The ASE is taking the lead in Getting Practical. As a partner organisation of SCORE, the ASE are ideally placed to build on the recommendations of the SCORE report and bring together the expertise and experience of the consortium partners listed below to address the aims of the programme. The core Getting Practical team is based at the ASE and can be contacted through the organisation’s headquarters or via the Contact Us page.

Getting Practical is an 'ASE CPD Activity'.

The national network of Science Learning Centres delivers inspirational and innovative subject-specific continuing professional development to teachers, lecturers, technicians and teaching assistants throughout the United Kingdom.

It is essential for the future of our economy and the health of our nation that we ensure the creation of the next generation of scientists, and an engaged and scientifically literate population.  At the same time, the rate of scientific progress and change across industry and research means science educators must remain constantly aware of the latest developments in their subject.

All learners deserve an engaging and motivational science education.  We are passionate about helping schools and colleges to achieve this and believe that it can be brought about through high quality and relevant subject –specific professional development.  

Led by the National Science Learning Centre based at the University of York, the nine regional Science Learning Centres provide exciting and effective CPD. They also provide a focal point for the science education community, a place to exchange ideas with fellow science educators, a venue for events with inspirational scientists, easy access to the latest science resources and a place to discover enrichment activities in every region. 

For further information about the location of centres and available courses visit www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk

The Centre for Science Education (CSE) at Sheffield Hallam University is the country’s largest university group working in STEM education.  Curriculum development, innovation in CPD, research and evaluation are its main activities, and CSE has particular expertise in equality and diversity issues. Current projects includewikid science andupd8 (both run in partnership with ASE),STEM Subject Choice and Careers (a DCSF Action Programme) andcre8ate maths, a project aimed at transforming teaching, learning and CPD in maths. CSE hosts theScience Learning Centre Yorkshire and the Humber and holds the regional STEMPOINT brokerage contract. Sheffield Hallam is a partner in theNational Science Learning Centre. For the Getting Practical programme, CSE has been joined by Professor Robin Millar of the University of York, a world-leading expert on practical work in science, and for the primary strand by Jen Smyth (of London Metropolitan University) and Dr Martin Hollins

The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to raising levels of achievement in secondary education.  We work with school practitioners at all levels  to develop and share new and effective teaching and learning practice, and to improve schools to raise standards and levels of achievement.  As part of the Getting Practical Programme we will recruit two groups of nine high quality Lead Practitioners from specialist science colleges in each DCSF region to play a key role in delivering the programme over the next two years.  We believe that high quality ‘hands on’ practical work is essential in enabling learners to achieve their full potential in science and we will utilise our extensive specialist school networks and partnerships to ensure the maximum number of colleagues in the specialist system are fully aware of the programme and how they can participate in it.

The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. With a worldwide membership of over 34,000, the organisation is also a leading scientific publisher, as well as a communicator of physics to all audiences; including specialists, government and the general public.

One of our core aims is to secure a flourishing future for physics, and to this end the Institute supports physics in all schools and colleges by:

• supporting teacher training and professional development
  supporting curriculum development
  creating teacher networks
  running teacher and student events
  providing career materials
  providing classroom resources

To find out more about all we offer schools and colleges go to: www.iop.org/education

For information about the teacher network and workshops in your area go to: www.iop.org/network

Practical Physics
The Institute and the Nuffield Curriculum Centre have developed the website www.practicalphysics.org to help all teachers of physics share their skills and experience of making experiments and demonstrations work in the classroom.  The website includes information on apparatus, procedure and teaching notes, together with general guidance on teaching approaches and 'how science works'.

The Society of Biology is a single unified voice for biology: advising Government and influencing policy; advancing education and professional development; supporting our members, and engaging and encouraging public interest in the life sciences.  The Society of Biology is a charity, created by the unification of the Biosciences Federation and the Institute of Biology, and is building on the heritage and reputation of these two organisations to champion the study and development of biology, and provide expert guidance and opinion. The Society represents a diverse membership of over 80,000 - including, students, practising scientists and interested non-professionals - as individuals, or through learned societies and other organisations.

We are committed to promoting biology as a subject of choice to students in schools, colleges and universities. We support and recognise excellence in biology teaching; champion a biology curriculum that challenges students and encourages their passion for biology; support young scientists through higher education, and provide career guidance at all levels.  We offer a range of tools to assist our members working in education in their professional development, we respond to education policy consultations, and contribute to curriculum development and course accreditation. Through partnership with other leading science organisations, we aim to increase our influence over the advancement of biology education.

For further information please visit www.societyofbiology.org

The National STEM Centre website will provide a sustainable home for the Getting Practical materials, which will form part of the Centre’s showcase of curriculum development resources.

The National STEM Centre will open during 2009/2010 on the University of York campus, co-located with the National Science Learning Centre.

The key objectives of the National STEM Centre are to:

• House the UK’s largest open collection of STEM teaching and learning resources.
• Provide teachers of STEM in with the ability to access a wide range of support materials.
  
  
• Bring together STEM partners with a shared mission to support STEM education, thus supporting the government’s STEM Cohesion Programme.

Teachers will be able to access the STEM resource collection in York from Summer 2009, and  in addition to the physical collection, as much material as possible will be made available online through the Centre’s website during 2010.

Alongside contemporary resource materials (including print, multimedia, and practical resources) the Centre will hold an archive collection, showcasing curriculum development over several decades, and a research collection to provide teachers and lecturers with publications that may be of particular interest to classroom practitioners.

The development of the Centre’s resource collections, in particular the archive and research material, is being done in collaboration with partner STEM organisations, who are providing expertise in particular subject areas.

Please visit www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk to register for updates on the Centre’s development.

For further information contact Jenifer Burden, j.burden@nationalstemcentre.org.uk, who would be very pleased to hear from colleagues interested in being involved in the Centre’s development.

The Centre for Innovation and Research in Science Education (CIRSE) at the University of York has a national and international reputation for the development of innovative, research-informed courses and teaching materials in science.  Courses developed by the University of York Science Education Group include Salters Advanced Chemistry, Salters Horners Advanced Physics, Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology, and Twenty First Century Science (the last two in collaboration with the Nuffield Foundation Curriculum Programme).  All of these draw on the research of CIRSE staff and of other science education researchers.  Staff in the Centre also teach on the secondary Science PGCE programme, contribute to undergraduate and masters programmes in education, and supervise doctoral research studies in science education.

The framework that underpins the mapping and CPD strands of the Improving Practical Work in Science Programme was developed by Robin Millar, drawing on the research literature on practical work in school science to focus attention on the features of practical activities that most strongly influence its effectiveness.

For more information about CIRSE, go to:
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/educ/research/CIRSE.htm

SCORE is a partnership between the Association for Science Education, the Biosciences Federation, the Institute of Biology, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Science Council. SCORE acts under the auspices of the Royal Society and is chaired by Sir Alan Wilson FBA FRS.

SCORE aims to improve science education in UK schools and colleges by harnessing the expertise, influence and resources of key independent organisations to support the development and implementation of effective education policy and projects

The SCORE partners believe that the key to maximising the impact of their efforts, especially their influence on government, lies in a greater degree of collaboration and in having a sense of common purpose. Through this collective action, the partnership aims to increase its influence over the direction of science education in the years to come, in particular over teacher supply and retention, curriculum development, assessment, delivery of support to teachers and students, and strategies for reaching all young people regardless of age, background, level of ability, gender, ethnic origin and geographical location.

Current projects include:

• Progression Routes;
• Relative Difficulty of A-Levels;
• Practical Work in Science;
• Science Diplomas
  
  The members also represent SCORE on a variety of boards and advisory panels.

The Royal Society, the national academy of science of the UK and the Commonwealth, is at the cutting edge of scientific progress.

We support many top young scientists, engineers and technologists, influence science policy, debate scientific issues with the public and much more. We are an independent, charitable body which derives our authoritative status from over 1400 Fellows and Foreign Members.

The National Strategies secondary science programme

The design and delivery of engaging lessons that make effective use of practical activities is a key part of successful science teaching and one which the science programme of the National Strategies has sought to support since its inception in 2001.

As well as providing termly CPD for subject leaders the National Strategies science consultants in local authorities work alongside groups of science teachers and subject leaders in schools to support them in developing their practice. In doing this consultants draw on a wide range of science resources produced by the Strategy which can be found at http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/secondary/science  

Of particular relevance to developing practical work in science is the interactive self study module Interactive teaching in science which can be found at http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/179044

The LSIS STEM Programme offers free, targeted support including resources, networks and funding to teachers and managers across the learning and skills sector including colleges, adult education, work-based learning and prison units.

A consortium of leading STEM education organisations delivers the programme to provide specialist, effective support:

• The National Science Learning Centre
• The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng)
• The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM)

www.excellencegateway.org.uk/STEM

The LSIS STEM Programme supports the effective use of practical work to improve teaching and learning in the further education science classroom.  Current work includes support for themed action research projects and resource development.

The new L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre (YSC) at The Royal Institution offers teachers and students (ages 7-18) the chance and explore practical science in our new state-of-the-art laboratory. The special feature of the YSC is the emphasis on trial and error, experimentation and a reintroduction of the thrill of discovery without an expected end result. Students will not be pressured to produce the ‘right’ results in a fixed period of time but instead will be encouraged to be creative and adapt their experiments in response to their observations and natural curiosity, in a similar way to real scientists.

The YSC is keen to support the ‘Getting Practical’ training and will be running sessions at the Royal Institution. We feel it is vital to encourage good quality practical science in the classroom and are proud to associate ourselves with the Association of Science Education.

The Nuffield Foundation Curriculum Programme explores new approaches to teaching and learning by developing, managing and supporting curriculum projects. Our work meets the criteria that the Nuffield Foundation applies to all the activities it supports. Our projects aim to be innovative, practical, general and reflective. Our main areas of interest at the moment are Science and Mathematics, and we are keen to explore the creative use of ICT to support teaching and learning in these fields.

For further information please visit www.nuffieldcurriculumcentre.org