Secondary Science Conference - Make UK, Birmingham RC227 / B11

Explore the key issues affecting secondary science, through a series of presentations and workshops. Network, share and develop ideas and discuss best practice with other secondary science teachers and heads of department.

Workshops will be provided by Victoria Rigby, Billy Feenan of Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, Make UK and the STEM Enrichment Hub based at Coventry University.

Optional workshops as follows:

Victoria Rigby - Developing student retention and recall

This session will provide you the opportunity to reflect on the research and work with other Subject leaders to evaluate your current practice and plan for the impact of cognitive science on your curriculum development. 

You will be able to: 

• By the end of this CPD you will have: 
• Explored how the working memory and long-term memory interact to process and store information. 
• reflected on the cognitive science theory that underpin retention and recall of knowledge 
• Identified how the use of strategies from cognitive science could be addressed in your curriculum planning to build deeper understanding and long-term recall of scientific knowledge and skills. 

Victoria Rigby - Oracy - developing (or re-developing) group talk

Effective talk supports scientific reasoning and deepening learning for students. Is this used to best effect in your science lessons or those of your team? This session is a reboot after covid of the tools expert teachers have to develop pupils oracy in science lessons. 

By the end of this CPD you will have: 

• identified what constitutes effective teaching and learning with respect to talk in the science classroom  
• reflected on how to develop an increased repertoire of teaching and learning strategies to enhance students’ oracy skills 
• explored contexts in lessons which students will use exploratory talk strategies 

Victoria Rigby - Effective diagnostic questioning supporting T&L

Find it and fix it, how do we really know the science our students understand. This session will reflect on diagnostic questioning tools and resources to support teachers based on the research evidence and how as a subject leader you can develop practice across your team. 

By the end of this session you will have: 

• reflected on the importance of objectives and outcomes in diagnostic teaching 
• explored sources of diagnostic questions (including the best evidence resources) and considered ways to use these in learning sequences. 
• identified how misconceptions may have been reinforced in schemes of learning or through remote teaching and next steps to develop strategies to address these in your curriculum. 

Bethanie Downing, STEM Enrichment Hub, Coventry University - Enhancing employability skills and careers knowledge through STEM Clubs

STEM Clubs have incredible potential to combine a number of subjects within a single theme offering opportunities to conduct scientific investigations, experiments and engage in practical hands-on activities. This workshop explores how club leaders can bring added benefit to club sessions by enhancing essential employability skills, raising awareness of careers and helping to support the school’s careers agenda. Helping to increase club leaders’ knowledge and equip them with valuable skills that can translate into the classroom. 

Billy Feenan - The Ofsted Research Review in Science – curriculum considerations 

In this session we will look at two sections of the report: Disciplinary & Substantive Knowledge and Organizing Knowledge within the Science curriculum. We will explore the features of best practice highlighted in the report and reflect on our own curricula with these in mind.  

There will also be opportunities to discuss curriculum with other delegates to share best practice. 

Speaker Biographies

Victoria Rigby

Victoria is an enthusiastic STEM Education consultant working from early years to A level in a variety of settings, engaging pupils, teachers, and industrial/business partners in professional learning. Throughout her career she has held many roles from being an advanced skills teacher, senior leader in schools, local authority adviser and part of a national school improvement team with national strategies.  

Her work takes her across the UK supporting leaders and teams to develop outstanding STEM education as well as writing and delivering ongoing professional development materials for national organizations.