Welcome
Animated-banner.gif

Science teachers rewriting Science education

What makes us different?

  • We're teachers. We know, in minute detail, from daily experience what is working and what desperately needs fixing. We have a high opinion of the opinion of teachers. All the contributors to this project are practicing science teachers.
  • We believe that the needs of future scientists/doctors/engineers/etc are not being met by the current differentiated versions of the same course. As a start, we are developing a course which will be a good A-level training, but which can be used alongside current GCSE courses and exams.
  • We believe that providing for the differing needs of future scientists begins in year 8; year 10 is too late. We are constructing a single-stage, 5-year science curriculum.
  • We are following a logical process of bottom-up curriculum design and this collaborative site both documents the progress of and the evidence for consensus ideas.
  • We advocate the need for "critical thinking", the importance of appreciating evidence and a proper development of the ideas of what science is and how science progresses — not the over-simplification that "how science works" has become.
  • We value an evidence-based approach to teaching science that rests upon scientifically-valid research. We structure the curriculum to exhibit a logical ordering of concepts that tell coherent 'stories'. Concrete and abstract concepts are recognised and dealt with appropriately.
  • We recognise the importance of a properly constructed curriculum in bringing long-term stability to Science education — removing the constant cycle of change that undermines our capacity to teach.

Learn more: visit the Curriculum Project pages.

Progress to date

So far, we have

  • proposed a definition of Science
  • proposed a set of aims of Science education
  • assessed the efficacy of current Science education in the light of these aims
  • begun to discuss the broad principles of a new Science curriculum

What do you think?

Please, contribute your opinion to let us know: this project is being
driven forwards by challenge and constructive criticism!

Ever better: JOIN US!

Milestones

Fight Club: Is the Science curriculum serving the needs of future scientists?
The Times Online Live Debate
4 March 2010
Alom debates with David McVean, QCDA
Learn more and read online

Science and Mathematics Secondary Education for the 21st Century
Report of the BIS Science and Learning Expert Group
February 2010
Andrew and Stu were able to contribute to the Group's consultation process
Download full report (pdf)

Scientist condemns QCDA
24 January 2010
Michael de Podesta: Lunatics have taken over the asylum learn more

Alom takes part in public debate with Science Minister
30 November 2009
Watch Alom take the opportunity to get his point across to Lord Drayson at a public debate hosted by Professor Brian Cox: Blue skies ahead? The prospects for UK science (from the 11-minute and 52-minute marks)

HowScience in the press…

Letter from Andrew
The TES, 5 March 2010
Read online

Letter from Andrew
The TES, 29 January 2010
Read online

Letter from Michael de Podesta
The Guardian, 26 January 2010
Read online

Letter from Andrew
The Telegraph, 26 January 2010
Read online

Letter from Stuart
The TES, 19 October 2009
Read in full online or an editted version of below:

And have you seen…

…our forums and our projects? At the moment we are surveying the profession's opinions on current Science education. Why not give us your views now?

We also have a public face for non-specialists: howscience.co.uk.

Building a community of passionate stakeholders

If you are excited by what we're about

and what we're doing,

we'd love for you to join us.

In the news…

Fight Club: Is the Science curriculum serving the needs of future scientists?
The Times Online Live Debate, 4 March 2010
Alom debates with David McVean, QCDA
Learn more and read online

Secret downgrading of GCSE exam results
The Times, 28 February 2010
Read online

Science and maths exams "need shake up"
BBC News, 25 February 2010
Read online

Science and Mathematics Secondary Education for the 21st Century
Report of the BIS Science and Learning Expert Group, February 2010
Download full report (pdf)

Teach the bigger story of science
The Guardian, 17 February 2010
Read online

A-level physics is not available at one in four schools
The Times, 4 February 2010
Read online

The £100 billion schools scandal
The Times, 24 January 2010
Read online

Private schools shun GCSEs and A-levels
The Guardian, 15 January 2010
Read online

Independent schools 'abandoning modular A-levels'
BBC News, 15 January 2010
Read online

Science schools 'should select'
BBC News, 11 December 2009
Read online

Physics participation and policies: Lessons from abroad
Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson (University of Buckingham), 11 December 2009
"… In organising school science education, countries face a dilemma: do they gear it mainly to the science professionals of the future or to science for citizens so that all can participate in a society’s decision-making about scientific issues? …"
Download executive summary

Learning lessons from the teachers
The Telegraph, 11 December 2009
Read online

Good grades in GCSE science to be harder to get
The Times, 5 December 2009
Read online

Science GCSEs are to include more demanding maths
BBC News, 4 December 2009
Read online

GCSE sciences: Ofqual's monitoring in 2008 and 2009
Ofqual, November 2009
Read online

GCSE science exam grades generous, watchdog says
BBC News, 20 November 2009
Read online

Evidence era to let schools call the shots?
The TES, 13 November 2009
Read online

Further revelations fuel GCSE fiasco, says chemistry chief
RSC, 10 November 2009
Read online

'Fine exam boards' that dumb down
BBC News, 6 November 2009
Read online

Power requires knowledge, Estelle Morris
The Guardian, 27 October 2009
Read online

Private side of Science
The TES, 9 October 2009
Read online

Are exams questions easier? FACTCHECK
Channel 4 Factcheck, 8 October 2009
Read online

Science uptake figures are 'science fiction', says report
The Telegraph, 27 September 2009
Read online

Science GCSE 'lacking in science'
BBC News, 16 July 2009
Read online

GCSE examinations project
SCORE, July 2009
Read online

The new GCSE science examinations
Findings from the monitoring of the new GCSE science specifications: 2007 to 2008
Ofqual, March 2009
Read online

Private Schools reject GCSE Science
The Guardian, 4 March 2009
Read online

Science lessons are failing to produce next generation of top British scientists
The Telegraph, 21 February 2009
Read online

The Five-Decade Challenge
A wake-up call for UK science education?
RSC, November 2008
Read online

Pass mark for science GCSE is forced down
The TES, 24 October 2008
Read online

Past Science papers stump pupils
BBC News, 9 July 2008
Read online

'Easier science' claim rejected
BBC News, 29 August 2007
Read online

Physicists protest at GCSE change
BBC News, 28 June 2007
Read online

Critics attack new science GCSE
BBC News, 11 October 2006
Read online

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License