Comments for Science Teaching Journal Club

Comment on About by Experts and experimental government | Geoff Mulgan | Education Today

Experts and experimental government | Geoff Mulgan | Education Today — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:30:44 +0000

[…] pupils are faring, or data on crime patterns in neighbourhoods. Some schools already have journal clubs where teachers read, and discuss, the latest research. The Narayana Hrudualya hospital in India is […]

Comment on About by Experts and experimental government | Geoff Mulgan - Government Tenders, Government News and Information - Government Online

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:11:33 +0000

Comment on Summary of Meeting Sixteen by The evidence based teaching bandwagon

The evidence based teaching bandwagon — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:32:59 +0000

[…] Goldacre, following the paper he wrote on RCTs for social issues that we discussed in #SciTeachJC, was asked to consider the use of RCTs specifically in education. The report has now been published […]

Comment on Archive: Meeting Six — Learning Styles by The evidence based teaching bandwagon

The evidence based teaching bandwagon — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:32:20 +0000

[…] evidence to keep up with. A lot of teachers are still being told that learning styles are useful despite a lack of supporting data, and a recent Guardian article shows this also applies to the infamous Myers-Briggs ‘test’. […]

Comment on Summary of Meeting Sixteen by The Evidence-Based-Teaching Bandwagon | Teaching Science

The Evidence-Based-Teaching Bandwagon | Teaching Science — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:44:33 +0000

Comment on Archive: Meeting Six — Learning Styles by The Evidence-Based-Teaching Bandwagon | Teaching Science

The Evidence-Based-Teaching Bandwagon | Teaching Science — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:44:08 +0000

[…] of evidence to keep up with. A lot of teachers are still being told that learning styles are useful despite a lack of supporting data, and a recent Guardian article shows this also applies to the infamous Myers-Briggs ‘test’. […]

Comment on Meeting Seventeen (19th March) The use of ethical frameworks by students following a new science course for 16–18 year-olds by Deborah Cowell

Deborah Cowell — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:55:18 +0000

True, although it seemed exacerbated with the set up of the SNAB course. What I really liked about the course was the requirement for the students to research and write a scientific article, and this is where I think ethics could be effectively tested rather than answering exam questions through an ethics framework. As I said, my students are currently debating the ethical issues of the controversial "children's" book; Melanie's Marvellous Measles, which encourages children to catch measles to make their immune systems stronger rather than getting vaccinations. So many ethical issues of free speech versus irresponsible risks, coupled with scientific protocols of safe testing. I recommend it (not the book, obviously) as a starting point for them to write for a non scientific audience.

Comment on Meeting Seventeen (19th March) The use of ethical frameworks by students following a new science course for 16–18 year-olds by Bio_Joe

Bio_Joe — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:39:57 +0000

Thanks for the comment Deborah. I started teaching SNAB post pilot and really liked the set up of the course which dramatically improved student results and retention. When the Edexcel specifications merged for September 2008, I attempted to employ a mixed methods approach to delivery. The ethical frameworks are limited but I think it's a good starting point for teachers who may not have the confidence or experience to teach ethics to students. I have taught the other specifications too and feel that the ethics part of those courses aren't as well thought out as SNAB/Edexcel. As for guessing what's in the examiner's head, I think all exams are like that!

Comment on Meeting Seventeen (19th March) The use of ethical frameworks by students following a new science course for 16–18 year-olds by Deborah Cowell

Deborah Cowell — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:50:19 +0000

As a teacher who took part in the pilot years of the SNAB syllabus, I was interested to see that Michael Riess was pushing this topic. SNAB was interesting, but we abandoned after two years, mainly due to problems with examining students. We found that results were very unpredictable, and depended not so much on scientific knowledge and evaluation, but on guessing what was in the examiner’s head. I am sure that these problems (which were echoed by every teacher I met on training courses) have been well and truly ironed out by now, but this is my worry about teaching ethics within the framework of A level science. I very much enjoy teaching topics that involve ethics in Biology, but it must be done through critical thinking not emotions, and examined accordingly. Personally, I get students to look at Amazon reviews of controversial books on vaccinations or alternative medical treatments, and to critically evaluate the views given according to scientific principles and available evidence. For me it works better than sounding like I’m giving them my views.

Comment on Meeting Sixteen (15th January 2013): Randomised Controlled Trials in Educational Research by Alex Weatherall

Alex Weatherall — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:06:35 +0000

Hi Stephen,

First of all, you not being a science teacher certainly doesn’t preclude you from making contributions to our journal club, all are welcome; especially as you have highlighted such a useful resource. I can’t speak for the others, but I wasn’t aware of this particular resource. Of course some publications are made available, for instance the science education group at University of York make a lot of their research papers available http://www.york.ac.uk/education/research/research-paper/ . We just need to know where to look.

Thank’s for your comment.