Newton Fund: STEM Education Programme All images Mat Wright www.britishcouncil.org 1
What is the Newton Fund? Part of UK s official development assistance (ODA) budget. Its aim is to develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries, and support development challenges globally Partner countries shape the programmes and contribute funding 2
Newton Fund Partner Countries Newton Fund Partner Countries Mexico Colombia Brazil Egypt Turkey Kazakhstan Kenya India China Thailand Malaysia Vietnam Philippines Indonesia Chile South Africa www.britishcouncil.org
Programme Strands Researcher Links Institutional Links PhD Programme Professional Development and Engagement STEM Education Technical Training and Employability www.britishcouncil.org 4
Newton Capacity Building www.britishcouncil.org 5
STEM Ambassador Project in Thailand Online Resource Development Mexican Academy of Science Innovation Clubs in Malaysia STEM Competition in Kazakhstan www.britishcouncil.org 6
Science and the STEM Education Landscape in the UK Adrian Fenton Science Advisor, Public Engagement and STEM Education British Council Adrian.fenton@britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org 7
UK STEM Education Formal education is 5 to 19 Education in the UK is a devolved matter England and Wales: National Curriculum Scotland and Northern Ireland: follow their own curriculum www.britishcouncil.org 8
Challenges For STEM: Insufficient teachers Lack of take-up of some STEM subjects by girls Leakage of STEM graduates Lack of careers advice Broader situation: New curriculum phased introduction from 2014 (includes computer coding from primary in England) School performance (according to exams) is recorded leading to league table comparisons Scotland has new curriculum in support of Curriculum for Excellence www.britishcouncil.org 9
UK STEM Education Landscape Formal STEM education in the UK Unique infrastructure of privately and publically funded support for teachers of STEM subjects: Long-established, highly renowned STEM professional bodies (IoP, RSC, RAE, etc) Strong teacher associations (ASE, ATM, etc) National centres that provide networks for delivery of CPD (STEM Learning, NCETM) National centre for coordination of resources to support STEM teaching (National STEM Centre, whose elibrary contains nearly 10,000 individual teaching resources (quizzes, fact-sheets, lesson plans, videos and flash animations) www.britishcouncil.org 10
UK STEM Education Landscape Informal STEM education The contribution of the UK to establishing the knowledge base of the field is significant (14 % of publications to 2011). UK has well-established, diverse and well-regarded informal STEM initiatives such as STEMNET s 30,000 STEM Ambassadors: 86% of teachers report increased interest and engagement in STEM subjects 83% of teachers report increased knowledge and understanding of STEM subjects 67% report increased awareness of STEM career options 62% report increased awareness of STEM study options (NFER (2011) A evaluation of the impact of STEMNET s services on pupils and teachers www.britishcouncil.org 11
UK STEM Education Landscape Public Engagement Long-term (The Royal Institution (Ri) was founded in 1799, BSA in 1831) well-regarded, sustainable programmes of engagement correlate with a high interest in science among the general public. For example, the Public Attitudes to Science Survey 2011: 82% of respondents considered that science is an important part of our everyday lives 43% of respondents considered they were well or fairly well informed about science 51% of respondents reported wanting to know more about science. Considerable UK investment in science engagement and education activities in science centres, museums and science festivals www.britishcouncil.org 12
STEM Learning Brings together National STEM Centre, STEMNET and the STEM Ambassadors programme High quality science Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and technicians working with pupils aged 5 to 19 Support teachers and technicians in enhancing their professional skills by learning more about: contemporary scientific ideas experimenting with effective teaching approaches modern scientific techniques STEM Ambassadors scheme is a network of around 30,000 STEM volunteers (in academia, business, industry or research) encouraging young people to enjoy STEM subjects
National STEM Centre Opened in 2010 Facilitating collaboration between STEM partners with a shared mission to support STEM education. UK's largest open collection of resources (including e-library) for teachers of science, design and technology, engineering and mathematics in the UK Contemporary resource materials and a collection which showcases several decades of curriculum development.
UK Science Education: STEM Programmes School SteM Assessment/exams on subject knowledge Work stem Problem solving, team work, creativity no right answer The way science is done vs the way science is taught Informal STEM education and How Science Works Problem based More interesting and engaging Hard to assess Have a greater awareness of science as a process A greater understanding of the relevance of science to our daily and working lives
British Council activity: MARCH MARCH (MAke science Real in schools) is a new network we have created with the aim of bringing together institutions, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and educational institutions in Europe. Nine partners from seven European countries: the UK, Greece, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Portugal. To help young people to actively contribute to the learning process To argue in favour of the relevance of science to everyday life To promote science as a force that can build up active citizens To highlight the relationship between science skills and future employability www.britishcouncil.org 16
British Council Activity: Science in Schools Science in Schools British Council France programme that brings dynamic UK-based scientists into French secondary schools to talk about their research. Learning English through science Funded by French Ministry of Education www.britishcouncil.org 17
British Council Activity: Next Generation Science British Council Netherlands programme that aimed to make careers in science more attractive to young people on track for higher education in the Netherlands and the UK Strengthened ties between science professionals, young people and their teachers Included teacher-led collaboration on best practice and included a training element The objective was to broaden young people s international outlook through science, with a view to building networks for the future among young scientists www.britishcouncil.org 18
FameLab
School Lab Students are inspired and engage in the fascinating world of science and its everyday relevance Develop a critical and thought-provoking mindset through innovative and creative activities Enhance their confidence and skills so they can present their ideas to a wide audience Value upcoming scientists as role models Practice their English and improve their communication skills through science. www.britishcouncil.org 20
Thanks for listening Questions or comments? Adrian Fenton Science Advisor, Public Engagement and STEM Education British Council Adrian.fenton@britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org 21