Target group(s):
Number of people directly concerned by the initiative: Less than 20 people
Summary
A week long event organised by St Josephs college in collaboration with Bradford University. This initiative works with Setpoint West Yorkshire and local utilities companies to help raise girls' interest in science and related careers. Students have problems to solve, and at the end of the week collect their information and present their results to people from industry.
- Pupils and school levels involved:
- General secondary education (11/12 to end of compulsory education or even beyond)
- Educational personnel:
- Teachers
- Other: Parents of Students
- Industry and services people
Number of people directly concerned by the initiative: Less than 20 people
Summary
A week long event organised by St Josephs college in collaboration with Bradford University. This initiative works with Setpoint West Yorkshire and local utilities companies to help raise girls' interest in science and related careers. Students have problems to solve, and at the end of the week collect their information and present their results to people from industry.
Name of the organisation in charge: St Joseph's Catholic College for Girls
Nature of the organisation:
Address: Cunliffe Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD8 7AP
Email: Admin@stjosephscoll.ngfl.ac.uk
Website: http://www.stjosephscoll.ngfl.ac.uk/
Telephone: 0044 1274401500
Fax:
Thematic(s):
Subject(s):
- Women and science
- Innovation in teaching and learning sciences at school
- Cooperation with research laboratories of the universities, with schools of engineering, with companies
- Students counselling and career counselling
Subject(s):
- Physics
- Chemical sciences
- Mathematics
- Natural sciences (biology, environmental sciences including agriculture and agrofood)
- Technology (mechanics, electricity, computing sciences, ...)
- Cross-curricular approaches (environmental education, pollution, health education, ...)
Type: Isolated
Cooperation with external organisations:
Use of ICT is a key element in the approach implemented:
Financial issues:
Cooperation with external organisations:
- Industry and services
- Public utilities (water board, energy providers, waste collection companies, ...)
- Project work of pupils
- Intervention of scientists / industry people in schools
Use of ICT is a key element in the approach implemented:
- Acquisition of knowledge
- Searching for information
- Using office automation applications
- Communication / collaboration
Financial issues:
- Self supported initiative
- Regional support
Impact of the initiative: Local impact
Products, outcomes and results:
Products, outcomes and results:
- Organise special events, activities:
- In site workshops in industrial / scientific heritage museums
- Information campaign about science in general
- Other: a 5 day event to raise interest in Science and engineering
- Awareness-raising for science (and technology):
- For science in general
- For research in general
- For science and research with girls
- Acquisition of competencies of the knowledge society:
- Skills to research and treat information
- Problem-solving skills
- Skills for analysis and synthesis
- Presentation skills
- Team building and team management skills
- ICT skills
Person interviewed: Elaine Barker
General information
General information
What is the percentage of students in the schools studying science?
100% Science is compulsory up to age 16 across the UK
Describe briefly the initiative. What are its objectives? What are its main innovative issues?
Science 4 U is a work related project that runs on an annual basis. The event involves 2 days in Industry and two days in Higher Education with a strong emphasis on Problem Solving and Skills acquisition. The event involves approximately 20 female students to raise awareness of STEM related careers for women and to give students an opportunity to work on a real world problem in an industrial environment. The event involves 2 major local utility companies: Yorkshire Water and United Utilities (formerly Transco). Students are split into groups of 5 and spend 2 days in industry at one of the partner companies. The 2 groups at Yorkshire Water have to design mixing systems for dead zones in reservoirs. The 2 groups at Transco have to design and work out the parameters for a 99% fail safe mechanism for a gas holder. The students then spend a day each at Bradford University visiting Science Departments, finding out about the research that was going on, solving some scientific problems and discovering the opportunities at degree level and in Science based careers. All students then spend the 4th day at the University learning how to produce high quality PowerPoint Presentations. On the final day the groups give presentations in a lecture theatre at the University of Bradford. The audience includes their parents, teachers, and governors, friends from industry, Setpoint staff and University staff. The focus of this innovation is to encourage girls to have the confidence and recognize their ability to pursue science and maths subjects at advanced level.
Dimension of the initiativeIs your initiative, project, action or activity, a stand alone thing or is it part of a wider mechanism such as a network of pilot schools at regional, national, international or European level? If so, which one? If possible, provide a URL to get more information about the wider mechanism.
This project played a part in the school's successful bid to become a Specialist Science College. This status was granted in 2004. More information regarding the specialist school programme available here: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/
Was a link made between the initiative and the school development plan?
Yes
Was the innovative action for science action part of a larger school strategy to promote innovation in school education in general?
No
Does the initiative result from new policy or legislation?
No
Promotion and diffusion of the initiativeDoes the ministry or one of its representatives organise sessions between all schools and teachers involved to exchange good practice? Do you have to inform other schools or teachers about your innovative activities so as to disseminate the innovation? If so, by which way(s)?
How was the project introduced to the whole school? Information meeting for all teachers? For science teachers? For parents?
How were the outcomes of the innovative strategy disseminated within the own school?
ImpactIn which way has the introduction of the innovative approach had an impact on:
The collaboration / the use of laboratories in science subjects
Science 4 U allow students to work in an industrial environment.
The way in which science is approached, taught or learned
Science 4 U allows students to work in a new environment and approach a science problem in an industrial context giving real value to the work that is conducted.
The in-service training of the science teachers
The teachers who accompany the students on the event also gain new knowledge of the industries involved.
The interest of the pupils for science, the active involvement of children in learning science
The girls involved in the initiative showed a greater interest in science. The event allows the girls involved to actively take part in a real-life science problem.
The percentage of students in the schools studying science
At GCSE the students involved either met or exceeded their target grade. Statistics reveal that the majority of the students involved have opted for at least 1 Science subject in their applications to Sixth Form. Their achievement in Science is either on or exceeding target grades.
What are the main benefits or advantages from introducing this new approach to science teaching? What was the main obstacle?
The event is a tremendous confidence building activity. A real ¨can doˇ mentality is developed and students demonstrate great pride and satisfaction with their work. Students are more actively engaged in science after understanding its uses in a modern industrial setting. One of the obstacles is the amount of organisation involved. Finding other companies to be involved can also be a challenge.
Which main approach is considered: a STS (science, technology, society) type or a discipline-oriented one?
Discipline oriented.
InnovationIn which way is the initiative contributing to innovation in science education?
It uses new pedagogical or didactical approaches. How?
The students are actively involved in a real life industrial problem.
It makes special use of ICT. How?
With assistance from tutors at the university, students write up their experience and present these using powerpoint towards the end of the week.
It is built on co-operation with the local community: industry, research centre, university, science museums, European or national science associations etc. Explain!
This project relies greatly on collaboration between the school, industry and the local university. Industry contacts are made possible through SETNETs SEA (Science and Engineering Ambassador) scheme.
It creates a new and attractive learning environment for the pupils. Explain!
Students are taken out from the everyday school environment and are given a industry experience in a real world environment.
Project managementWho decided to implement this initiative? Why?
The project was initiated by Assistant head teacher Elaine Barker, to give year 10 girls (age14-15) a chance to take part in some quality work related learning. To encourage young girls to have the confidence in their abilities to develop into first class scientists.
How does the team work? Distinction and repartition of roles? Existence of priority collective choices? How was the team made? Does the team work on other basis than voluntary work?
The industrial contacts were made possible by SETNET through the SEA (Science and Engineering Ambassador) scheme, a government backed initiative. The project also works closely with Claire Chamley, Recruitment Manager in the School of Informatics, University of Bradford.
What are the investments in offices and human resources? What are the material resources mobilized/granted? (credits, rooms, time...) Resources mobilized to create the networks (who is member of and how?) Meetings? Dialogue time?
Most of the Science 4 U event is run outside of school. Students visit industry for 2 full days. This usually includes visits to other departments of the company. On day 3 the girls visit their local university. They also conduct some science experiments back in their own school. The final stage of the event uses a full scale lecture theatre for the student's final presentations.
What kind of collaborative work is set up? Existence of working sheets, Internet collaborative tools, documents, official texts sent to the persons? Who write them, send them? How everyone access to them? What is the degree of constraint of these items?
Informal collaboration in person, via email and phone.
Investment of the administration and the school head Who has initiated this project? Does he/she delegate? Does he/she collaborate to the work (degree of effective participation)? Does he/she organize meetings? Does he/she promote the team work (timetable for instance)? Does he/she put forward the work inside and outside the school? Does he/she show interest for the action and persons (he/she do not take all the credit)?
Mostly managed by Elaine Barker herself with assistance from Bradford University.
Which actors are mobilised around the project? Who works in the team? With whom does the team work (parents, communities, local educational institutions)? Who in the internal team does contact who outside? Why this person? What are the arguments? What are the strategies used? Who in the team belongs also to these external networks? Does an organised communication system exist in the school?
SETNET were instrumental in making contacts with industry through their SEA scheme. More information available here: http://www.setnet.org.uk/
