Ed Walsh
Science Adviser in Cornwall, working in curriculum development, school improvement, CPD design and delivery and writing and editing materials for publication.
Introduction. Consultation on draft National Curriculum programmes of study - Schools. Earlier this year the department published proposals to reform the national curriculum so that it is slimmer, focused on essential subject knowledge and which, especially in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, compares favourably with the curriculums taught in the most successful education jurisdictions in the world.
Since then we have conducted a public consultation on those proposals and have given careful consideration to the views of those individuals and organisations that responded. As a result, we have made a number of revisions to the national curriculum framework document and the draft programmes of study. You can now view the government’s formal response to the consultation exercise, and the summary report of responses. Draft programmes of study for KS4 English, maths and science - Welcome. The Government has published draft programmes of study for Key Stage 4 English, mathematics and science, for information and discussion.
Work on these programmes of study has taken place alongside the development of Key Stages 1 to 3. Further versions will be developed alongside work on reformed GCSEs in these subjects and a formal consultation on the drafts will take place later in the year. Further information on reforms to GCSEs, including a report on the recent consultation, can be viewed in the GCSE section. Curriculum, Exam and Accountability Reform. Mr Speaker.
With your permission I should like to make a statement on the future of qualifications, school league tables and the national curriculum. Last September we outlined plans for changes to GCSE qualifications designed to address the grade inflation, dumbing down and loss of rigour in those examinations. We have consulted on those proposals and there is now a consensus that the system needs to change. But one of the proposals I put forward was a bridge too far.
My idea that we end the competition between exam boards to offer GCSEs in core academic qualifications and have just one - wholly new - exam in each subject was just one reform too many at this time. Getting started as a primary school - Code Club. The Basics Code Club provides free projects and resources for you to run a Code Club for children aged 9-13 in your venue.
You can connect with volunteers in your local area through our site, or you can work with a volunteer that you already know from your community. Most clubs run for an hour a week with around 15 young people, but this is flexible. We provide resources and projects to allow you to run the club in the way that suits you and your venue. There are some essentials that we ask of all venue hosts: Code Clubs should always be freeCheck that your venue has the necessary insurance Get parental permission for every child who will be attending the clubEnsure that volunteers are supported Get Started with Code Club Step 1: Register your venue on our website. Step 2: Search for a volunteer near you using the tool on our site. Step 3: Meet your volunteers to organise the club and check their DBS statement (or equivalent). Step 4: Get your club activated! Helping disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential. Computing For the Next Generation ...
Science iPad Apps. Science - physics. ESO Top 100 (free) Astonishing collection of high quality astronomical images including galaxies and nebulae.
Issac Newton’s Gravity (free/£2.99) Fun & challenging strategy game with decent graphics - first 7 levels free. Solids Elementary HD (£1.49) Excellent app for exploring how 3D shapes are created - with complete visual deconstruction. Calling Einstein (£6.99) Great app about Einstein’s theories and work - started off free now quite expensive for an app. NASA (free) There is much to like about this app and it contains a lot of useful scientific info - links to some Flash files. GoSkyWatch (free/£2.49) Very detailed look at stars and constellations. Hubble Top 100 (free) Dramatic collection of high quality astronomical photographs taken by the Hubble telescope.
Finger Physics HD (free/£1.99) Simple yet surprisingly challenging gravity based app involving the construction of a tower. Science - chemistry. Science - biology. No WiFi Required. What is an application (App) The use of apps in mobile devices is somewhat different to the use of software programs on a computer.
Applications commonly known as apps are small executable files which are downloaded onto your mobile device. There are apps written for Apple devices which you download from the iTunes App Store. There are apps written for other mobile devices which run on an Android operating system. There a a large number of free apps for educational purposes. What is a good App? This is a frequently asked question and rightly so, as purchasing apps in volume can be a costly exercise. There are a few criteria that you need to consider: 1. 2.Links to the curriculum- we need to be clear how the app supports the learning outcomes as stated in the curriculum or the students IEP. 3.Purpose and function- the app needs to have a function that will enhance learning is the app replicating an existing activity or is the app transforming the way students learn and express their learning.