For Teachers

March 2009 participant, microbiologist Mark Roberts grew us some I'm a Scientist bacteria

Key facts

FREE event for schools, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Next event:
March 2010 event | 15th-26th | 5 zones | 25 scientists | 100 classes
June 2010 | 14th – 25th | 20 zones | 100 scientists | 400 classes

Target Audience:
Year 9s to post-16
Supplied:
Interactive website, teacher packs, lesson plans, information sheets, interactive quizzes
Time involved:
The event is very flexible, including interacting with scientists on the website, all lesson plans and info sheets there is enough material for about 12 hours of lessons, depending on what you decide to use.  Most teachers will spend 4-6 hours on I’m a Scientist. The minimum is probably about 3 hours to get much out of it – 1 introductory lesson, 1 lesson of submitting questions and 1 lesson of live chat with scientists.
Be warned:
Most teachers, when asked what they would do differently next time said, ’spend more time on I’m a Scientist’.
More info:
Lesson plans and teacher briefing notes, etc are all available on our website. They are Creative Commons, which means anyone is free to use them.

Benefits of the event

“They worked really hard during this event, but they didn’t seem to think of it as work.”

• Inspire and energise students, showing them the range and excitement of real science.

“We now have several students who have totally been inspired by the scientists involved!”

• Develop and deepen their understanding of how scientific ideas develop in the real world.

“If there’s one key thing I would say about the event, it’s that it has got them to see that things aren’t black and white. And that’s the essence of HSW.”

• Strengthen their engagement with social and ethical issues about science because their vote really counts.

“They got to see the different points of view and the whole class got involved.”

How does it work?

It’s like an X Factor for scientists, online. And your students are the judges.

In each group, five or six scientists compete for a prize and each scientist has a section on the site. These include a photo, profile and an explanation of their work. The site also has background info, interactive quizzes, links and a special area for teachers (with lesson plans, quiz answers, etc).

Students submit questions (which the scientists answer online) and/or you can book live online chats for your class, with the scientists. Once they’ve ‘met’ the scientists and quizzed them, students vote for which one they think should get a prize of £500 to communicate their work. The scientist with the least votes is ‘evicted’, there are then further rounds of voting, until only one scientist is left to be crowned the winner!

Your students get a real say and engage with real scientists. They get practise at discussing ethical and social issues in science in a real situation. They get an insight into the process of scientific research and progress, and science careers. They get to ‘meet’ a range of different scientists, and see their human side – breaking down barriers.

The site is supported by information sheets and lesson plans devised by experienced educationalists and tested in real classrooms.

How does it help me deliver the curriculum?

The event is perfect for exploring the How Science Works (HSW) part of the  GCSE curriculum and similar areas of the AS and A Level curriculum. This document on Curriculum Relevance of I’m a Scientist explains what bits of the curriculum the event can help with.

It can be a particularly useful event for year 9s after exams. The event is a good intro to How Science Works, offers a structured way to develop their discussion skills and it’s fun and exciting.

What did teachers who took part in the pilot say?

Every teacher surveyed* said they would take part again and recommend it to their colleagues.

The messages which came out most strongly from teacher were that:-

• The event immediately engaged and enthused students
• It really developed students’ debating and discussion skills
• It was a great way of teaching HSW
• It brought science to life and made scientists seem ‘human’

“I was surprised how instantly it engaged the students. I didn’t need to do any bigging it up, they were interested straight away.”

“The pupils were looking forward to their science lessons, asking about them in the corridor etc.”

“The IVF debate went on for two lessons and they started defending their viewpoints which they wouldn’t have done before. They also began to see all sides of the argument rather than have a blinkered approach.”

“Lots of teachers struggle to teach How Science Works, but this particular activity [IAS] is brilliant because you don’t have to worry about the content. I’m already thinking about how to do it better next year!’

“I also thought the activities were brilliant to get them thinking about HSW and they fed this back to me.”

“What struck them was that the scientists were all really different, there wasn’t a stereotype.”

“…insight into what scientists actually do and empathy with them – realisation that ‘they’ are real people with lives, interests and senses of humour”

(* Out of 34 participating teachers, 22 filled in feedback forms)

To find out lots more about the event, and especially, what teachers and students got out of taking part, you can read our evaluation report on the project.

How can I get involved?

You can  register your interest here,  email us, or call 01225 869413 for more information.