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Hi all
Apologies for cross posting, and multiple messages today! Final week at SEPnet, so it’s a tad manic….
Over the last few years SEPnet has been developing and testing resources aimed at bringing Physics into the context of Key Stage 3 Students’ lives and career paths. After testing across over twenty five schools in the South East over two
years, we are finally ready to launch the resources! Everyone, here’s Connect Physics:
http://www.sepnet.ac.uk/outreach/schools/connect-physics/
The ideas were developed by SEPnet Officers and teacher, then taken to full workshops by the fine folk at Science Theatre.
We set out to develop a set of three workshops which can be delivered over a school year which aim to maintain and raise the science capital of students. We found in testing, after throwing
a lot of budget and people time at the evaluation, that we actually couldn’t bring in sufficient data to measure any changes in Science Capital. Also our aims may have been a little impossible to carry out and measure.
However the outcomes after each of the workshops were delivered, along with observations from teachers showed there was some short-term impact. The full evaluation report, carried out by Hope-Stone research, can be found here:
http://www.sepnet.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Connect-Physics-Complete-Evaluation-Report-2017-18.pdf
So in the end, these workshops do encourage the students to think of the bigger picture through connecting different ideas, such as topics from KS3 science, the latest physics research or their everyday lives. The workshops also help students
find out about careers that are available after studying physics and also develop the students’’ skills using the scientific method and the peer-review process by tackling an open-ended problem with no given solution. Over a third of students had a raised
interest in Physics after completing each workshop.
The workshops are available for all to use under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License. The workshops can be delivered on condition that:
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The resources are to be used for non-profit purposes only.
·
The SEPnet logos are not to be removed from any of the materials. However you are free to add additional logos.
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A completed reporting spreadsheet is sent back at the end of the school year.
To register please complete the form linked below:
http://www.sepnet.ac.uk/outreach/schools/connect-physics/user/
All the best
Dom
Dr Dominic Galliano
(Pronouns: he/him/his)
SEPnet Director of Outreach & Public Engagement
@PhysicsDom
T: +44(0)207 882 5063
M: +44 (0)7702 363731