Module BIOL3431: Biology into Schools

Department: Biosciences

BIOL3431: Biology into Schools

Prerequisites

• At least 60 credits from Level 2 modules in Biosciences; DBS check; successful completion of interview (by some of the following: module co-ordinator(s); member(s) of the module delivery team, including the Science Engagement Team).

Corequisites

• At least two other level 3 modules in Biosciences, selected from the following list: Advanced Topics in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour BIOL3561, Conservation Biology BIOL3551, Ecology in the Anthropocene BIOL3541, Advanced Topics in Development BIOL3521, Stress and Responses to the Environment BIOL3491, Crops for the Future BIOL3611, Biochemistry and Biotechnology BIOL3601, Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering BIOL3531, Ageing BIOL3591, Advanced Cell Biology BIOL3481, Biology of Disease BIOL3621.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Research Project BIOL3571, Biological Enterprise BIOL3441, Research Proposal BIOL3631, Contemporary Issues in The Biosciences BIOL3641; all other Science into Schools modules: CHEM3081 Chemistry Into Schools, COMP3421 Computer Science into Schools, ENGI4321 L4 Engineering Into Schools, GEOL3251 Earth Sciences into Schools, MATH3481 Mathematics into Schools, PHYS3611 Physics Into Schools. All Public Engagement in Science modules: BIOL3661, CHEM3431, COMP3621, ENGI4581, GEOL3311, PHYS3731.

Aims

• To develop a range of key transferable skills and to offer an early taste of teaching Biosciences to those interested in pursuing it as a career or for other career pathways where communication of science is required.
• To help students gain confidence in communicating Biosciences, develop strong organisational and interpersonal skills, and understand how to address the needs of individual learners.
• To learn to devise and develop Biosciences projects and teaching methods appropriate to engage the relevant age group they are working with.
• To help inspire a new generation of Bioscientists as prospective undergraduates by providing role models for school pupils.
• To help teachers convey the excitement of their subject to pupils by showing them the long-term applications of school studies, especially the cross disciplinary relationships of Biosciences. To help teachers by providing an assistant who can work with and support pupils at any point on the ability spectrum.

Content

• Students will be matched with appropriate schools and a specific teacher in the local area, and each student selected will be given a chance to meet with the teacher they will be working with before commencement of the placement.
• The student will be required to spend 40 hours in their placement school; typically 4hrs per week for at least 10 weeks.
• Tutorials combining presentations, activities and discussion, which will provide an opportunity for students to share their experiences and develop key transferrable skills.
• Preparation and delivery of a pilot project (usually a primary school visit day) as part of a team.
• Students will be involved in the following activities in support of their learning and teaching:
• Classroom observation and assistance: Initial contact with the teacher and pupils will be as a classroom assistant, watching how the teacher handles the class, observing the level being taught and the structure of the lesson, and offering practical support to the teacher.
• Teaching assistance: The teacher will assign the student with actual teaching tasks, which will vary dependent on specific needs and the student's own ability as it develops over the term. This could include for example offering problem-solving coaching to a smaller group of higher ability pupils, or taking the last ten minutes of the lesson for the whole class. The student will have to demonstrate an understanding of how the level of the knowledge of the pupils they are teaching fits in to their overall learning context in other subjects.
• Whole class teaching: Students will typically be offered, in collaboration with their teachers, at least one opportunity to undertake whole class teaching, albeit that it may be only for a small part of the lesson.
• University awareness: Students will represent and promote their academic discipline as a potential university choice to pupils across the social and academic range represented at their partner schools.
• Project: The student will devise a Biosciences Project on the basis of discussion with the teacher and module co-ordinator(s) and their own assessment of what will interest the particular pupils they are working with. The student will implement the Project and evaluate it. The student will be required to show that they can analyse a specific teaching problem and devise and prepare appropriately targeted teaching materials, practical demonstrations and basis 'tests' where appropriate.
• Extra-curricular projects: The student may be supervised by the teacher in helping to run an out-of-timetable activity, such as a lunchtime club or special coaching periods for higher ability pupils. The student will have to demonstrate an ability to think laterally in order to formulate interesting ways to illustrate more difficult scientific concepts.
• Written reports: The student will keep a reflective journal of their own progress in working in the classroom environment, and they will be asked to prepare a written report on the Project.
• The teachers will act as the main source of guidance in the schools but, in addition, the students will also be able to discuss progress with the module co-ordinator(s) or a member of the module delivery team, including the Science Engagement Team whenever necessary.

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this module students will:
• Be able to assess and devise appropriate ways to communicate a Biosciences principle or concept to different audiences.
• Have gained a broad understanding of many of the key aspects of teaching and learning in schools.
• Have advanced their own pedagogic understanding of Biosciences.
• Have an advanced understanding of the problems of public perception of science.

• On successful completion of this module students will:
• Know the responsibilities and appropriate conduct for a teacher.
• Know how to give (and take) feedback on Biosciences issues.
• Be able to undertake public speaking on Biosciences generally.
• Know how to prepare lesson activities and teaching/training materials for Biosciences.

• On successful completion of this module students will:
• Be able to communicate effectively, both one to one and with small groups.
• Be able to understand the needs of individuals.
• Be able to use interpersonal skills when dealing with colleagues.
• Be able to improvise when necessary.
• Be able to organise, prioritise and negotiate.
• Know how to work with others in teams.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• This module includes tutorials and a school placement.
• The tutorials provide the means to give a concise, focused presentation on generic aspects of key transferable skills (e.g. teaching and learning skills and presentation skills). The tutorial material will be explicitly linked to scenarios that are likely to arise in the school placement. When appropriate, the tutorials will also be supported by the distribution of written material, or by information and relevant links on Blackboard Learn Ultra.
• The tutorials will provide opportunity for students to share their experiences and to discuss specific issues in Biosciences education and the public perception of science, giving them the chance to develop their theoretical understanding and communication skills.
• The preparation and delivery of the pilot project provides an initial experience of teamworking, negotiation, and designing and delivering activities for school pupils.
• The school placement allows the student to develop a range of interpersonal skills and the professional competencies expected of an effective teacher (or a facilitator to others), thus ensuring that the learning outcomes are met.
• Students will be able to obtain further help in their studies by approaching the module coordinator(s), either after tutorials or at other mutually convenient times.
• Student performance will be summatively assessed through an Executive Summary of the Reflective Journal, a Project Report, a Presentation and a Teacher's Assessment.
• The Exective Summary of the Reflective Journal and the Project Report will provide the means for students to reflect on their own personal development, on their experience of school and the organisation of teaching and on pupils' science learning, and to demonstrate written communication skills.
• The Presentation will enable students to give a practical demonstration of teaching competencies including oral communication skills.
• The Teacher's Assessment is an independent corroboration of progress, including the student's approach, attitude, appreciation of key educational skills and performance in the Project.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Tutorial discussion of students' experiences; activity evaluations; informal discussions of student progress with teachers or with the module co-ordinator(s) or a member of the module delivery team, including the Science Engagement Team when necessary, including interim feedback on design of Project. Formative Project Report and Formative Executive Summary of the Reflective Journal (both peer assessed).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University