This report was the result of a request to Carol Vorderman from David Cameron and Michael Gove for advice on mathematics education at the time the Conservative Party was in opposition. A small voluntary task force was formed and worked with organisations and individuals (including students and parents) in the...

Published in 2009 by LSIS, this report describes an action research project by John Leggott College. The project used a range of qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews and thematic analysis to identify what was ‘wrong’ with current college systems and to develop ‘learning skills’ in students on Level...

Published in 2009 by LSIS, this report describes an action research project by Kingston Maurward College. The project compared a traditional ‘lecturer centred’ approach to physiology teaching with a student-led approach using data loggers to compare both learner retention and engagement between these methods. The...

Written in 2004, this is a report by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) reviewing standards over time in design and technology A levels between 1978 and 1998.

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A report published in 2013 from the UK’s Institute of Physics looks at patterns of gender bias in six A-level subjects, all of which are taken by large numbers of students and all of which have a significant gender imbalance. The subjects considered are English, biology, and psychology (which are more popular with...

Produced on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) in 2009 by Roger Porkess, this is a position statement on Qualifications in Mathematics at Level 3 from 2011.

The report outlines twelve recommendations on the scope and format of assessment of mathematics at level 3 available to...

Published by the Wellcome Trust in October 201, this report looks at how one-year postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses in England and Wales support trainees’ acquisition of subject knowledge and topic specific pedagogy across the sciences.

The study, which was the first of its kind to look...

Published by LSIS, these booklets summarise the STEM action research projects carried out by 16-19 institutions across the UK. They include a brief summary of the research and findings on topics such as: using electronic notebooks, electronic learning, peer review, computer-based assessment, kinaesthetic techniques...

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at the theme of harnessing technology. It describes how Sussex Downs College set out to show students how to use more innovative features of technology to support collaborative and active learning. To begin with, this involved...

A Catalyst article about using the ISIS accelerator to study the structures of materials. ISIS is one of the UK's world leading research centres and this article explains how the centre uses neutrons to study materials at an atomic level. Acting as a super microscope the ISIS accelerator can be used for physics,...

A Catalyst article about the life and ideas of Albert Einstein. He is most famous for his ideas on relativity which formed the theory of general relativity, in which he showed that gravity could be explained as the effect of large masses on space. After the Second World War he also worked with other scientists and...

A Catalyst article about alchemy, the study of eternal life, salvation, and the answer to the ultimate questions about life, the universe and everything. It flourished for more than 1500 years until, in the late 1600s, the beginnings of modern, scientific chemistry edged it aside. The article looks at what was...

Alternatives for Science Education was produced and published by the Association for Science Education (ASE) in 1979. Its sub-title, A Consultative Document, indicates its aim and status. In addition to being a document of considerable historical interest, it contains arguments of continued relevance.

The...

A Catalyst article about aluminium, a shiny silvery metal, which is extracted from its ore by electrolysis. Further addition of other metallic elements results in an alloy, which can be cast into various shapes using moulds. The article looks at the processes of extraction, casting, patterns, moulds and finishing...

This Catalyst article describes an experiment with fluoride toothpaste on eggshells (as a substitute for teeth). Both teeth and eggs contain calcium compounds which can be attacked by acid. When an egg is put in vinegar the shell is weakened by the acid making it soft and more fragile. When teeth are exposed to...