Subject Presentations

SUBJECT PRESENTATIONS

The Summer School programme was run with a view to presenting the conclusions of all the discussions to the Secretary of State and Schools Minister on the Wednesday and a panel of educationalists on the final morning.  These were;

 

Science

1. The unique value of the Summer Schools

  • Sharing examples of good practice helps teachers to realise that many of the barriers that they face in schools are within their own powers to break down. 
  • The experience of being taught at the Summer School by leading academics re-enthuses teachers and gives them exciting new material to take back to their classrooms.

2. Professionalism

  • The liberation of the KS3 curriculum places on Science teachers the responsibility, which most of them welcome, to maintain subject rigour and use their professional judgement in developing students’ understanding of and passion for the subject.

3. Assessment 

  • Current modes of assessment are often unchallenging and do not encourage deep or lateral thinking. Teachers can and should be involved in creating a better system which will engage, motivate, and develop students.

4. High Level Thinking 

  • The acquisition of skills and of subject knowledge in depth should not be mutually exclusive but interdependent. Students should be taught to think analytically and creatively, and to evaluate evidence. The ability to interrogate information critically and to accept the principle of uncertainty is essential to intellectual and personal development.

 

Geography

1. The place of Geography in the Curriculum

  • Geography enables students to make sense of the complex world in which they live, unifying their understanding of the human and physical environment, and providing the key to making informed decisions about many critical 21st century issues. 
  • A subject of this importance needs to be taught by specialists.
  • Fieldwork is an essential component of effective and inspirational Geography teaching.

2. Geography and Skills

  • In spite of the importance of the subject, recognised in the Action Plan for Geography, it is in some schools losing curriculum time to a skills-based approach to learning and to the pressure of assessment in core subjects.
  • Functional skills can be delivered best through subjects, and Geography provides an effective medium for doing so.