Primary school pupils across England and Wales will benefit from a new teaching initiative that aims to encourage youngsters to take an interest in science and the natural world around them.
Subsea Channel is a set of resources that aim to capture the interest and imagination of primary pupils in science subjects, supporting teachers to deliver the science curriculum in a way that makes it relevant and accessible to more young people.
Developed by industry body Subsea UK, in partnership with teachers from North Tyneside Learning Trust (NTLT) Subsea Channel will be available to access by teachers across England and Wales from today (Wednesday 12th July).
Aligned to the National Curriculum, this addition to the Subsea Channel suite of resources will provide teachers with lesson plans and videos that bring to life the real-life applications of the scientific principles they teach.
The resource is made up of five topics: Marine Biology, Surveying the Seabed, Vessels, Diving, ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) and Robotics. The lesson plans have been developed to enable teachers to deliver the lessons in sequence, as a scheme of work or as individual programmes. Each come with teaching notes, information sheets and videos.
Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK said: “The industry’s continued success is, to a large extent, dependent on having the scientists and engineers who will meet the ongoing and future technological needs of the UK subsea sector. In order to inspire the next generation, we must start that learning journey as early as possible, given that research shows that primary school is the best place to start nurturing an interest in science and technology. The challenge therefore is to capture young people’s imagination and interest before they make those important subject choices.
“The resource is a combination of technical knowledge from industry professionals and the educational objectives of teaching professionals. At Subsea UK, we understand that we have an important role to play in supporting education and this initiative demonstrates what can be achieved by industry working in partnership with education.”
Prior to developing the resources, Subsea UK asked teachers what would help them to deliver the science curriculum more effectively. Their feedback included: putting science into context, showing how it solves real world problems, captures children’s imagination and material that is flexible enough to incorporate easily into schemes of work. Subsea UK therefore set about working with teachers to develop materials that combined examples of the fascinating environments, technologies and equipment the industry experiences everyday with the scientific principles and concepts that underpin them and that teachers are required to explain.
Kehri Ellis, chief executive of North Tyneside Learning Trust added: “Working with Subsea UK has presented a fantastic opportunity for North Tyneside Learning Trust to transform science teaching and learning in our schools. The new resources that have been developed are a brilliant example of what can be achieved when education and industry work together to bring Science teaching and learning to life
Hannah Osueke, science and STEM leader at King Edward Primary School in North Tyneside, said: “As a science leader I was very excited about developing the resources as they provide children with an opportunity to develop their understanding of scientific concepts in a real-life context.
“The schemes of work will be extremely useful to teachers when delivering elements of the science curriculum as we have provided detailed lesson plans alongside practical activities that can be carried out in the classroom environment.”
The resources enable teachers to use examples from industry to explain key scientific principles in a clear and meaningful way and in doing so capture interest of children and stimulate their imagination.
Vicky Raynor from Stephenson Memorial Primary School who also developed the resource commented: “The Subsea resource is an ideal tool to support experienced and newly qualified teachers alike. It provides a context for the children’s learning, it covers several areas of the National Curriculum and will inspire and engage the children, making their learning both relevant and fun”
The resource is free and available to all schools throughout England, Scotland and Wales and can be accessed via a dedicated page on the Subsea UK website. Teachers will be asked to register by providing their details, which will also allow Subsea UK to inform them of any updates, send on additional materials and gather feedback.
Subsea Channel is now available to access by teachers across England and Wales. For more information, visit the Learning Resources page at www.subseauk.com
