1. science

Earth Science/Geology
in UK Schools today
Prof Chris King
Education Dept, Keele University
Director, Earth Science Education Unit
Chair, Earth Science Teachers’
Association Secondary Working Group
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Earth Science/Geology
in UK Schools today
A-level entry
GCSE entry
England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
What the educational research shows
The Earth Science Education Unit
What HE could do
www.earthscienceeducation.com
England and Wales - A-level
Advanced level Geology entries by gender
U.K. 1971-2004
4500
4000
3500
entries
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
03
20
01
20
99
19
97
19
95
19
93
19
91
19
Female
89
19
87
19
85
19
83
19
81
19
79
19
77
19
75
19
73
19
71
19
Male
Total
 A-level entry was falling steadily - it plateaued but fell again last
year
www.earthscienceeducation.com
England and Wales - A-level
 as a percentage of all A-levels - similar
www.earthscienceeducation.com
England and Wales - A-level
UK 1971 - 2004
 Falls in comprehensive schools - a plateau in sixth form colleges
www.earthscienceeducation.com
England and Wales - A-level
Advanced level Geology and Environmental Science entries
U.K. 1971-2004
6000
5000
entries
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
03
20
01
20
99
19
97
19
95
19
93
19
91
19
Geol total
89
19
87
19
85
19
83
19
81
19
79
19
77
19
75
19
73
19
71
19
ES total
Geol & ES total
 Having overtaken Geology, Environmental Science A-level
has fallen below Geology recently
www.earthscienceeducation.com
E & W - AS-level
 New AS-level looked promising - but it is falling too particularly boys
www.earthscienceeducation.com
E & W - AS- A- level figures




2004 A-level Geology - 1689
2004 AS-level Geology - 2148
2004 Environmental Science - 1215 (around 1/4 geology)
2004 GCSE Geology - 709
 In 2000, 367 centres were teaching A, AS or GCSE Geology
 2 Awarding Bodies (Exam Boards -WJEC, OCR) offer A and ASlevel
 1 Awarding Body (WJEC) offers GCSE Geology
www.earthscienceeducation.com
E & W GCSE - 2005
(14 - 16 year olds)
 92% (583,1000) examined in Science
) Double
 71% (450,900) examined in Add Science) Award
 7% (46,000) examined in Biology, Chemistry &
Physics (- ‘triple award’)
Key Stage 3 (11 - 14 year olds)
percentages of 113 statements
Astronomy - 4.4%
Earth science 4.4%
Scientific enquiry 16.8%
Biology - 29.2%
Chemistry - 18.6%
Physics - 26.5%
 30% (188,400) examined in Geography full courses
and 2% (36,200) in short courses
Earth
science%
difficult to
calculate
 < 1% examined in Env. Science (water cycle, supply
and conservation) - AQA (a total of 7,600 students
Around 1/4
took ‘other sciences, that include Env. Science and
ES/geology
Geology)
 <1% examined in Geology – WJEC (709)
www.earthscienceeducation.com
All
ES/geology
England and Wales
Earth Science education is supported by:
 The Earth Science Teachers’ Association, since 1969
 The Earth Science Education Forum (England and Wales), since
2002
 Earth Science Education Forum - Cymru, since 2006
 The Education Committee of the Geological Society, since 2006
 The Earth Science Education Unit, since 1999
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Scotland
 No Earth science is found in the science curriculum
 However, Earth science is found in the 5 - 14 Geography and
Science curricula - taught by primary teachers and Geography
specialists
 Geology is taught at ‘Higher’ level - at about 40 centres - this
number is falling
 Because of major concern about the low level of Earth science in
Scottish schools, the Scottish Earth Science Education Forum
(SESEF) has been formed
 A full time Development Officer has been appointed - supported by
Scottish Heritage funding
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Northern Ireland
 The Earth science in the NI National Science curriculum was
removed during one of the curriculum revisions
 Earth Science in the NI National Geography Curriculum is very
limited
 The ES2K group has been formed to lobby for geology, first in
Northern Ireland and now across all Ireland
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Earth science educational
research
Subject Specialism of Teachers currently teaching
National Curriculum Earth Science at KS3 (n = 162)
 Most teachers
teaching Earth science
are biology, chemistry
or physics specialists
Other
2%
Geology
2%
Biology
32%
Physics
31%
Chemistry
33%
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Earth science educational
research
 Their background is poor
2% 4%
26%
No ES background
23%
up to 16 and no higher
to A-level
some ES at degree level
other only
PGCE part only
8%
37%
Course texts for 11-14 year olds (KS3)
 Most use, as their main
resource, science textbooks
written for pupils or use
their own colleagues
Course texts for 14-16 year olds (KS4)
Other school science textbooks
Textbooks covering only NCS Earth science
Worksheets published for NCS Earth science
Geology/ES textbooks for 14-16 year olds (KS4)
Geology/ES textbooks for 16-18 year olds (A-level)
Popular Geology/ES books
Popular TV programmes on Geology/ES
Distance learning degree course publications (OU)
Distance learning TV materials (OU)
Materials published by government departments
Professional development (INSET) provided locally
Professional development (INSET) provided nationally
Assistance from colleagues in school Geography Dept.
Assistance from colleagues in school Science Dept.
0
10
20
30
40
Number
www.earthscienceeducation.com
50
60
70
80
Earth science educational
research
The government Council for Science and Technology survey
supported these findings
 Use of information by
secondary science teachers
Use of information by secondary science teachers
- CST report (n = 576)
used frequently
used occasionally
used rarely
Textbooks
Other books
Videos
CD ROMs
Periodicals
Courses
Colleagues
0
10
20
30
Sources of third party materials used by
secondary science teachers - CST report (n= 576)
used frequently
used occasionally
used never
not aware of resources
Industry publications
Society publications
 Third party material
used by teachers
Government
agencies
Charities
Museums
ASE
0
10
20
30
40
50
www.earthscienceeducation.com
60
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Earth science educational
research
 The mean error level in the
Earth science content of
science textbooks - 1 per page
Mean number of Earth science errors per page of science textbook
Mean
KS4 - 10
KS4 - 8
KS4 - 6
KS4 - 4
KS4 - 3
KS4 - 1
KS3 - 11
KS3 - 9
KS3 - 7
KS3 - 5
KS3 - 3
KS3 - 1
0
 Major errors shown by
teachers - pre-workshop
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Percentage of teachers who showed
major errors in answering the question
Knowledge of how density changes with depth in the
Earth
Knowledge of the states of the layers of the Earth
from the lithosphere to inner core(solid, partial solid,
partial liquid or liquid)
Knowledge of the plate tectonic contexts in which
heat flow is likely to be high or low
Knowledge of which earthquakes are likely to be of
deep focus origin
Understanding of which volcanoes are likely to have
magma of mantle origin and which of plate-melt origin
Re-assembly of Pangaea
Understanding of how ‘S’ wave velocities change with
depth
Knowledge of the thickness of the crust
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percentage
www.earthscienceeducation.com
60
70
80
90
3.5
Earth science educational
research
 The results of an analysis by Joyce and Showers
of 200 studies of the effectiveness of staff development amongst
teachers
(“Effective” = have some measurable effect on pupils)
Inset
practices
Provide
information
and theory
... plus
demonstration
Effect on teachers ...
knowledge
skill
practice
what they know
what they can do
what they do in
the classroom
Some
None
None
Some
Some
None
... plus
Some
opportunity to SIGNIFICANT
practice
... plus give
SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT
feedback
... plus
provide
coaching
SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT
None
Little
SIGNIFICANT
www.earthscienceeducation.com
The Earth Science Education
Unit
90 minute workshops presented to:
 secondary science departments across England and Wales
 upper primary teachers in Scotland
 PGCE science students in teacher training institutions
in order to:
 enhance their background Earth science knowledge
 showcase a variety of engaging Earth science activities
 enhance effective use of practical activities in science
 develop critical thinking and investigational skills in pupils
www.earthscienceeducation.com
www.earthscienceeducation.com
The Earth Science
Education Unit
 Small central team, Director,
Administrator, Researcher
 Facilitators appointed,
trained and available across
Great Britain
 38 in England/Wales
 12 in Scotland
 facilitators paid only for
workshop delivery
 low fixed costs + great
flexibility
www.earthscienceeducation.com
The Earth Science Education
Unit
Schools
KS3 strategy
Meetings/conferences
PGCE institutions
Scotland
Ambassadorial
Other
350
Number of visits
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
Year
Workshops
more than 4,400 teachers teaching more than 1,080,000 pupils
more than 3,200 trainee teachers
2002-2003
2003-2004
Ambassadorial events
more than 5100 adults
more than 4700 children
www.earthscienceeducation.com
2004-2005
ESEU progress
 Evidence for impact on the day
High  Low
1 2 3 4 5
I found the effectiveness of the INSET to be     
The interest of the INSET was
 
The relevance of the INSET was
 
The value of the INSET to me was
 
Most common responses from 2601 workshop questionnaires 2003-2005
www.earthscienceeducation.com
ESEU progress
Comments from teachers:
“I was made to feel enthusiastic about earth sciences, which I
never thought would happen.”
“the activities were simple enough to use in lessons without major
resource implications. ”
“Gave me ideas for teaching what can be a 'chalk and talk' subject.”
“…good activities will give me much more confidence in classroom…”
“An introduction to something I know nothing about.”
“I won't think rocks are so boring in future.”
“I am appalled that I have been teaching Earth sciences incorrectly
- as I got my references/ideas from published science books! This
workshop gave me the opportunity to learn more…”
“The best INSET day I have ever had.”
“…bloody hell - it's clicked, wow!…”
www.earthscienceeducation.com
ESEU progress
Change in classroom practice (2005):
 47 schools contacted a year after workshop
 15 responded to questionnaire:
• 12 had rewritten their Scheme of Work (SoW) to include ESEU
activities
• 2 were in the process of revising their SoW
• 1 does not have SoW, but were using new ESEU activities
 On analysis of levels of use of individual activities:
• 6 schools showed significant increase
• 4 schools showed moderate increase
• 5 schools showed modest increase
www.earthscienceeducation.com
What can HE do?
Not:
 ‘galvanise the Earth Science Teachers’ Association (ESTA)’
But:
 support the Earth Science Teachers’ Association (ESTA) and its
work with the Earth Science Education Unit
And the best method of support is …..
www.earthscienceeducation.com
What can HE do?
… to encourage your local secondary schools to invite ESEU to
present one or more of the free ESEU INSET workshop to them
You could do this through:
 a schools loan scheme (Leeds)
 an undergraduate ambassador scheme (Cambridge)
 including an Earth science communication module in your degree
(Edinburgh) - and testing it on local schools
 employing a part-time person to link to local schools (Derby?)
…. WITH THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF INTRODUCING ESEU TO THE
SCHOOLS
www.earthscienceeducation.com
What can HE do?
Attending the ESTA Seminar for Schools Liaison Officers in HE:
 Bristol University
 Friday 15th September
 Part of the meeting a joint one with A-level teachers - to promote a
dialogue
 Focussed on sharing ideas
 £50 for the day
 For more details, contact the Conference Organiser, Martin
Whiteley - [email protected]
www.earthscienceeducation.com
Earth Science/Geology
in UK Schools today
Prof Chris King
Education Dept, Keele University
Director, Earth Science Education Unit
Chair, Earth Science Teachers’
Association Secondary Working Group
www.earthscienceeducation.com