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Space
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School: Callington Community
College |
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Fellow: Mike Grocott |
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Email: mg018a2116@blueyonder.co.uk |
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Final report |
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Now that the Gatsby fellowship
draws to a close it is time to reflect on
how the year has gone. From my initial application
in January of 2001 to the present day the
actual project has changed On reflection my
original idea was vastly ambitious, borne
out of enthusiasm for a subject that I love
to teach and a desire to share this enthusiasm
with other teachers who are not Physics specialists.
When you are faced with the chance to be supported
by the Gatsby fellowship both ideologically
and financially you tend to believe that you
are capable of taking on a large piece of
work. |
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Once I sat down and looked
closer at what I had proposed I realised that
maybe I needed to focus in and do something
of high quality and value, rather than spread
myself too thinly. The result is that I have
focussed on two main areas of the Yr 7 Physics
curriculum. The Gatsby funding has actually
put in the infra structure for me to continue
with the rest of the KS3 Physics curriculum
after my tenure runs out. |
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So a piece of advice to
those 2002/2003 fellows is don’t worry
if your original idea evolves over time, its
bound to especially after talking to other
fellows. |
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The need for my area of research is illustrated
in the article below |
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The recruitment of physics teachers
in England and Wales has slumped to an all-time
low. |
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Recent figures show that
just 205 graduates in England and Wales had
registered on teacher-training courses by
the end of September 2000, compared with 238
in 1999. This drop is part of a dramatic downward
trend. In 1993, for example, 568 people registered
on graduate teacher-training (PGCE) courses. |
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The number of experienced
staff expected to leave the profession over
the next decade compounds the effect of this
sustained shortfall. |
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Margaret Sharp, senior researcher
at the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex
University , is concerned about the detrimental
knock-on effects that the shortage of specialist
physics teachers could have in the future.
If fewer teenagers choose to take A-level
physics and more students opt for combined
science degrees, fewer candidates will go
on to take up PhDs and post-doctoral research
work in physics. Sharp believes that this
inevitable reduction in numerate, technically
literate graduates could harm the country's
capacity for cutting-edge research and development.
http://physicsweb.org/article/world/14/1/8
The above is part of an article that appeared
in Physics world January 2001 and illustrates
a growing problem faced by schools. The shortage
of specialist Physics teachers within schools
has meant that many KS3 students are taught
Physics by non- specialists, the result being
that in some cases the students are reaching
KS4 with little enthusiasm or desire to become
active participants in the subject.
So the intention was to write a module for
non-specialists that would keep their stress
levels down and the enthusiasm for the topic
with the students high. |
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Problems faced with the
module writing have mainly been issues of
time, QCA guidelines structure the Solar System
and beyond into fifteen separate modules the
content of which would probably take an hour
each to teach. However most units at KS 3
would be lucky to have that much time within
the curriculum, and so the aim was to reduce
it to a more realistic 11 modules. The problem
arose though when writing the modules, I could
happily have written a 20 hour course through
the addition of resources that I was putting
together with the help of NASA. |
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Having completed the modules and having
had them taught twice by separate non specialists,
the topics where reviewed and enhanced, then
after two trips to America, more bits and
pieces where added. At that point I decided
to stop and print the final copy. Things that
haven’t gone to plan is the production
of an online assessment, I still am hopeful
for this to be completed however it is more
than likely going to happen in September,
issues arise about accessibility and consistency
across the other subjects.
One of the biggest benefits with the year
has been the area and opportunities the contacts
with Gatsby have opened. |
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Through the Gatsby trust
I am now working on an initiative within
the college to link D&T and Science
by running an AS/A2 computing course,
plus starting robotics modules in the
VGCSE courses and hopefully running
a GCSE in Electronic, communications
technology. |
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The Space Centre that we are going
to build at the college will be a venue
for Gatsby fellows to present INSET
to the Southwest. This will allow the
work of Gatsby and other groups such
as T.E.P, S.E.P, M.E.P. to be spread
to other colleges in the Southwest.
Other initiative |
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All the non-specialists within the
department are delivering the work that
I have completed and I will be running
INSET with Looe College and Liskeard
College , part of the consortium of
colleges that we have started at Callington.
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I am also supporting our Computing
Coordinator with running a robotics
master class for YR 9 girls on a weekend
in July; this is being run thanks to
a contribution from my Gatsby Funding.
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The Gatsby funding has also enhanced
the whole school delivery of science
and technology, in July we hope to start
receiving the satellite feed from the
NASA T.V satellite. |
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Finally my module of work
has formed the basis for a PG Cert, which
will be submitted for assessment in July,
this will be a third of the way to the Masters
that I intend achieving within the next three
years. |
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In conclusion can I thank all the GTEP directors
for the opportunities given to me over the
past year. |
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