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The University of Southampton
Southampton Education School

Science NQT Conference (Kent) Event

Time:
09:30 - 15:30
Date:
9 July 2014
Venue:
Discovery Park Discovery Park House Ramsgate Road Sandwich Kent CT13 9ND

For more information regarding this event, please telephone Mathematics and Science Learning Centre on 023 8059 8810 or email mslc@soton.ac.uk .

Event details

For all scientists newly appointed and relatively new to teaching. This conference for NQTs and ECTs will be held at Europe’s leading science and technology park, ‎Discovery Park at Sandwich, which hosts a range of international companies from the life science, ‎pharmaceutical, biotechnology, science and ‎technology sectors‎. ‎

Programme

‎9.30- 9.45‎
Welcome and aims of the day.‎
Introduction – What Constitutes a Healthy Department?‎

‎9.45 – 11.00‎
Progress and Differentiation in Science
Schools exist to help students make progress – and this needs to be ‘visible’ to the student, ‎teacher, parent, senior leader and inspector. Also, to help students make progress, teachers ‎may need to differentiate their teaching – but what does this mean in practical ‎terms? There are no simple answers to these complex challenges, but by the end of this ‎workshop we will have reflected and explored options around:‎

  • making progress in science lessons more visible to all involved, and, ‎
  • differentiating science lesson activities in ways that require relatively low levels of ‎planning.‎


‎10.00 – 11.15 ‎
Coffee

‎11.15 – 12.30‎
Either: Extended Writing Workshop
The demands are growing for students to produce extended writing in response to science ‎questions, especially for the more able at GCSE and A level . How can we develop the skills ‎needed to turn short statements into sentences, then into paragraphs and coherent passages ‎of writing? There are many long-term approaches to this - but for the shorter-term, by the ‎end of this workshop we will have reflected and explored options to:‎

  • help students identify the form of writing a question is requiring, and, ‎
  • structure their answers to meet it.‎


Or: Getting practical
Science without practical work is like swimming without water. However are practical ‎activities always a good use of time? In this session you will be asked to evaluate a range of ‎practical tasks and use a tool to judge their effectiveness.‎

‎12.30 – 1.00‎
Maintaining Curiosity
The 2013 Ofsted report into science education – Maintaining Curiosity – gives clear ‎messages to schools about what is expected in science lessons. Here we’ll look at the key ‎messages from the report and consider how they fit with our definition of a healthy ‎department.‎

‎1.00-1.45 Lunch

‎‎1.45 - 2.45‎
Science and STEM Activities to Engage and Enthuse
Those new to science teaching are often keen to provide enrichment activities outside the ‎curriculum. However running a science club can be demanding and requires extensive ‎planning. Sound advice will be provided on managing extra-curricular activities and there ‎will be a range of engaging activities to try out.‎

‎2.45 – 3.30‎
Science Support from Discovery Park
A scientist from Pfizer who oversees their outreach programme will describe the support ‎that is available from Discovery Park and share resources and ideas that Pfizer volunteers ‎use in schools.‎

‎3.30-4.00pm
Support networks in Kent. In this session, we will explore how we can set up and ‎sustain ‎networks ‎in Kent to provide support for those new to science teaching. What support would ‎make your first years in the classroom a little easier? What could teachers share with each ‎other that would reduce the demands on their time?‎

The day will provide opportunities for NQTs to:‎

  • Explore the support that is available for science education across Kent
  • Network with peers and build a self-supporting community (networks will run termly from ‎Autumn 2014 via the hub schools)‎
  • Be inspired by engaging with contemporary science on Kent’s research-based campus
  • Try out some STEM activities that will engage your students

Booking a place to attend
The programme is free to attend as part of funded support from Kent County Council.‎
To book email mslc@soton.ac.uk or call 023 8059 8810, 023 8059 8810 stating name, email address, job title, school and any ‎dietary or accessibility requirements.‎

Speaker information

John Coad and David Shakespeare,Organisers

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