Raising Achievement in Science (Physics, Chemistry or Biology)

Assignment 1: Raising Achievement in Science (Physics, Chemistry or Biology) (PGCE programme) This assignment is set at ‘H’? level. (3000 words +/- 10%) Assignment Task With reference to your reading in the relevant research, write about how you have raised or could have raised the achievement of a pupil or small group of pupils whom you have taught this year.There must be a clear link between the discussion of the teaching and learning that took place in your class and the relevant research on achievement; you must provide a sound rationale for your teaching methods and strategies. The school, teachers and students must be anonymous. Introduction It should constantly be our aim as teachers to raise the achievement of the pupils in our care so that they are attaining at their full potential.It will also be useful for you to discuss these issues with those you work with at school (mentor, PCM, SENCO, etc. ) and to observe closely how these are addressed in classroom pract ice. However, in this assignment, it would be especially appropriate for you to select a particular pupilor group of pupils who you work with in the classroom and who have specific challenges in attaining theirfull potential in science (see below for suggestions), and for you to focus on strategies and techniques for supporting their particular needs.The generic assignment briefing at the top of this page asks you to discuss a particular pupil or group of pupils and how you might have raised, or did raise, their achievement in science (and particularly in your own specialist discipline of Biology, Chemistry or Physics), linking aspects of the teaching and learning with the relevant research carried out in your literature review. In identifying the pupil or group you intend to refer to, consider the range of children who might under? achieve: †¢Gender: boys/girls †¢those with special educational needs †¢the gifted and talented †¢literacy in Science †¢children in care †¢minority ethnic children travellers †¢young carers †¢those from families under stress †¢pregnant school girls and teenage mothers (http://www. education. gov. uk/schools/pupilsupport) †¦and the reasons and issues surrounding underachievement: †¢inequalities in class (social background), ethnicity, and/or gender †¢lack of motivation †¢lack of suitable challenge †¢the appropriateness of activities and tasks †¢a mis? match of expectations †¢a perceived irrelevance of the activities and tasks Some further thoughts The following is based on the report: â€Å"Improving Secondary Schools†, the Hargreaves Report on secondary schools in the Inner London Education Authority (1984).This was summarised in West, A & Dickey, A (1990) â€Å"The Redbridge High School English Handbook†; L. B. Redbridge Advisory Service. The report defined four aspects of pupil achievement (think carefully about how these apply to science and your chosen discipline): 1. This aspect involves most of all, the capacity to express oneself in a written form. It requires the capacity to retain propositional knowledge, to select from such knowledge appropriately in response to a specified request and to do so quickly without reference to possible sources of information.The capacity to memorise and organize material is particularly important. 2. This aspect is concerned with the capacity to apply knowledge rather the knowledge itself; with the practical rather than the theoretical; with the oral rather than the written. Problem solving and investigational skills are more important than the retention of knowledge. 3. This aspect is concerned with personal and social skills: the capacity to communicate with others in face to face relationships; the ability to co? operate with others in the interests of the group as well as the individual; initiative, self? eliance and the ability to work alone without close supervision; and t he skills of leadership. 4. This aspect involves motivation and commitment; the willingness to accept failure without destructive consequences; the readiness to persevere; the self confidence to learn in spite of the difficulty of the task. Such motivation is often regarded as a prerequisite to achievement rather than as an achievement in itself. We do not deny that motivation is a prerequisite to other aspects of achievement, but we also believe that it can be regarded as an achievement in its own right. What do we mean by under? achievement? â€Å"Achievement below expectations† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Underachievement is a discrepancy between a child’s school performance and some index of the child’s ability. † (Rimm, S (1977) ‘An Underachievement Epidemic’; Educational Leadership 54 (7)) †¢An underachiever is: â€Å"A young person, at each significant stage of education that has not reached the expected levels set by the government. † (P rince’s Trust) You are recommended, for example, to go to the web? site: www. dfe. gov. uk/schools/pupilsupport Look under ‘Inclusion and Learner Support’. You will see a list of items including ‘Minority ethnic achievement’ and ‘Gender and Achievement’.The written essay The title and subject matter of the assignment are as laid out at the top of this briefing document under ‘Raising Achievement in Science’. The essay should be about raising achievement in the learning of science in your specific discipline (physics, chemistry or biology). †¢You are expected to have read widely in the process of carrying out this assignment, showing evidence in your writing of an appropriate depth and breadth †¢In addition, you are expected to draw upon your own experience and observation from schools you have been in †¢References to publications in our text should provide the author, date and page number. A bibliography must be provided with full details of relevant texts that you have read. An omitted bibliography/references section can result in a ‘fail’ grade for the assignment. Advice on correct referencing is contained in the ‘Assignment Guide’ available on UEL Plus. †¢Any materials you have produced in seeking to raise achievement in the classroom may be placed in the body of the assignment or an appendix as appropriate. These materials may be referred to in order to exemplify points made in the essay. Ensure that you offer some critique of the points raised from your reading and experience; be aware that there are alternative viewpoints; be careful not to simply offer subjective statements. Points made should be justified from evidence of experience, observation and/or reading. Offer critical analysis of what you have read, observed and taught in respect of this task and some alternative approaches. Do not necessarily take educational writers’ views or those of colleagues at ‘face value’. Submission The assignment should be approximately 3000 words +/? 0%, not including quotations or appendices. A reference list/bibliography must be included. All referencing should follow the Harvard system as detailed in the following book (available from the bookshop): Pears, R & Shields, G (2010) â€Å"Cite Them Right ? 8th ed. †; Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan An e-book version of â€Å"Cite Then Right† is also available on UEL Plus Keep any schools, teachers and pupils anonymous. Annotated Bibliography: Monday 12th November, 2013 by 5:00pm; submitted by e-mail directly to your tutor Assignment submission (electronic):Monday 7th January, 2013 by 23. 59 hr The assignment should be submitted electronically using the Turnitin protocol. A suggested ‘starter’ reading list: Younger, M & Warrington, M (2005) â€Å"Raising Boys’ Achievement in Secondary Schools†; Oxford: OUP You might also download the following document: http://publications. dcsf. gov. uk/default. aspx? PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF? RR086& When looking for resources in the Library, remember that areas of the Library, in addition to education, may be worth a look at; eg.Child Development and Child Psychology (these books are held within the Health and Bi? Science collections). What is an Annotated Bibliography? A Bibliography is simply a list of books relevant to the study being undertaken and which have been referred to when preparing the study. The list is referenced in the proper manner (refer to the book â€Å"Cite Them Right† and to the guidance at the end of this document). An Annotated Bibliography is where, under each book/article reference, there are a few brief sentences / short paragraph summarising the key points of the text where they are relevant to the current study.Here is a brief, example related to achievement of girls in science: Kelly, A. (1986), The d evelopment of girls’ and boys’ attitudes to science: A longitudinal study, European Journal of Science Education, Volume 8, Issue 4 Attitude? to-science tests were completed by 1300 pupils, at ten schools, when they were 11 years old and again two and a half years later. During that time their interest in most branches of science decreased, but both girls and boys became more interested in learning about human biology.Their opinions about science and scientists also became generally less favourable, but pupils grew more willing to see science as suitable for girls. The attitude changes varied considerably from school to school, and were slightly better in schools which had implemented a programme of interventions to improve children's attitudes than in other schools. There was considerable stability in the attitudes of individual children over the period of the study. The ‘idea’ of the annotated bibliography is to ‘gather together’ a range of relevant literature which will, at a later stage, be the basis for extended writing and study.