The ASE is today proud to publish the second report in our “Good Practical Science - making it happen post-Covid-19” series, this time featuring a series of key recommendations that we urge all science educators to consider in light of the issues that all schools and colleges are currently facing.

Expanding upon the in-depth survey of science educators we published at the start of the month, this new report focuses on the implications of the current Covid-19 pandemic for the 10 key benchmarks outlined in the landmark Good Practical Science Report written by ASE President Professor Sir John Holman and published in 2017.

Using the data from the survey, the ASE project team – led by Richard Needham, Ed Walsh and Marianne Cutler – facilitated a series of expansive round-table discussions with senior school leaders, science teachers and technicians to draw upon their personal experiences of delivering practical science lessons.

The report takes each of the benchmarks in turn to assess the current situation and – more importantly – share a series of specific recommendations for schools to consider to ensure young people continue to have access to frequent, varied and purposeful practical science.

Also included are a series of high-level recommendations for policy-makers and others working in science education which will be crucial in enabling the benchmarks to be achieved.

To follow up these two reports, we have a number of activities planned over the coming months, culminating at the end of October in a series of subject-specific practical science delivery webinars, which you can find out more about below...

In partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Biology and the Institute of Physics, we are delighted to be able to offer a series of practical science webinars throughout November and early December 2020.  

The aim is to provide immediate, subject-specific support for teachers, for example around ways to use digital technologies to support and enhance experiments where practical work may be limited by social distancing restrictions.

The series has been generously sponsored by The Gatsby Foundation and so both ASE members and non-members are invited to participate free of charge, though places are limited, so any interested delegates are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment...