Hello I'm Pauline Hoyle I'm the Associate Director at Myscience
and we look after the National Science Learning Centre and the network
of regional science learning centres and the National STEM Centre.
I'm currently also the chair of the expert group on the
National Curriculum for Science which is a group called together
by the DfE to support teachers in the implementation of the new curriculum
which comes into effect in September 2014.
The Government have produced a new National Curriculum
in England for Key Stages 1 to 3 and it's a more demanding curriculum
than the previous curriculum, partly because we want be performing
at a higher level and in line with the highest performing nations in the world.
As a result there is more demands on children's basic reading levels,
grammar levels, Maths skills and understanding and the
understanding of science concepts and the nature of science.
The programme of study is due to be implemented from September 2014
so teachers need some support in taking on some of the
basic processes, concepts and skills that are in that curriculum.
The expert group have identified that there are some changes in the scientific
knowledge that teachers are going to require. They're also going to need to
think quite a lot about how to develop scientific enquiry in those
knowledge areas and how to embed that in their teaching and learning.
This is particularly for all primary and secondary teachers up to Key Stage 3
but it’s also for teacher trainees and their mentors.
So it's an area where they are going to have to do some
continuing professional development to embed these new concepts in their
teaching and learning. In order to achieve the highest standards and compete with
other countries in the world, there will be an increase on
scientific enquiry skills and identifying questions that
can be asked and answered and the application to the real world.
There is also an increase in the mathematical analysis skills that
children are required to undertake and also an understanding of how
scientific ideas have to ballot overtime and in particular the work
famous scientists and how they have developed those ideas.
There is also an acquisition of particular scientific knowledge.
For example at Key Stage 1 and 2 there's more emphasis on
evolution, inheritance and genetics and in Key Stage 3 there are some concepts
that have come from Key Stage 4, so there's going to be a need
for greater attention to planning, progression and concepts
all the way through the curriculum and all the way
through a child’s educational experience.
It is an ambitious timetable for teachers to prepare for the implementation of this
curriculum in September 2014 and some people will be trying things
out during the academic year 2013 to 2014. But in order to be really up to date and
ready to implement this new curriculum, there will be demands on
teacher's subject knowledge and in order to attain that subject knowledge
and to be absolute secure in it, they will need some subject-specific
continuing professional development. They will also need some resources
that help them see how those concepts can be taught to children at perhaps
a younger age than we previously have done.
The National STEM Centre, supported by the Gatsby Foundation have developed an area on
the e-library which will support primary school teachers and
coordinators for planning and delivering their lessons.
They have produced a page which leads teachers to understand
that there are packages of materials for each year group that will help them
plan their curriculum. It provides information on
lesson plans, work sheets, video clips, interactive games that will help them
delivering each aspect of the curriculum.
Also on the National STEM Centre will be some support for
teacher trainees and their mentors for delivering the new curriculum.
The expert group have funding from the Department and from the Wellcome trust
to provide some resource packages to support teachers in understanding
the content knowledge that they will need to deliver this new curriculum.
So for in primary schools that could be in something on the evolution
and genetics and fossil formation. Coming later in the year will be
some packages to support the content delivery for Key Stage 3 also.
Teacher trainees and their mentors can register on the National STEM Centre
e-library so that they have free access to the resources that will help
them implement the new curriculum.
Those resources include aspects of subject knowledge, pedagogy,
misconceptions of children and ideas for teaching and learning.
If you register on the centre you can also get a monthly newsletter
which will help teachers understand new developments, give them access
to those developments and any new materials that come online regularly.
Finally our thanks goes to the Department for Education,
the Gatsby Foundation and the members of the expert group who have helped to
provide the materials that will support you in delivering this new
National Curriculum.