scisupport: Letter for Yr 10 Parents/Guardians

Six different groups of students will be starting on new, unique, and exciting courses: all of which derive from Science for the 21^st Century. This represents a milestone in the way in which science will be taught in the future. They will be fully approved and accredited GCSE courses. It is a joint venture by QCA, University of York, Nuffield Foundation, and OCR Examinations

The reasons for introducing such a course is to make Science more relevant and appropriate for the young generation growing up in the 21^st Century. It has originated from a long, detailed investigation into the way in which young people view science, and how we can relate the study of science more to present and future generations living in the 21^st century. It is highly likely that it will form the foundation upon which science is taught in the future years, in the 21^st Century.

Key to the introduction of 21^st Science is the need to address the interests of different students, as they grow up in this technological world, and to relate science to local, national and international issues. In the present system there is a single course for all students, and it has become increasingly obvious that this does not prepare all students for their future careers, and as part of local, national, and global communities. Some students may go further to study separate science subjects, and some students will need to relate science and technology in their places of work. All students will be ‘consumers’ of science, and they will need to be able to make sense of the science and technology that is part of the modern world, and which is delivered by the media, and global communications. Social, environmental, and cultural issues will all be interwoven into the courses, and the promotion of citizenship will also have a strong focus.

We often talk about the need to match courses to the needs of individual students but then usually try to force-feed students with the same ‘content’, or educational straightjacket, called the National Curriculum. In 21^st Century Science there are different courses to suit the needs of different individuals. It is clear that the present focus has to ‘assume’ that we are preparing students as scientists, who are the produces of knowledge and understanding.

21^st Century Science breaks away from this tradition, and makes a determined focus on individual needs. Not all students will become research scientists, and be ‘producers’ of knowledge and understanding. Most students will be consumers of science, in the sense that we are constantly bombarded by media stories and developments, and new technology. It is essential that all students are able to make sense of the information they receive, and to ensure that it is both accurate and open to sound analysis. One of the new developments embedded in all the new courses is to ensure that all students can make sense of information, and to analyse it using correct scientific procedures. This is a major contribution that we need to make in the development of future citizens of the world. Science is not divorced from society, but is interwoven into a diverse and multicultural society in which many important decisions are made which can affect all of us. We have a duty to prepare students for living in local, national and global communities, and to understand and appreciate the many ways that science and technology is interwoven with different societies and cultures.

We were one of three local schools which introduced 21^st Century Science for September 2003. There are over 90 schools in the UK pioneering this course, and we are very fortunate to have been chosen. There are three separate GCSE’s involved. Each GCSE has a different focus, and the three combinations will allow us to continue to prepare students for both Double Award and Single Award GCSE. The combinations we will provide for three different groups of students, are

1. Single Award: Core Science

2. Double Award: Core Science + Additional Science ( General)

3. Double Award: Core Science + Additional Science (Applied)

Option 1 involves the study of topics which are very much part of the 21^st Century. The science studies involve the way in which we become involved as citizens, and the decisions that need to be made on local, national, and international levels.

Option 2 is considered to be more appropriate for those students who would normally consider further students in one or more of the sciences. It builds upon the knowledge and understanding of Core Science

Option 3 would be more appropriate for the students who would find science more relevant in work related contexts. It applies Core Science to different applications in different work settings. There is a strong focus on applications in everyday life, at home and in different occupations. It has a strong focus on skills and processes needed to take accurate and meaningful measurements, analyse information, and to evaluate information from different courses.

Each of the three GCSE courses has its own assessment and examination arrangements. Therefore, different GCSE grades can be awarded for a Double Award combination. Further details of these courses is attached to this letter

We will be using new resources for 21^st Century Science. Each student will be issued with a textbook, a student workbook. Teachers will have access to a range of resources, including CR ROMs and computers. The use of ICT will form an important part of Science for the 21^st Century. An online learning facility for North Chadderton School, dedicated to 21^st Century Science, will be made available to all students, from September 2003. Each student will be issued with a username and password.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further information about the courses for September 2003.

21^st Century Science: http://www.21stcenturyscience.org

Nuffield Website: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/curriculum/home/

OCR (Examinations) http://www.ocr.org.uk/

QCA: http://www.qca.org.uk

North Chadderton School’s 21^st Century Science Website:

http://www.21stcenturyscience.org.uk/support/

+ Another new North Chadderton website being developed which will provide the latest updates and news in the topics to be studied in 21^st Century Science:

http://www.scienceblog.org/community/

Everyone studies the Core Science course which leads to one GCSE grade.

The course will feature many of the major theories of science presented in a way that will encourage young people to appreciate their significance. Students will explore the key science explanations which help us to make sense of our lives.

However, in order to respond to scientific information presented in the media and everyday situations, it is also important to understand how this information is obtained, how reliable it is, what its limitations are, and how it is used. The Core course will also explore these aspects of science so as to prepare young people to deal with issues such as childhood vaccinations, GM food scares, and mobile phone safety as they arise.

Central to the Core Science course is an understanding of the major Science Explanations and of the key Ideas-about-Science. These are the things that we want students to take with them from the course and 'carry with them' into their adult lives.

In the Core Science course we plan to teach these two strands of scientific literacy through a series of thematic modules, each based on a topic that is of relevance and interest to young people.

Modular assessment papers:

June Y10      Modules 1-3, 23.3%    (not for 2004)

Jan Y11        Modules 4-6 , 23.3%

June Y11      Modules 7-9, 23.3%

The General form of Additional Science, when taken together with the Core Science course, will prepare students for progression to study AS and A-levels in the sciences. By giving more emphasis and space to more fundamental ideas in the sciences, it will provide a better, and more stimulating, bridge to advanced study than the current Double Award.

Additional Science (General) leads to one GCSE grade. Because the courses are separate, this may differ from the Core Science grade.

We have nine General modules for Additional Science. Students will do all of them.

Modular assessment papers:

June Y10       Modules 1-3, 23.3%

Jan Y11         Modules 4-6, 23.3%

June Y11       Modules 7-9, 23.3%

Whole investigation 15.0% Open book analysis 15.0%

No terminal paper or synoptic questions

The course offers an alternative addition to core science with the following features:

Each Applied module will be set in a context that is likely to be encountered by many students in their personal and/or working lives. And there will be a focus on the scientific procedures are involved and scientific understanding.

Students will study three modules, each occupying about 50 hours teaching time. The following modules will be offered.

June Y10, Module 1, 15.0%

Jan Y11, Module 2, 15.0%

June Y11, Module 3, 15.0%

Coursework (55%) (Under review)