The shocking truth of how to manage the difficult class

I have encountered lots of tips and ideas on how to manage difficult classes; however, it's sometimes difficult to organise what will work and what will not; well, here are some ideas to get you thinking. 

Keep it brief and to the point

The worst thing you could do is get into an argument. Majority of the time the teenager will win; it’s in their nature to argue. You are the professional here; you state what they are doing wrong and then tell them what they should be doing.

For example:

‘Jack you are talking when I am talking’

‘You need to be listening’  

Ignore ‘secondary’ behaviour

Following on from our discussion with jack; he will now start to huff and puff trying to make a big thing about it. This is where you ignore all the comments they are making (Obviously don’t ignore any remarks which could be offensive or out of order, follow your school policy) they will stop in a few seconds; you just carry on with what you’re trained to do.

Point to note here: remain calm and it will calm the pupil down also. 

Routines

Good routines could go hand in hand with your choice of words. If a pupil does something wrong always make sure you’re challenge their behaviour otherwise your boundaries will be pushed.

When you have a class enter insist on their being quite before saying good morning or good afternoon; you don’t want to be shouting over them.

Insist on using a pencil for drawings and a blue/black pen for writing. It may seem as though it does not matter but the moment you have not challenged them on this they know they have got away with it and who knows what further boundaries will be push. 

Be assertive

Try not to ask the pupils too many ‘why’ questions; It will be a good idea to avoid them at all cost. Instead focus on assertive instructions.

To avoid:

Why are you talking? (It’s a question which leads you open to secondary behaviour)

What you should say:

You are talking; you need to be looking this way; Thanks.

This part is crucial they may do it first time if they do ignore all secondary behaviour. If they decide to carry on speaking repeat your instruction. 

Present yourself in a calm manner

One of the most important things you can do as a teacher is too staying cool. Don’t try to be sarcastic or looking annoyed as this only makes things harder in future lessons. When you stay calm you are showing your class the level that is expected of them.

To conclude

Being a teacher is not easy and there are days when you feel like walking out of the classroom; however, you have a duty and a responsibility and not everyone can do your job.

Remember: 

• Keep your instructions brief and to the point at hand; don’t get into an argument.   
• Ignore the secondary behaviour as this will eventually subside if you show it does not bother you
• It’s so important to establish routines, the pupils know what to expect and it will help with behaviour.
• Be assertive; this can be presented by the way you address a question.
• Most importantly stay calm and act in a professional manner; this becomes easier over time.

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That one thing you need to know

Work - life balance 

 

The 4 hour work week; the reality is not everyone is craving for this kind of week.

We are not craving the idea of doing nothing, we are craving the idea of being happy and free, enjoying life with our family, friends and doing the things we enjoy. We have two options to make this a reality; we could dream about what we want and dream what could be; or we could go and pursue our dreams.
 
 
The reality is a true dream never comes to us head on it creeps and it whispers, we have to really think about what dream we are pursuing because the reality is not many of us can describe what we really want, for it’s harder than you think.

However, you could start with this truth: a life should be focused around what makes us happy, what makes us smile and love to the end of our time. The reality is we must focus on the little things to achieve success, to achieve the happiness we crave. This cannot be put any better than by David L. Weatherford in his poem Slow Dance.

What we all need to read

Slow Dance, by David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,

or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,

or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,

when you ask “How are you?”, do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow,

and in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a friendship die,

’cause you never had time to call and say hi?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,

you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

it’s like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life isn’t a race, so take it slower,

hear the music before your song is over.

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Tutoring chemistry in essex and career progression

Tutoring is a useful tool in making the most of your time time while studying. Tutoring should be seen as an investment into your future, your career and your love for the subject you're studying. However, it cannot only provide a fantastic impact on general knowledge in a particular subject (e.g Chemistry) but helping you to improve your confidence and attain a positive attitude towards learning. Don't be afraid to invest in your own future for you only get one shot at your education, so make sure it's the best effort you can give.

I hope to cover briefly, a few things that have been on my mind: firstly- statistics (boring statistics I know) however the information I found is fascinating. Secondly, what careers do pupils who take on science tutoring (specifically chemistry) decide to embark on.

On with the statistics:

An interesting statistic provided by essex.gov.uk stated:

 'Since the national roll out in 2009, over 45,000 tuition places have been taken up by pupils in Essex schools.'

In 2009 there were 89,253 pupils in secondary schools with in Essex, from this number 45,000 pupils took up tuition; this is over 50% of the pupils (This information was taken from School-Places-in-Essex ). Interestingly this is only the tuition that the schools know about, there may be many more pupils who decided to take on private tuition.

The idea is that tutoring can have a positive impact on your future; pupils have stated that they feel their lives are significantly improved because of the new-found confidence their tuition experience has given them (essex.gov.uk)

Tutoring chemistry for the future:

As a science tutor (with a passion for chemistry) I have been amazed by the different careers pupils with a love for science have taken. Lets take into account A-level chemistry, a good grade achieved in A-level chemistry can open careers in medicine, healthcare and pharmacy; as well as careers in law as many pupils have mentioned that taking chemistry helps to cope with difficult concepts, which they may experience in law.

Forensic science is very popular at the initial stages and many pupils desire to be working to help fight crime using blood analysis and fingerprints; however, in reality the expectation is not always the same as what you would see on shows such as CSI and NCIS.

Of course there is also a career in teaching which is very popular with science graduates as their is always a need for teachers. As well as this, nursing is a popular field which can offer work stability, good rates of pay and a career that is never boring.

progress your career, check these out.

The list is endless..........


A strong science based background can offer key skills to develop in most careers. So it is vital that effort is put in at the beginning to help strengthen your educational development.

Tutoring can hold the key; giving you a good foundation to help you prepare for the areas within science (biology, chemistry or physics) that you are still unsure on. Invest now to give yourself the best possible start to your future.

The truth

Of course having a career based around science is where my profession started from, so I am coming from a biased standing point due to my passion for science; however, it is important to stress here that all subjects should be treated with the same time and effort into achieving what you are capable of; however, one truth is more roundly accepted and that is this:

Education is the key to a civilised society and of course a better world.

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Educating Walthamstow

Starting in Essex, then to Yorkshire and back down to Walthamstow (East London). East London is the original  home of the Kray twins and cockney Rhyming slang and is different to the central London atmosphere that we think of when thinking of London. Within the East of London there are hundreds of Primary and Secondary schools; the borough of Waltham Forest the home of Walthamstow has around 16 secondary schools and even more primary schools. The series educating Walthamstow will continue its series in Frederick Bremer School 

East London is a very diverse ethnic area, with children from all all different cultures and religions; it would be interesting to see how lesson are prepared and taught to accommodate such a large range of abilities and languages. Frederick Bremer school was graded as being a 'requires improvement' school in its last Ofsted inspection; however, head teacher (Jenny Smith)is determined to get the school graded as being 'good' within the next two years.

J. Smith had mentioned that she is incredibly proud to be the head of a school which is so successful in supporting and nurturing every pupil to become successful and responsible citizens, she added: "Most of all, I'm looking forward to the series celebrating how talented our young people are."

Executive producer at Twofour, the production company commissioned by channel 4, David Clews stated: "We're so excited to be working with Jenny Smith and her team at Frederick Bremer school."

D. Clews then went on to say: "As soon as you walk into the school you feel this inspiring atmosphere, it's a place full of warmth, energy and compassion, sharing the stories of some of the students will be such a privilege." 

It was this series (Educating Yorkshire) that introduced the nation to Musfaraf, a kind but shy student with an acute stutter, trying to get a C in English. With the help of his teachers, he is eventually able to over come it in time for an English speaking exam.

It would be great to see what the series would have in store for the nation, as to what life is like in a school with such ambition and drive for all of its pupils.

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How to improve in school

Every parent wants their child to improve within school. They want their child to be able to meet their current targets and also know how to move forward to improve and go beyond their current target level. The question is what steps can be put in place to try and improve and then therefore move forward?

 

 

Targets

The first idea is to set targets; these can be establish by talking with their current teacher or to set your own personal targets that you feel your son/daughter needs to improve upon. Take note of progress reports from the school, what subjects are causes for concern and which subjects potential hold the strengths for higher grades to be achieved. The idea now is to try and replicate these strengths across all subjects to help to maintain progress.

Participation in learning

Just as targets are important to see where your son/daughter is in their current academic portfolio for a particular subject. It is important to realise how well they are participating in learning. This would mean:

•  Are the pupils behaving appropriately?

•  Do they create a positive ethos and encourage their friends to continue with their work?

•  Are they fantastic with group work and helpful when others are in need?

• Another important factor is the attendance; a pupil cannot have a good participation in learning if they are not in school for their lessons.

When we have established that participation in learning is currently or improved to good or outstanding then will see an improvement in their current target grades.

After school clubs

When it comes to the time in your sons/daughters life to apply for university, have you ever wondered what would make them stand out from the crowd apart from their grades? The reality is there are so many people trying to go to university that applications are increasing and you have to have a great application and not just fantastic grades (however these are the main priority). Joining after school clubs tends to be of great benefit to the pupil. If you get in the routine early making sure your child is joining after school clubs it will help in their future options as they will be likelier to join clubs later on which will help with confidence and social skills.

Have a read of this fantastic description of what an ideal grad student would be:

The Ideal Grad Student

The ideal graduate student is gifted, eager to learn, and highly motivated. He or she can work independently and take direction, supervision, and constructive criticism without becoming upset or overly sensitive. Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear. 

(Tara Kuther, Ph.D. About.comGraduate School)

Balance of rest and work

It is so important to find a balance between work and rest; you have to know how to prioritise as there are certain times in the week which will be better suited to either resting or working. Too much rest will tend to have a negative response where you would develop no motivation and will look upon any task as being too much. On the other hand too much work and you would not be doing yourself any favours (both health wise and having destroying family time) this applies to anyone of course, both parents and children. In order for us to be able to be the best that we can be we must have a balanced life of work and rest.

Tutoring

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela

Education is the key and as Nelson Mandela stated it can be used to change the world for a greater good. Tutoring should be looked upon as an investment; something which you should feel is worth the risk as it provides an opportunity for your son/daughter to be taught about a subject which does not involve some of the distractions that school could potentially bring. There is no harm in trying something new out; to see if it would be of any benefit and in the case of tutoring it normally tends to be positive.

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Educating Colchester with science

The school with the best performance in A-levels and other academic qualifications was Colchester Royal Grammar School (this was a statistic taken from an article produced within the Telegraph). This is a fantastic piece of data for Britain’s oldest recorded town.

Is our education system preparing our pupils?

Education needs to always be improved; it is a valuable asset to have and future generations need to be able to learn from older generations so that mistakes can be prevented from happening again, this is the learning process. However there is a sense of questioning involved when thinking about what our pupils are being taught in schools; are academic subjects important? Should more focus be emphasised on maintaining organisation and communication? These are certainly questions worth thinking about.

Science and thinking

At this current day and age we are still learning and will always be learning. We need to learn about the world, how things work and what we can do to improve our own existence, this is where science comes in; the question: ‘Why do we need science?’

Science is defined as:

‘The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment’.

Now that is a mouthful and quite boring; it is not a true reflection on how science should be taught.

All pupils require a sense of awe and engagement for them to be able to learn, recall and never forget. If there is a subject that allows this, it would be science. The possibilities are endless and there is a sense of holding back within the education system at the moment. It is always great to hear about improving schools; however, more can be done.

It is true that we are improving as a community and a country, but if anyone is teaching or being taught using the simple phrase ‘Anyone, Anyone’,   then well it’s easy to see why some pupils hate classes:

What we should be aiming at is taking an understanding from this teachers philosophy as a science teacher but as well as a man who loves teaching, loves his son and loves life, when he has got other reasons to go in the opposite direction.

If one had to summarise what science and education is and why it is important (this applies for all academic subjects) then Mr Wright is a true inspiration.

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Passing that exam - hint number 1

Whether you are facing your school exams; taking a driving test or even preparing for an entrance exam for that new job you want. The reality is we have all been there and we have all looked for the correct ways to prepare our mind and body for the dreaded moment that is ahead.

So taking into account the experience of the numerous numbers of exams I have taken I will be going through one preparation tip at a time.

Organise:

First off what you need to do is just drop everything you’re doing and organise. Leave that revision book for a moment, put away your notes just take a deep breath and look at your place of study. From now on that place is your base (you’re not going to spend as much time as you think there, you will see what I mean if you continue reading). So have a piece of paper and pen to hand and you are to organise a few columns: what you are ok with, what you need help on and finally the area where you place everything where you don’t even know what that word means or you think I don’t even remember learning that; don’t panic as this is what we plan to organise.

So, three columns:

• What you are ok with


• What you need more help on


• Do not even remember learning

Now just move away from your workstation, do what you want to do now and take a moment away from it all.

When you are back at your workstation what you would do is look at the areas in which you don’t remember learning.

So for example, you have a biology exam and you don’t know what photosynthesis is. You can start with a simple spider diagram to help organise the topic.

Three things you should ask yourself when preparing.

What is it?

What do they want me to know?

Do I know it?

In this case we will continue using photosynthesis as an example:

• What is photosynthesis? (this is for your own knowledge and understanding)


• What do you need to know about it? (An exam will be looking for certain areas, look at your syllabus)


• Questions to test yourself (We would not know how much we have learnt about a subject without the appropriate form of assessment, give yourself some exam questions to practice)

Now you can repeat this process for the others areas you are unsure of.

Remember this technique can be used in any type of exam.

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Teachers are human too.

For some reason teachers seem to be looked upon by pupils as machines; who live in our own classrooms and have no life. Even though the reality is we probably feel as though we have no life sometimes; but we still must laugh and enjoy our work.

Teaching is a profession which is best described as a daily roller-coaster and no matter how good you are at the job you will always have areas in which could do with improvement; this should be the same for all professions. As I am constantly trying to enhance my own teaching techniques I came across an easy solution that could settle many problems teachers may have in their classrooms; which could be based around the simple human process of laughter.

As I was undergoing one of my own demonstrations with my year 9 classes, 'the squeaky pop test', done from reacting a dilute acid with a metal. I had simply asked ‘does anyone know what gas is being produced?’ However there was a slip in my voice and it came out high pitch and lacked any bass (which normally is the other way round). One of my pupils had decided to say the correct answer (hydrogen), however mimicking my lost voice hoping that the rest of the class would laugh in which he succeeded in doing so. I know he was a character and will try everything to be the centre of attention. Next he (and the rest of the class) seemed surprised as it made me laugh too, in which the class retaliated with more laughter. This moment was where my pupils had developed to conclusions: one, I can have days where I am not always going to sound my best and two most importantly, teachers have a moment that shows we can laugh, enjoy our own teaching and the pupils funny remarks.

The lesson to be learnt here is don’t try to fight these moments as being embarrassment or bad behaviour but embrace them and build that relationship. For it is moments like these (as little as they are) that will probably stick with us for a long time, helping with the learning process for both pupils and teachers.

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Our next generation of coders

In all organisations today, there is a need to have a coder at the office, someone who is tech savvy. Today there are more and more jobs which are needed to be filled with the right personnel who have the required skills to fill such roles; however, the reality is there is a decreasing number of people with these skills.

The problem starts young; there seems to be not enough youngsters wanting to start a career in computer programming. What has to be established for our younger generations is just what is involved in computer coding.

Vikas Gupta, former head of consumer payments at Google believes that the key is starting them early. Research suggests that children could start coding as young as five (according to an MIT study that Mr Gupta came across). He did realise that to enable children as young as five to begin computer programming  there would have to be a certain product that would allow children to do so; as they will not be able to grasp something as advanced as an entire computer. So he set about to design a product that would allow children to use; have fun with and learn about computer programming. The result was two robots named Bo and Yana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRekzTPVE0

Bo and Yana allow children to learn about programming without even realising it. Yanna is the smaller of the two robots and can be programmed to make sound, where as Bo can be programmed to move around. The robots are controlled wirelessly via a tablet or a smartphone with an added appropriate app, however the app is only available for iOS at present; however, depending on its success will probably extend its availability later on. As an example of what the robots are able to do, Gupta had mentioned that: "the robots can be programmed to play hide-and-seek".

The plan is start selling the robots in the summer of 2014. Gupta is keen to have them within schools as he hopes to provide children with a basis for computer programming.

Whether or not it will prove to be a success only time will tell. The important aspect to notice here is that a situation had been noticed (something in which can cause a problem in the future) what Gupta has done is looked into something that resolve the issue. That is most definitely a step in the right direction; who knows our next Steve Jobs could be 5-year-old who was given Bo and Yanna to start their life in computer programming.

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Taking that jump

Taking that jump.

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Taking that jump

We want to live a life where we are happy, not dragging our feet in doing something that makes us sick just thinking of it. I cannot begin to express just how exciting it is to take a jump into doing something that you are really passionate about. The reality is that you must take that jump, if you do not you are leaving yourself open to a life of discomfort and unhappiness.

So the reason we are all here:

Blogging

 Lets face it, most of us blog because we enjoy it. Blogging allows us to talk about things that we are most passionate about; in which talking about are passions brings delight and therefore happiness within ourselves. Most of us blog to reach an audience to advertise a product or business, hence they are establishing a living. However some write about their passion and are also making a living from talking about the things they love; how fantastic of a feeling that must be? and it is possible.

The list below is of blogs who had to start from somewhere. These blogs have made it huge (I mean huge, hundreds of thousand per month) this information was gathered from incomediary, which I recommend taking a look at, it's an interesting read.

Mashable

Perez Hilton

Techcrunch

Retire at 21

Most of these sites have made their incomes via advertising banners and affiliate marketing. One of the most fantastic stories I have read about was the accidental Entrepreneur, Eric Nakagawa who was a software developer but is now running a successful blog which he started off with a single picture of a fat cat which he captioned “I can has cheezburger”? Over time his views rocketed, he started to add similar pictures and eventually quit his job as he was making enough money via advertisements. The moral is anything is possible, go ahead and do what you enjoy, it is still an education and we are always learning. 

To live a happy life; is one where we have to trust our hearts and instincts. You think about what you want; you strive to take action on meeting your dreams and then you achieve your goal.

Think, do and Achieve. 

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Technology for younger generations and the teacher

We are in a modern era where technology seems to be advancing quickly; some see a bright, new future in education because of technology, Digitaltechlife.com (2013) stated “the younger you are right now, the more likely you feel comfortable with technology and look forward to future changes it brings”.

What would this mean for teachers and parents of today?

Do teachers and parents alike look at technology differently to how children look at it?

These are questions that some of us are asking, with the new generations that are born into this age of touch screens, internet and social networking.

The Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference in 2010 expressed this concern and

hastily came to the conclusion: “While today's teachers use the internet for information, today's children use the internet for gathering”. However if teachers and pupils learn to use new and emerging technology together and correctly it can be a useful tool.

With teaching younger generations, the teacher is needed to motivate and encourage pupils learning; which, when used correctly learning can be enhanced via the technology available today.

Spencer, J. (2012) had mentioned in his book "Can you teach without technology" ‘At this stage, technology isn't truly transformative. It's simply a faster way to do much of what we would already be doing.’ Which is very true; before pupils had to look through books (spending  a considerate amount of time searching for a answer to their questions) however now with a simple Google search the answer to their questions can be found within seconds. The same question is answered, however technology gives easier access. This is the digital age, it is today that we are living in, why not embrace the technology available.

If schools are to prepare pupils for their lives to come, there is no use hiding technology away from our pupils; it is important to get pupils to use technology. What we should be teaching the younger generations is how to use the technology of today appropriately.

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Instructions which we should all follow

1. Give to others, more than you receive

2. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams, no matter how unbelievable they may be.

3. For the men, try not to a wear a clip on tie

4. For the women, beauty is only skin deep

5. Figure out your passion and then figure out how to make a living from it.

6. Give compliments

7. Never think that it is too late to learn

8. If you break something, just own up to it

9. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice

10. Follow your instincts

11. Turn off the light

12. Eat a lot of fruit

13. Drink a lot of water

14. Take that leap, no matter how big the jump (don’t take this one literally)

15. Exercise (however do exercises you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy any try not to take the car)

16. “Fall seven times; stand up eight.” – Japanese proverb

17. Life is not about finding yourself but creating who you are

18. Remember to take a photo of that moment you do not want to forget

19. Eat a good breakfast

20. Try to incorporate some of these tips, it will be worth it.

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Top 5 most viewed websites

I have put together a list of the top ten most viewed websites of all time. I have used a couple of references from different websites to try and bring together this information: such as 'most popularwebsites' and Wikipedia.

 Facebook.com

At number one we have the social networking site Facebook. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerburg, it was initially made for Harvard students; but as Facebook's popularity grew it extended its reach to high schools and then anyone over the age of 13. At this moment in time Facebook is the most visited site on the web, the site had a reported 1.15 billion user’s active from March (Wikipedia, Facebook, 2013) the site is still growing and continues to be a social networking phenomenon.

 Google.com

Coming in at second place (only just) is the mighty surf engine giant Google. However Google is so much more than just a search engine, now with the ability to blog, share, create profiles and watch videos the mega giant is doing everything else, so its is understandable as to why it is so popular.

Youtube.com

Owned by Google and created by PayPal employees, YouTube is the largest video sharing website on the web. YouTube seems like a land of opportunity with people who have made thousands from their constant uploads of popular videos.

Videos that go viral are viewed millions if not billions of times, for example 'Charlie bit my finger' became so popular it now has 573,902,646 views. Some videos have even more, with 'PSY - Gangnam style' having over 1,789,567,178 views. Some of YouTube statistics can be found here, "YouTube has apparently more than 1 billion unique users visit each month".

Yahoo.com

Yahoo was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo, it is known for its search engine 'Yahoo search', but over time has developed a number of different features from yahoo mail, yahoo answers, yahoo weather and even yahoo finance. Did you know that Yahoo has 11,500 employees?

Baidu.com

Is a Chinese web service provider, it was established in 2000 by Robin Li. The site offers many services such as a Chinese search engine, images and Baidu Encyclopaedia which is China's largest encyclopaedia. It is the main search engine used in China; in 2010, it is estimated that there were 4.02 billion search queries in China.

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World's top teacher to win $1m prize in new competition!

According to the BBC news; a competition to find the worlds best teacher has been announced by the Varkey Gems Foundation and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirates vice-president and ruler of Dubai; The prize is $1m (£620,000).

There aim is intended to recognise the importance of teaching as a profession. Teachers are the "real agents of change" said Sheikh Al Maktoum.

The competition will be global, with nominations from different countries.

The establishment here is to try and establish a recognition for teaching and to link successful teaching with human progress. You can find the news article by the BBC here.

An interesting fact: Former US president Bill Clinton is honorary chairman of the foundation (Varkey Gems Foundation).

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University, is it worth it?

Interestingly university means "to bring unity in diversity". Today the amount of people going to uni is staggering, how much is a degree actually worth anymore?

There are thousands of people out there who cannot find work who have a degree. In order to have a chance of getting hired by a desirable company most would either carry on with education to attain a level where they are significantly more qualified than most of the competition; or to rely on connections via others.

In today's society, it is not what you know but who you know.

With fees here in the UK reaching up to £9,000+ a year, is it really worth the time? some may argue it is, I suppose it depends upon the degree being take; however, the major area in question is how a degree is actually worth?

An interesting article published by the guardian covers the issue. It has underlined hard work as being the resulting conclusion into how much a degree is actually worth.

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How Science Works (UK curriculum)

The phrase ‘How science works’ (HSW) was introduced into the national curriculum in 2006, making an appearance in the revision of key stage 4. The national curriculum was revisited for key sage 3 in 2008 and the term ‘How Science Works’ was again introduced also. In this new revisited curriculum HSW has shown greater emphasis on scientific processes. The main focus of HSW was that pupils should be able to learn about science and how scientists works within society, as was included by the programme of study in KS4.

Jenny Frost (2010 ‘Learning to teach science in the secondary school’) stated:

“The science national curriculum ‘HSW’ is described under four headings.”

•  Data, evidence, theories and explanations;


•  Practical, problem-solving and enquiry skills;


• Working individually and in groups, which help with communication skills;


•  Applications and implications of science.

How Science Works allows pupils to become more attached to the science that they are learning about by relating it to their own everyday lives; Education.gov mentioned:

 “HSW should be directly related to their own lifestyles and ways of life, to be able to relate and understand more.”

The idea (the dream)

Michael Reiss a co-editor for 'Learning to Teach Science' summarised the four bullet points of HSW as:

“how science is done and what sorts of things scientists research.” 

Reiss linked this with the idea that pupils (after leaving school) may forget about the content of science, but by the concept of HSW they will still 'hopefully' hold a view as to how science is done and to how trustworthy it is.

This can then be applied to their everyday lives eventually when they leave school; taking into account the skills developed rather than the knowledge or facts taken from books.

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Science relating to life and achievement

Question to think of:

Do are brunches blossom when we leave education?

Science lesson have changed a lot in the past 10 years or so, with changing curricula and new advancing ideas in science pupils are always benefiting from the knowledge taken from science lessons. The question that has to be answered is:

Are science lessons preparing pupils for their life ahead? Can the knowledge they learn from their science be brought forward to create generation of scientists with new adventurous ideas.

K., Ross in his book teaching secondary science mentioned “Children learn about heat and temperature, atoms and molecules, fair testing and Bunsen burners, but do not build them into everyday understanding. At best they have a scientific system that is good enough to pass examinations, but after harvesting the crops, the land is bare, the ideas are lost and everyday life is unaffected”.

Some pupils just want to get their result and not think about pursuing science as a career or even putting forward the knowledge they have learnt to everyday life. Why would they when the things taught in science are based upon knowledge from books and not life experience (however this is changing; slowly  Pupils are being taught for exams and not for the “greater picture”. This leads on to the matter of raising achievements, pupils want to do well they want to succeed but they just cannot and some will not relate to things that they think is a waste of time. Science that is directly related to a pupil’s everyday life may encourage performance and maybe helping to raise achievement.

Reference: Keith Ross and co, Teaching secondary science constructing meaning and developing understanding; 2010.

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Who is considered to be educated?

Target the heart first and then you have the mind.

Trying to understand the best way to educate the next generation would always be a challenge, if we had already discovered how to do this we would have no problems, but it is clear to see that there are still problems in in our worldly education systems.

How important would you say knowledge is?

Some consider it vital.

‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest’ Benjamin Franklin

I found this to be a very interesting video and it speaks truth to some extent; one thing is for sure, do not be afraid to speak out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

We are living in a very hypocritical world, preachers who preach charity but yet drive around in cars worth thousands, to their homes with over 10 rooms; oh the irony. Is this what an 'educated' world has to offer?

For now let’s just come to this conclusion, when we look at education, as educated people we should be the ones listening first, so that we can come to a steady reasoning to help those who need to be correctly educated.

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