Science
We are delighted that you have accepted our offer of a place on the Secondary PGCE Science course starting in September. This page contains science specific information and tasks for you to complete before the course begins.
We hope that as a cohort of beginning science teachers, you will support each other, adopt collegial ways of working and enjoy your time on this challenging but ultimately rewarding course. The science tutor team work collaboratively and possess many years of experience in supporting beginning teachers. You can find out more about us all by looking at our profiles.
We very much look forward to meeting you all again when the course starts in September.
Your science tutors
Jo Hancock
Helen Bowhay
Ellie Woods
Pre-course reading
There is a generic reading list for all secondary students and a science specific reading list, both will be shared at the start of the course. In the meantime, we would like you to complete the following reading tasks before the start of the course.
- This task has relevance for your primary school experience task and will help you to reflect on the issues of primary-secondary transfer in science.
Download Perspectives on Education - Primary-Secondary Transfer in Science.
Read and review the paper Progression and continuity in learning science at transfer from primary to secondary school by Martin Braund (page 22).
Write some reflective notes on the key messages you take from the paper about primary and secondary school science. You may be asked to share your views with others at the start of the course.
- This task should start your thinking about how to teach some of the most challenging concepts in science.
If possible, read Powerful Ideas of Science and How to Teach Them by Dr Jasper Green. Jasper is also a blogger as the science teacher. We will be thinking about communicating science in the first week of the course so bring your notes from the book along with you.
- The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), are an independent charity with the aim to break ‘the link between family income and educational achievement’ using evidence to ‘improve teaching and learning’. Read the EEF document Guidance to Improving Secondary Science
Reflect critically on this report. Are there aspects that you agree with? Disagree with? Why do you think that? Use these thoughts to help when writing the pre-course assignment.
Pre-course task
'My starting point as a science teacher' assignment
Please download details of the first course assignment. This assignment should be produced electronically, carefully proofread and completed as indicated in the guidance. We want to stress that this is a very personal assignment and, as such, there are no right or wrong responses.
Please email an electronic version using the file name 'your surname_ first name_ starting point assignment 2023' (for example Hancock_Joanne_starting point point assignment 2022) to Joanne Hancock by the date on the assignment brief.
Subject knowledge self-assessment audit
The importance of subject knowledge was discussed with you at interview, together with the need to teach all three areas of science at least to the end of Key Stage 3. We hope that you will have already been taking the opportunity to work on any recommendations made at interview. The more preparation you have done prior to the course, the easier your workload will be in the autumn term.
To support you with subject knowledge development, please take a look at the document 'Subject knowledge development in preparation for teaching', in which you will find links to a range of supporting materials and resources. This includes a primary science subject knowledge audit that is a great place to start, so please do access this before the course starts as we will be discussing it in the first week.
Developing your understanding of UK schools and schooling
We suggest that you undertake some experience in a primary school setting before starting our courses. The aim is to support you to deepen your understanding of pupils when they first start in secondary schools and the role of a teacher in progressing their learning from KS2 onwards. Further to this experience, this document will guide you towards gaining a deeper understanding of our schools, the teachers and pupils and some of the frameworks that support our education system.