ASE Futures conference 2019

Attendees of this session will reflect on how they might develop their training objectives for trainees and practicing teachers in primary schools, in the light of current research around careers and science capital carried out by the NUSTEM research and outreach group at Northumbria University in a range of schools in the NE of England. Can our research findings lead to improved practice in teacher training and can we even agree on what best practice is? Based upon experience and research with teachers in our partner schools, NUSTEM have developed best practice guidance in primary science education. The guidance is made up of a number of small, subtle shifts in teaching approach that we believe will benefit all pupils learning science. The guidance includes the following approaches: • Curriculum informed, careers inspired. • Real-world, relevant contextual teaching. • Unconscious Bias and stereotype awareness • Supporting the key influencers of children • Whole school focus • Active teaching approaches using enquiry-based learning • Development of STEM attributes. Our session will provide attendees to the opportunity to take part in in depth discussion about our guidance and to explore how this relates to current practice in teacher training. We’ll share the best practice guidance and give practical support to help participants integrate this approach into any training they deliver. We’ll also discuss what impacts these changes in primary teaching may have on science education at secondary school level.