This guide, from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, draws on the advice of a number of experienced senior science technicians on how to set up a technician network. A local science technician network is a great way to share expertise, solve problems, gather ideas and to carry out cost effective...

This report from Ofsted focused on the initial teacher training (ITT) in science for primary teachers. The inspection survey took place during the academic year 2000/01. At the time recent inspections of primary initial teacher training (ITT) had focused on training to teach either english or mathematics and also...

The Skills Builder Toolkit draws together the best thinking and experience around building essential skills from educators, employers and other skills-building organisations. It turns skills that can often seem hazy into a consistent set of eight transferable skills:

• Listening
• Speaking
...

This resource, written by Emma Morris, outlines the core choices facing mathematics education and builds on the recommendations of the 2011 Vorderman Report, by examining which mathematics approaches and reforms have worked overseas. The paper does not recommend directly importing practice from either of the case...

Produced by The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this booklet offers advice and guidance for:
* teachers who wish to bring industrial speakers into school
* industrial speakers who would like an insight into the needs of teachers and their...

This activity from the CS4FN team at QMUL is a metaphorical introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and the difficulties of working at the command line.

The whole-class activity uses a game called spit-not-so. The winner of the game is the first to choose, from a...

A useful handbook for setting up a student-led STEM club, with exemplars from three schools.

It is increasingly recognised that giving students opportunities to act as ambassadors and mentors for STEM subjects outside of school can be of great benefit to the individual, their institution, and to the broader...

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They regulate and inspect to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages.

The Education and Inspections Act, which established the new Ofsted, specifically...

Using a set of simple ‘swap puzzles’, this CS4FN activity helps students to learn, fundamentally, what an algorithm is and how they can be made more efficient. Students are encouraged to create algorithms for solving the puzzles which can be used by future players to win, with no understanding of the game, in as...

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) has the goal of helping countries make informed decisions about how to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. This report summarizes the results of the TIMSS 2011 international mathematics assessment of fourth and eighth grade students...

This CS4FN activity from the team at Queen Mary University of London highlights some issues encountered during the design of human-computer interfaces (HCI). It acts as an introduction to HCI, introducing the need to translate problems and to understand how people behave.

The activities include a robot...

This magic trick from the Computer Science for Fun team at QMUL shows that computing is about more than just programming and computational thinking is about more than just algorithms.

A simple mathematical approach is taken with dealt piles of cards – this allows the dealer to control the whereabouts of the...

This unplugged activity from the CS4FN team uses two examples – an insulting computer and one that can play snap – to look at simple computer programming, flow of control and logic. Everything is provided for this front-of-class activity, which would act as an effective starter for a lesson on programming concepts...

This report from Ofsted is based on a survey into the impact in schools of the government’s strategy for continuing professional development (CPD). The strategy was introduced in 2001 and subsequently relaunched in 2005. It aims to promote the benefits of CPD, help teachers make the most of the choices available,...

Inspire as many students as possible with inspiring and inclusive messages about engineering.

This 12-page guide is for ambassadors, teachers, advisers and anyone delivering engineering activities or talks to groups of young people. With a handy preparation checklist and sections on ‘embedding careers...