TRANSECT

Project outline

The University of Sussex is one of only five providers nationally currently offering a specialist Key Stage 2-3 science ITE programme. This recruits high quality science graduates who train as specialist transition teachers. Because of this, the Department of Education has expertise in transition teaching in science, addressing the differing pedagogies of primary and secondary science teaching.

The TRANSECT project will use video and audio technology (comparable to Skype and Videoconferencing) to facilitate the sharing of practice and pedagogy, with the added benefits of pupil to pupil collaboration, pupil to pupil mentoring and subject knowledge transfer (pupil to pupil and teacher to teacher) built in.

A key factor in sharing pedagogy and practice lies in facilitating skills exchange while avoiding the need to remove teachers from one school to visit another. Using video and audio technology, real-time communication between schools is possible. Pupils and teachers can observe one another and, when appropriate, communicate directly. These 'teaching observatories' offer a powerful tool for improving knowledge and understanding of the pedagogies across primary and secondary schools and develop strong coaching and mentoring links between pupils in both phases.

A key outcome of the project will be to examine the links, similarities and differences between primary and secondary teaching (theory and practice).

Aims and outcomes

• Maximise pupil achievement in science by helping Year 7/8 teachers build on skills acquired by pupils in primary schools
• Facilitate the sharing of experience and practices by selected groups of teachers across the primary and secondary phases of education
• Encourage critical reflection on these practices by means of structured video-linked dialogues and online discussions
• Provide opportunities for pupil mentoring and support whereby Year 7/8 pupils in secondary schools will be partnered through the use of this technology with Year 5/6 pupils in local primary schools
• Break down real or perceived barriers in science education across the two phases of education
• Ease transition concerns for Year 5/6 learners by demystifying secondary school science
• Consolidate the value of previous science work undertaken by Year 7/8 learners
• Provide a transferable model of good practice relevant to science CPD across a range of UK contexts

Project Evaluation

• Staff interviews on primary / secondary transfer
• Pupil interviews on primary / secondary transfer
• Follow-up interviews and the tracking of pupils as they transfer from primary to secondary school