An insight into a STEM TeachMeet
Do you teach a STEM subject or run STEM events and competitions?
A TeachMeet is designed to share best practice between education professionals; it is a collaboration between teachers and industry. We went along to IVC’s (Impington Village College) STEM TeachMeet earlier this week — here are some highlights of the event.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Presenter: Rizwana Alvi PhD, RSC Education Coordinator, East.
The RSC is committed to advancing excellence in chemistry teaching and aims to inspire students to achieve more. Based in Thomas Graham House in Cambridge, they offer FREE education resources and research tools. Check out the RSC A Future in Chemistry for information on career profiles and progression routes in the sector; you’ll find information for students aged 14 to 18-years-old, including study options. Few people in the room were aware of the outreach service that RSC offer called ‘Spectroscopy in a Suitcase’, as well as the following RSC competitions for students:
- Salter’s Festivals (Years 7 & 8)
- Top of the Bench (national competition — Years 9, 10 and 11)
- Chemistry Olympiad (Post-16)
- AD Schools’ Analyst Competition (Year 12)
- Chemistry Challenge (Year 10 — south east only)
It is worth mentioning that RSC have an interactive periodic table, which is also available in an app! Rizwana also signposted attendees to Edible Experiments from the University of Sheffield and Isaac Chemistry and Isaac Physics.
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Presenter: Karen McLaren, Project Manager
Having just released their 25-year vision for the future, which includes expanding the campus and bringing more science into the Cambridge area, Wellcome Sanger Institute is passionate about enabling students to explore genomic science. They currently offer:
- Campus visits
- School visits
- Online resources
- CPD training on genomics
- STEM ambassadors (100+ staff)
- New bursaries to help with school transport costs on visits to the campus
Karen talked through the features of yourgenome.org and how students can help annotate worm genomes to aid the fight against diseases — that’s pretty cool.
Frayer Model for Definitions
This model was highlighted by a science teacher; she demonstrated how it helped to improve and secure student understanding of STEM terminology, which could be particularly helpful during exam revision.
Concrete- Pictorial-Abstract (CPA)
The CPA framework was highlighted by a maths teacher for aiding students early understanding of mathematical concepts and deepening understanding for mastery in the subject; she was a strong advocate for the continuing use of this teaching and learning approach with all age groups. For those who are unfamiliar with CPA, it starts with the ‘concrete’ stage: students use real-world objects to get ‘hands-on’ with a new maths concept. Then, students develop pictorial representations of the objects used. Finally, students use abstract symbols to model and solve mathematical problems. How would you teach advanced mathematics using CPA?
PRIMM
This educational resource/strategy was designed by King’s College London and was highlighted at the IVC STEM TeachMeet by a computing teacher for structuring the introduction of a new topic, such as basic coding commands, and increasing student independence during lessons.
P = predict (what will happen? What will the code produce?)
R = run (share the code as a file with the students)
I = investigate (develop specific questions about the code)
M = modify (students add their own lines of code)
M = make (students use the class example to develop their own code)
If you would like to share your insights, resources and projects with the STEM community but are unable to attend a STEM TeachMeet, you can get in touch with us at Oxbridge Inspire and share your STEM expertise via our Medium channel, as a written article or video tutorial.
Oxbridge Inspire delivers innovative STEM education and provides guidance and inspiration to young people wishing to pursue STEM subjects at University and beyond. To find out more about Oxbridge Inspire and the courses and activities we offer, visit our website.
