Speak Up Scotland!

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£49,300

Jan. 7, 2013

May 6, 2014

The idea is to get young people talking and arguing about science- good communication skills meet cutting edge science.

We want to do the work because we believe the skills learned during debating, such as objective critical evaluation, are very valuable in developing scientifically literate and engaged citizens - as well as being useful in everyday life. Young people will play a huge part in their own learning experience. Teachers have told us that when their pupils have to make a case, they really have to understand the material, so debating becomes a valuable tool. It also takes pupils out of the world of theory to look at applications. Debating helps develop a wide range of skills - research, building coherent arguments, public speaking, listening and evaluation, and collaborative learning. It is also a fun way to explore science.
As well as equipping young people with debating skills, we want to help them understand how to question and weigh up evidence to make informed choices. These are skills which universities and future employers value highly, and which will increase the life opportunities of the young people who take part.

Through the STEM Ambassadors programme, and our other university contacts, pupils will have an opportunity to question scientists from industry and academia, fostering wider links and encouraging young people to consider science as a career. The project fits well with the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, which sees a more interdisciplinary approach to learning plus a responsibility for literacy within the science classroom; and improved professional development for STEM teachers. As explained elsewhere in this application, we will seek to engage schools in outlying areas, which may not usually (for reasons of cost and distance) be able to take part in such a science programme.

The topic area we want to address is Nuclear Energy. This was the most frequently asked for resource in the feedback from our project last year (see below). We'll look at how it sits alongside renewables as an energy source; and issues of waste and reprocessing. We hope to put practical, and applied, flesh on the bones of the work pupils will be doing on radioactivity and nuclear reactions.
This resource will be in the form of 'fact sheets' (printed class sets) alongside teachers' notes/lesson plan. Both will also be freely available to download from our website.

This is the extension of a project begun last year, with funding from the Scottish Government, The Robertson Trust and The MacRobert Trust. We were able to:
- create a debates handbook for science teachers, and a website (www.speakupscotland.org.uk). Our existing topics include particle physics (CERN) and space research (eg Hubble's law); nanotechnology and renewable energy. All our materials are freely available to download.
- run debating workshops for science teachers
- organise scientist visits to schools (through the STEM Ambassadors programme);
- set up a national science debating competition.

We have worked hard to make the contacts with schools and the scientific community, and we have learned a huge amount along the way, so we think we're now able to offer even better workshops and support. We know there is a big demand for the project to continue.
Last year, over 430 science teachers in 137 schools took part in the debating workshops . These have been consistently highly rated by teachers: 97% rated them as excellent or good (excellent: 63%). What came across most in the feedback was that teachers found it useful doing the activities themselves, and they liked the range of debating formats as it enabled them to incorporate debating into their own lessons more easily.

We are now seeking funding to help us continue the project: to run a more detailed workshop programme for teachers and pupils, create new science resources and continue to encourage discussion between scientists and young people.

Potential Impact:
All resources will be freely available to schools and the wider public on the Speak Up Scotland website. We will also provide printed class sets of the Nuclear Energy resources, as we're conscious that schools end up spending huge amounts of money photocopying resources if these are only available online. These can be laminated and used repeatedly.
Information about the project will be distributed to STEM networks, who will put details of the project on their websites with links to our resources. Working with the STEM contract holders, also enables us to discuss the project with the Science Ambassadors community.
The Debates DVD will be given to participating schools, and we will provide it in clip form on the website, so any educator can easily view it.
We will also make it available on You Tube.

The workshops will be showcased through Scottish Schools Education Resource Centre (SSERC) where we have been invited to run taster workshops for science teachers on residential courses.
Suzanne is regularly asked to run workshops for PGDE students - eg through Aberdeen University, where we already have good links. These are opportunities to show tomorrow's educators how the ideas can work.

There are a number of other opportunities:
National Science Week 2013: we will discuss our participation with Education Scotland. One idea is to organise a mini debate on nuclear energy.

Working with Martin Hendry, we also anticipate showcasing the workshop as part of the Glasgow Science Festival in June 2013 and the Orkney International Science Festival in September 2013, as well as various other schools events in the West of Scotland organised in collaboration with the British Science Association.
We are discussing with the organisers of the Edinburgh International Science festival, who are keen supporters of the project, how we might communicate successful ideas and run a taster session during the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2013.
These events will also allow us to communicate our work to a wider public audience.