Why I love being a science teacher.....

No, not me, but Peter Tompkin, head of science at Maltings Academy in Witham, Essex. You can see him carrying out an iodine experiment below, and School Gate has been speaking to him because of a new campaign to persuade graduates to become science teachers....

Science teaching is also in the news because of a new report from the The Royal Society of Chemistry. Leading scientists have set up a petition complaining that school-leavers are being "failed" by undemanding exams which are undermining science. Yet, as with all educational subjects, one of the fundamentals is good teaching - and that's where Peter Tompkin comes in again.

He's delighted by the new campaign to attract more science teachers which has been launched by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) today. It's based around the idea that the public has an outdated view of what goes on in the nation’s science classes. The TDA argues that this could threaten future science teacher recruitment, despite the fact that new figures reveal that such recruitment is improving. Latest figures show that the number of trainee science teachers will reach 3,670, exceeding the Government’s target by two per cent for 2008/2009.

However, that's not the end of the problem. More teachers are needed, and, almost as importantly, attitudes need to be changed. A poll by the TDA shows that only 17 percent of adults agree that their school science classes were ‘enjoyable’. Just 28 per cent agreed that science teaching was interesting, while 57 percent of those polled believed that lessons could be improved by showing how science is applied outside the classroom.

So, over to Mr Tompkin, who has been teaching at Maltings for the last ten years. The school has recently become an Academy, and is working towards science specialism status. He began there as a newly qualified teacher, with a first class degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge and a PhD in Chemistry (not to mention a PGCE). So, he's not your usual science teacher.....

"People certainly do ask me why I went into teaching and I would answer why not? I choose to teach, it's not something I've been forced into, although it's true that none of my fellow Cambridge science graduates went into teaching like me. People say "I couldn't do what you do," and there's that perception that you're stepping into a battle zone when you enter a classroom of teenagers. But it just isn't like that.

I began taking tutorials while I was studying for my PhD at Cambridge and realised I liked it. There's an acute problem in science in general. I'm the only full-scale chemist in this school, and that's not an unusual scenario for many schools to be in, but I don't worry about the perceptions of teachers, or what other people think of me doing it. I worry more about the perception of the students I teach. I want my students to look forward to my lessons and think it's worth coming to them. I find it so rewarding when I hear them talking about what they've learnt in the playground. It makes them come back for more.

If I was purely driven by money, I probably wouldn't teach, but I'm certainly not suffering with what I earn and I don't feel that I lack status, although that wouldn't particularly concern me. I'm not trying to keep up with the Joneses.

I think people appreciate that teaching children is hard work, and that although they mention things like holidays, when we are working we are responsible for a number of people from different backgrounds and keeping them all engaged can be a tricky task. That's especially true at secondary school, because of the rampant hormones!

I'd recommend science teaching and encourage anyone thinking about it to come and watch a lesson in action. It's worth a lot to see a child wanting to know why something happens, and that's my main weapon. People shouldn't focus on the negatives, but on how it feels to make a difference. Science is fun, and we need to let people know it!"

Further information on becoming a teacher is available at www.teach.gov.uk/talent

Read School Gate on:

Do our children need more male primary school teachers?

Why I went into teaching, by a male primary school teacher

Should teachers be paid the same as doctors and lawyers?

Comments

[Dr Keith Stead]

As a science teacher I loved to read to my students, from the official list of banned experiments, the heading: "The following experiments are not to be performed in any school laboratory:" Then I'd say, "Okay - let's do this one (such as putting sodium metal on water) outside the school laboratory." This always had the students highly motivated and very observant! More importantly, they learned much about science as they linked the practical with the theoretical done back in the laboratory/classroom.

[Peter Tompkin]

I am somewhat mystified at the prospect of a physics graduate not being able to find jobs. Most schools would really like another Physics specialist!

But the comment that worries me most is the one about HSE filtering out the "fun" experiments - this is simply not true. It is of course true that suitable risk assessments need to take place - but there is very little that is banned. Benzene springs to mind as a classic case, which precludes the use of real crude oil, but it springs to mind merely because it is so rare that a substance is fully banned! I like to teach gas collection techniques with a splendid demonstration of air sensitive gases being collected over water, and when I contacted CLEAPPS they were very keen on this experiment taking place in view of
the interest it would generate amongst students. The Chemistry for Non-Specialists courses that the RSC run have this as a compulsory item, so hopefully we are getting somewhere on this one, but there is obviously much work to do. It is important for teachers to realise that students become more and more forgiving of a demo/practical not working properly if there are more of them at a high level of quality. There is a major difference between "not allowed" and "not been done before" - the latter certainly involves some work to convert it to "we do this experiment here", but it should be a green light to further investigation of possibilities, not a bar.
That said, a proper risk assessment does involve an assessment of the students and their ability to cope with such activities - it may be possible to do a class practical with group X but do a demonstration with class Y instead.

On the subject of vocational courses - well, there are enough on offer! We at Maltings have three courses (triple, double GCSE and a vocational Level 2 course) so all students have a chance to pick a suitable course, and we envisage adding a Rural Science course in the future to give even more choice. I am certainly not in favour of one-size-fits-all - introducing new courses was one of my aims when I became Head of Science.

One final point - I would like to emphasise that being a teacher involves dealing with human beings, not computers. There are always going to be days when it does not go to plan (and without these, how would you know when a good day came along?), but you can be sure that each day is different! I am strongly of the opinion that the value of the good days far outweighs the bad ones, and that is why I am still doing it!

[Ragster]

Glen -
I doubt they'd be allowed to do the experiments our physics teacher did with us. Apart from the million-ish volts he put through the class, and blowing up various components, he had a reclaimed laser from a water-damaged unit that he'd rewired and removed all safties from ....
He wouldn't let us play with it directly though.

And he was even tighter than the regulations allowed for regarding the radiation sources - he claimed it didn't matter for him to handle them because he'd already had his children!

[shakira]

According to Park View Elementary School principal Charles Harden, the science resource teacher is responsible for helping students bridge the gap between science discovery and other content areas such as reading and math. However, Barry Sprague, who fills this position also orchestrates the school's annual science fair; writes grant proposals to gain scientific resources for the schools; and promotes professional development of the teaching staff by aiding them in writing grant proposals for resources in their own content areas.
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Shakira

www.widecircles.com

[Jamsie]

Physics is pure logic. If you cannot do it then, probably, you're thick. Stick to Political Studies and Social Science losers otherwise you'll get a headache !

[whimsey]

Martin - I believe it was George Mikos who wrote How to Be An Alien who said that when he was told by an Englishman how clever he (ie, GM) was, he initially took it as a compliment. Only later, as he came to understand more about the English character, did he realise it was actually not complimentary at all! In fact, a damning adjective usually reserved for foreigners....

Glen - glad to hear that science teachers can still do dangerous experiments in class. I did hear that they are not allowed to use blood or saliva any more, which is a shame, as I have fond memories of pricking my finger and then putting a drop of hydrogen peroxide on the blood globule, and watching it merrily fizz away as the catalase in the blood broke down the peroxide into water and fizzy O2.

Also, fond memories of being given an elastic band to chew so we could produce enough saliva to test for its pH.

[Glen Thomas]

Michelle - I don't know where you live, but there is a big demand for Physics teachers all over SE England at least, and especially in London. Also, in any town that has a sixth form, as many Physics teachers drift away from schools with behaviour problems, those without A-level teaching available and state schools in general.

Whimsey: It is a myth that health and safety rules have decimated practical lessons. Only ONE experiment has been completely banned in state schools - that is, anything to do with benzine. Everything else that you can remember from your youth is STILL ALLOWED with appropriate precautions.

This myth, though, is pervasive, even amongst Science Dept heads.

Science teachers who stick to the most bland and boring practical activities should educated, and encouraged to spice up their teaching.

[Martin]

As long as people think that the phrase "Oh I never could do maths (science or whatever)" marks them out as a superior being, then we are flogging a dead horse.

I think the UK is possibly the only country in the world where ignorance is seen as an asset.

[Ted-F]

Agree with the ‘anti Science & Technology culture’ issues already mentioned. Another modern blight is the over prescriptive, health & safety conscious attitude to Science teaching, where once professional teachers could motivate pupils with a wide range of experiments are now treated as mere technicians obliged to follow the National Curriculum ‘script’

[Michelle]

I started on a PGDE course this August to retrain as a Physics teacher. What I found was:

1) there were no jobs
2) jobs were for short and long term supply only
3) the worst teachers were the ones on a long contract that schools can't get rid of
4) the teachers I saw in action spend most of their time dealing with children who had a variety of behavioural problems
5) 90% of teaching seems to be baby sitting
6) we are supposed to use constructivist principles - how do you do that when kids can't think for themselves? You have them for a couple of hours a week - what about the rest of the timetable when they are spoon fed and so, expect to be spoon fed in your class?

In short, don't call for more science graduates to become teachers until the profession has gotten rid of the excess baggage that is stopping those graduates getting a job. If you were incompetent in any other field, you would be sacked but not in teaching!

[Whimsey]

Re the very true Titanic comment, there's a l9th C painting of two explorers in Australia dying of thirst, having located a gold mine. The painting is entitled 'Wealth.'

[Marc Sheffner]

What is needed is wealth creation. Playing money games is not wealth creation, as the economy now shows: if all those clever "derivatives of derivatives" schemes were so great, how come the economy is tanking? Much of our present wealth is based directly on science, and almost all of it is based on scientific thinking, which goes back to the Enlightenment period. This, at least, should be recognized and taught in schools, even if not everyone decides to become a scientist or a science teacher. What is real wealth? And what kind of environment is most conducive to producing real wealth? Buckminster Fuller defined wealth as whatever guarantees your future survival for the maximum number of future days. He liked to point out that all those rich folks on the Titanic found out that all their "wealth" (stocks, bonds, whatever) were not worth much compared to a lifeboat. Kinda late to find that out, eh?

[Whimsey]

Like the world needs more people working in finance.....

No scientists, no civilisation. End of story.

[reluctant memsahib]

I am really heartened by this. My son wants to be a science teacher. I told a friend who asked, ''what does your eldest want to do when he finishes?''. Teach, i said. She looked askance. Science, i elaborated. She sniffed and swallowed and looked at her feet. And then she said, ''that's great" (liar, her disdain was clear). Ours is headed for finance.

I wonder if she's changer her tune?

[Whimsey]

Andy, I agree that science can be seen as 'uncool' and 'geeky'. But there really are people in this world who find all things scientific incredibly boring, and have utterly no curioisty about how the world works. They are just not interested. (Seems extraordinary to me, but I have chums who are living proof of that sentiment!)(clever grads, too, but in humanities). Similarly, of course, there are (equally extraorindarily to me!) people who think Shakespeare is unbearably tedious.

I myself have a polymathic outlook on learning, but I'm trying to think of a subject that I would find very, very boring to learn - psychology is probably about the closest. And classical economics. Oh, and possibly sociology. All the 'jargon' ones that have less to them than meets the eye.

I do think that trying to teach someone somethign they genuinely find boring is flogging a dead horse, and you should do only the minimum necessary, and certainly not in the company of enthusiasts, as the bored ones will destroy the class for the interested ones.

BTW, this is irrespective of how well the subject is taught, it's a question of the inherent subject matter. (I suppose I could say that if psych, sociology and economics were taught in a more jargon free way, I'd find them more interesting, but to an extent I feel the subjects ARE the jargon....)

[Andy]

It's not just a matter of "some kids don't like science". Science, Maths, technology of all varieties - these subjects are perceived as being uncool; and I think that the root of this problem is cultural. Basically, to be prepared to spend your time and effort on these things is to be sneered at as a geek; the curious inversion that enables people to look down on people with skills and talents they just don't have may be rooted in insecurity and poor self-image, but it's pretty universal in our culture.

These subjects deal in facts and logic, not fuzzy generalities; and so they require hard earned (even rote-learned) knowledge, and logical thinking, and these things will strain your brain, much easier just to put your name down in the column for media studies.
And if that sounds like a petty slur on an easy target, I think it's proved beyond reasonable doubt by now that you can get better grades, with less intelligence and hard work, in the "softer" subjects (translation: subjects you didn't get at school 30 years ago).

[Whimsey]

I'd heard that HSE had made it all but impossible for teachers to do 'fun' experiments any more, which has to be a shame.

Overall, though, I'd say there will always be a good tranche of pupils who hate science per se, however well it's taught. They just have no curiosity about the natural world and how it works and what it can be made to do. So maybe it's completely pointless trying to include those children in 'proper' science classes. They simply need to be taught 'practical science' like stuff on why people get ill and how to minimise that, and 'political' science, ie, why environmentally-safe technology is essential, etc.

As for non-academic children, maybe they need far more 'practical science' about how cars work, and how electricity in the house works, etc.

But the place to start science is at primary level, which is not easy when so many primary school teachers have no science education. I think getting children 'hooked on science' at an early age is a key goal.

Overall, any child that shows the slightest interest in science has to have that nurtured, urgently. We desperately need engineers, scientists and doctors in our society, and we have far too few (so we are always being told), to create the wealth for the next generation, and drive the green technology revolution that has to save the world.

Schools should filter out anyone not interested in science, and make them a far lower educational priority. We've got quite enough lawyers etc in the country, thank you. Let alone 'media studies' grads.