Jeremy Pritchard

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• Jeremy Pritchard
• School of Biosciences

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School liaison

• Attract good students
• Increase public understanding of science
• Get School students to continue in science
• Inform teachers of recent changes
• Training in PUS for researchers
• Its fun

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• 1. Primary School
• 2. Secondary School
• 2a Lower school
• 2b Upper school
• 2c Teachers
• 3. Public

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School liaison

• Primary School Science is fun
• GCSE Students Stay in science
• A level Students Come to Brum!

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A scientist..
1. Primary

• works in a laboratory in a white dressing gown
• makes discoveries to help solve problems
• works with bottles and a sink has usually got a
  pair of black glasses, a white coat and rubber
  gloves
• can work all night without falling asleep
• uses words most people can't pronounce or spell
• can't do the impossible
• works with chemicals, poisons and other
  scientists
• can be a he, or a she
• solves peoples problems
• is surrounded by glass bottles with potions
• lots of cartoons have scientists in them and they
  are geeks, but they are not they are just normal
  people

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School Liaison Practicals
1. Primary
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1. Primary
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1. Primary
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Issues
1. Primary

• Need teacher support
• Simplification is NOT dumbing down
• Need two-way appreciation of strengths and needs

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School liaison
2a. Lower Secondary

• Primary School Science is fun
• GCSE Students Stay in science
• A level Students Come to Brum!

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The Big Biology Quiz
2a. Lower Secondary
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If it was unravelled there is about 2 meters of
DNA in the nuclei of the cells in your body
Joined together, how many times would your DNA
stretch between the earth and the moon?
Spot prize 1
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• 1 x1014 cells in your body
• Minus 2.5 x 1013 red blood cells
• 7.5 x 1013 nuclei
• 2 m DNA per cell
• 1.5 x 1014 m
• 1.5 x 10 11 km
• 385,000 km between earth and moon
• Therefore DNA would stretch 389,610 times

Spot prize 1
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2a. Lower Secondary
Am I an Ape? Christmas lecture
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Issues
2a. Lower Secondary

• Needs central admin organisation
• School like competition status
• Uneven ability/ performance
• Must be inclusive
• Must academic BUT fun
• Big initial investment less later

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School liaison

• Primary School Science is fun
• GCSE Students Stay in science
• A level Students Come to Brum!

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School Liaison Lectures
2b. Upper Secondary

• Science Lectures in Schools (mainly aimed at Year
  12 and year 13)
• Pollination Plants talk to each other
• How cells crawl and eat
• Keeping Britain's water clean and fit for
  drinking
• The use and abuse of antibiotics
• Careers and admission in Biosciences
• The Microbiology of Sexually Transmitted
  Diseases
• Pressurised pistons How do Plants Grow?
• Darwin, Society and Evolution
• Plant Genetic Engineering
• Genetic Engineering
  
• Why Bones Need Exercise
• Human Genome Project

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Issues
2b. Upper Secondary

• Cheap and easy
• Fits in with timetable and curriculum
• Needs staff collaboration
• Rarely comprehensive
• Danger of replacing teaching ?
• Often not right level/prior experience
• Uneven take-up

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Practicals at University
2b. Upper Secondary

• Supporting the curriculum
• Facilitating secondary to tertiary transition
• Providing up-to-date context
• Can be tailored for teachers or students

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2b. Upper Secondary
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2b. Upper Secondary
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Issues
2b. Upper Secondary

• Organised by the centre
• Repeated delivery
• Added value of campus visit
• Curriculum support and stretch
• Needs good technical support
• Needs relevant academics not comprehensive
• Needs teacher input

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Teachers events
2c. Teachers
Teaching Evolution 7th February 2009
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Teachers resources
2c. Teachers

• The history of Evolutionary thought
• Human Evolution
• The evolution of complexity
• Taxonomy
• Evolution in action
• Dealing with Creationist arguments

http//www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/links/teachers/t
eachers.htm
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2c. Teachers
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Teachers events issues
2c. Teachers

• Timing, year and week ?
• Numbers
• Topics
• Charge or not to charge
• Didactic or consultative?
• Penetration/coverage?

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Public events
3. Public events
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3. Public events
In the Eye of the Beholder
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General Issues

• Curriculum or stretch and Context
• Comprehensive across curriculum?
• What are the topics?
• Where are the staff ?
• Fragmented effort incomplete penetration
• Whats in it for us?
• Admissions
• Publicity
• Research obligations
• Training

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In the Eye of the Beholder
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• Contact Jeremy Pritchard for further details
• J.Pritchard_at_bham.ac.uk

www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk
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