Last modified: 22 May 2019 17:07
An opportunity to gain first-hand experience in communicating biological sciences to young people in a school setting
A chance to develop classroom skills, supervised and encouraged by experienced school teachers.
Course grades are derived from four activity areas: planning and exploration, group discussion, teacher evaluation, end-of-course report and reflection.
Accumulate a set of transferable professional experience and skills that are likely to enhance employability.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Old Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course is intended for (a) those who are considering a career in school science teaching or public engagement, or simply (b) those who are wanting to sample teaching as an experience and want to acquire a set of transferable skills. Placements can be offered in either local primary or secondary schools.
This work-place orientated course is organised under the auspices of the nationally recognised Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS, https://uas.ac.uk/). Currently, 56 universities (including Russell Group institutions) in the UK and Ireland are participating in the scheme. The UAS focusses on delivering school teaching experiences for undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The School of Biological Sciences will be the first department in the University of Aberdeen to take part in UAS.
At the start of the course you will be interviewed on to determine your interests and aptitudes, and to match you with a suitable local school. The campus-based part of the course will then help you to develop suitable classroom materials. This will be done in collaboration with a teacher in a designated local school (primary or secondary), and aligned with the national curriculum. In the delivery phase, you will work as a teaching assistant to deliver practical classroom activities under the supervision of the class/subject teacher.
You will be given guidance and support from experienced biology or class teachers in local schools. Support and training will also begiven by staff based at the University of Aberdeen. The course coordinator is a university academic who is also an experienced teacher, examiner and writer in secondary biology. Staff at the Aberdeen Biodiversity Centre (ABC) have extensive experience in collaborating with local teachers and in creating innovative classroom experiences in the natural sciences.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
Planning and Exploration (20%), Group discussion (20%), Delivery of teaching activities in school (20%), End-of-course self-evaluation (40%)
There are no assessments for this course.
Verbal feedback during individualised tutorials. Informal feedback during discussions; individualised written feedback periodically throughout semester. Verbal and written feedback from teacher overseeing delivery of teaching activities.
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