Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05
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: reflective writing, group presentation, teacher evaluation, end-of-course report
Accumulate a set of transferable professional experience and skills that are likely to enhance employability.
Note that this course is thin thread. Because of covid restrictions it is likely that school visits might not be possible until Semester 2. Semester 1 would therefore be used to prepare teaching materials and become familiar with teaching theory, the Scottish curriculum, and school profiles.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Full Year | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | 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, or possibly in a higher education setting.
This work-place orientated course is organised under the auspices of the nationally recognised Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS, https://uas.ac.uk/). Currently, 58 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 is 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 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 teachers 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 coordinators are university academics who are also experienced school teachers. One coordinator has been a schools 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.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
Verbal and written feedback from teacher overseeing delivery of teaching activities |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Create | Complete a logbook intended to be a dynamic ‘companion’ throughout the course. Students should to plan, record (where possible in real time) and reflect on personal and academic journey in teaching |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
Written by the school. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Acquire feedback from professional practitioners in teaching and in science communication. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
Informal verbal feedback during discussions, followed by individualised written feedback. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Evaluate | Share a personal experience of teaching with others on the course, to reflect on professional development, to focus on an area of ‘special interest’ and to comment on others’ presentations. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Analyse | Demonstrate skills in summarising, integrating and reflecting on the overall experience of the course |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Analyse | Demonstrate skills in summarising, integrating and reflecting on the overall experience of the course |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Share a personal experience of teaching with others on the course, to reflect on professional development, to focus on an area of ‘special interest’ and to comment on others’ presentations. |
| Procedural | Apply | Acquire feedback from professional practitioners in teaching and in science communication. |
| Reflection | Create | Complete a logbook intended to be a dynamic ‘companion’ throughout the course. Students should to plan, record (where possible in real time) and reflect on personal and academic journey in teaching |
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