EDUCATION
“We have a vibrant external speaker programme at the school called ‘The 42’, which invites a whole plethora of speakers but with lots of fantastic STEM coverage of some cutting-edge research,” says Paul Baker, head of computing and digital strategy at The Perse – which is actively working to build links within the local science community. Another essential is ensuring that those real-world, tangible links are hard- baked into lessons. “Science topics are linked to real-life situations to engage pupils and ensure the subject is relevant,” explains Rosie Rainsford, head of maths and head of STEM faculty at St Faith’s. “Pupils in year 5 at St Faith’s don’t just cover acids and alkalis as a topic, but rather perform experiments to find out the best indigestion medicine. Exploring electromagnets at the school leads to bullet trains, while chemistry topics cover acid rain and global warming.” “At Sancton Wood, our pupils prepare their own slides to identify different blood types – and start to understand why it’s important in terms of blood transfusions or when transplants are involved,” introduces Rachael Ainscough, head of science at the school. “Pupils can see there’s a massive antibody reaction and imagine how that might apply inside the human body,” she elaborates. Joe notes when pupils at Stoke College study viruses, it leads to discussions around the impact of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the inclusion of electric cars in the physics curriculum captures pupils’ attention, as many will be familiar with their parents’ discussions around performance, charging times and range. He also stresses the importance of storytelling, where teachers link their own experiences (in his case, a near miss with dodgy home wiring) to the subject being Science topics are linked to real- life situations to engage pupils
BUILDING MINDS Gresham’s recognises the importance of each letter in the STEAM acronym, as well as skills such as teamwork and resilience to propel learning forward
Practical experiments and open-ended investigations feature in lessons at St John’s College School. Year 4 pupils research famous bridges, use computer-aided design to plan and ultimately build their own, while seeing which is able to support the biggest weight. “We don’t say ‘here’s a model of a bridge to make’,” notes Rachel Brunning, STEM specialist and assistant director of studies. “Pupils make their own decisions, balancing the cost and strength of the materials working to a budget.” Other projects include creating something using a light sensor (such as a lighthouse or street lamp) and designing air-powered rockets. Young investigators also plan experiments around a cupcake case, turning them into boats and seeing how fast they can go down ramps with different surfaces when filled with contrasting materials. “Our role is guiding and facilitating,” continues Rachel. “They own the investigation rather than us telling them what to do.”
covered. The school will also introduce a new personalised, AI-based programme later this year which uses cutting-edge technology to help students recall and retrieve information effectively. It’s a similar story at Gresham’s, elaborates Rob. “Within the classroom, I constantly provide real-world applications for some very tricky concepts during lessons. We might get outside with a starter gun and measure the speed of sound as a class, wire an electrical plug, or relate Fleming’s left-hand rule to motors and build our own.” Pupils are active participants in their learning. At St Faith’s, there’s an emphasis on problem-solving – with pupils working in pairs or teams – while students in year 7 at the school ‘investigate the science behind modern day items and how they have evolved’. Studying the evolution of a bicycle light can quite literally shed light on how you get from carbide lamps and the dynamo to modern LED lights.
68 APRIL 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
Powered by FlippingBook