It is important to recognise and capture the rich and complex knowledge, understanding and experience that comes with the day-to-day interactions of those immersed in the school and science classroom environment, so that policy-makers do not overlook those who practice in the classroom and theorists do not assign incorrect meaning to the actions…

This article describes an opportunity to engage the public in demonstrating and explaining some aspects of science. About 10 years ago, the author met Peter Evennett in the ASE Conference exhibition. Peter was a member of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society and currently its president. As a contribution to "Science Week" (which dates back…

Whilst there continues to be debate regarding the influence of the "CSI effect" upon the criminal justice system, there appears to be a general consensus that the popularisation of work within the field, particularly through a number of "procedural cop shows", has fuelled an explosion in the number of young people choosing to pursue a career in…

The theme of this issue of "Education in Science" focuses on what delegates could "take away" from the Reading 2011 ASE Annual Conference and includes ideas and information about science education research. There were a variety of presentations, ranging from reporting about action research projects where the success of interventions was described…

The national network of Science Learning Centres is a co-ordinating partner in the Getting Practical--Improving Practical Work in Science programme. The principle of training provision for the "Getting Practical" programme is a cascade model. Regional trainers employed by the national network of Science Learning Centres trained the cohort of local…

These days, many children do not enjoy the freedom to play outside. However, one of the advantages for children growing up now is the new technology that allows them to communicate with people their age, anywhere in the world. The author's company, Illumination Educational Software, decided to take advantage of these advances in technology to get…

Within the last ten years, there have been international concerns about school science education, in particular in many rich, highly developed countries where there is a decline in the recruitment of students to science and technology. These concerns relate particularly to the uptake of physical sciences, gender differences and students'…

When, in late 2008, there was an opportunity to set up a government-sponsored project to help improve practical science, CLEAPSS jumped at the chance to become involved. Practical work is what CLEAPSS is about. CLEAPSS has been a lead co-ordinating partner in the Getting Practical programme, with Phil Bunyan taking on the role of Deputy Director.…

ASE has a long history of sending students to the International Science School (ISS), having been doing so since 1968. The ISS is a free science education programme run biennially by the Science Foundation for Physics at the University of Sydney. ASE's role is to select the students and organise funding to enable the students and escorts to…

At the heart of the vision for the Diploma in Science is a multidisciplinary approach to learning by tackling scientific challenges and questions in applied work-related contexts. This, together with the innovative delivery model offered by a consortia approach, will bridge a significant gap in the provision of science and mathematics education.…

Fox Hill Primary School is part of a family of schools in Sheffield that is piloting the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Primary Specialism for Science. In parallel to this work, Fox Hill participated in the Smarter Schools project from September 2008-2009. This project, funded by the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust, was set up by the…

During the past three years, a team from the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Salford, the University of York, Glasshead and Teachers TV, has been working in collaboration to develop a series of blended media resources to support the teaching and learning of How Science Works (HSW) at Key Stages 3 and…

Until the 1990s, the inside of the brain was a matter of mystery to all except the few, the brain surgeons, revered for their specialist knowledge. Early work was focused on explaining and attempting to treat unusual behaviours and conditions, but interest now extends to the implications of neuroscience for regular education. Non-intrusive imaging…

The status of primary science as a core subject has been gradually corroded in recent years, with the abolition of targets for science and the focus of the primary national strategy on literacy and numeracy. The NAIGS Committee were very well positioned within local authorities to pilot APP, but first had to write the criteria. Towards the end of…

In this article, the author describes the ASE Annual Conference 2010 which was held at Nottingham after a gap of 22 years. As always, the main conference was preceded by International Day, an important event for science educators from across the world. There were two strands to the programme: (1) "What works for me?"--sharing new ideas and tried…