the BSF programme will be the mind shift needed in the 500,000 UK teachers responsible for the future of education. Continuous professional development is needed if teachers are to change traditional working practices. Nationally, we have seen outstanding practitioners raising the torch of innovation as the early adopters of technology. Many have increased the understanding of their students by using multimedia software presentations. Some have afforded pupils the opportunity to create their own multimedia presentations from the pre-designed lessons and create their own. However, the practices of these teachers have not been adopted by the majority. This is something the BSF programme needs to redress.

In my opinion the Building Schools for the Future initiative is an exciting opportunity to improve educational provision in the UK. However, it would be misguided to equate this major capital investment programme to an automatic increase in standards.

I would like to see the schools of the future embracing two major developments of the last twenty years, namely computer technology and neuroscience. In most of the BSF planning documents I have seen there has been a commitment to ensuring the schools of the future are computer-rich. However, my concern is that having computer technology will not by itself ensure that it is used effectively. The solution to this problem lies in neuroscience research, which has strived over the last twenty years to offer an insight into how technology can be used to improve learning.

Where computers are used to enhance the classroom experience, allowing creative and pupil centred opportunities for learning, standards rise. Using them in such a way that is sympathetic to our biological disposition for independence and engagement will have the same effect. I remain optimistic about the opportunities afforded by the BSF programme but strike a note of caution that in order to make the new buildings a true success with a positive impact on standards, we will have to adopt new pedagogical thinking about how we use ICT.

//Keith Phipps was awarded an MBE in 2005 for his services to education. His infectious passion for teaching and learning led to him deservedly winning The Most Creative Use of ICT Award in the National Teaching Awards 2001. As Head of Year and Head of Geography at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham, Keith was instrumental in helping his pupils win the BITES digital video competition in 2004 and he has recently made presentations to the research team at Becta and Lord Mitchell of the e-learning foundation.//

In 2003, Keith was awarded the New Statesman New Media Award for the Best School Internet Project (secondary). The website, www.pupilvision.com, which is used to support geography pupils and teachers both in school and at home, gained Keith further recognition as a thought-leader in e-learning. A keen advocate of “anytime, anywhere learning”, Keith is currently a member of the Birmingham E-Learning and Birmingham Building Schools for the Future steering committees, as well as the DfES’ ICT in Schools Committee responsible for e-learning.

[|King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys] [|Birchfield]
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