This paper begins by examining varying meanings of ‘professionalism’ in public policy contexts within and beyond education. These meanings are elaborated by examining empirical studies of teacher professionalism in the context of science teaching. Overall, the argument is made that policies aimed at supporting...

This leaflet provides support for a Primary Science Leader (PSL), based on good practice in schools that value science. It is aimed at helping PSL’s to  reflect on current science provision and how to plan for improvement. Key areas discussed are:

• looking at, how science is led
• looking at different...

When teachers are introduced to ideas from research, they seek to make sense of the findings they are presented with by reflecting on their own practice and how they anticipate the research findings may or may not fit with the ways they view teaching, learning and assessment. 

Author: Chris Harrison

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at the theme of knowledge and technology transfer. Written by Pera, it describes how research organisations, industry players and educational institutions worked together to create a suite of short technical courses.

By...

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study tackles the themes of curriculum development, employer engagement and new jobs. It describes how Newcastle College, working in close collaboration with local companies, designed a foundation degree (FdSc) in sub-sea engineering validated by...

A Catalyst article about juvenile diabetes, a genetic disease also known as Type 1 diabetes, which affects over 200,000 people in the UK. Scientists are still trying to unravel its causes in order to develop improved treatments. This article describes what is being done to improve people’s understanding of the...

A Catalyst article about a brilliant new light source under construction in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside - the Diamond Light Source. Diamond will be a source of synchrotron light. Many of the everyday commodities people take for granted, from chocolate to cosmetics, from revolutionary drugs to surgical...

A Catalyst article about diamonds. The element carbon exists in a number of allotropic forms, but diamonds have always held a special allure, whether it be for their hardness or for their transparency. The article examines how they can be made artificially and looks at some of their uses.

This article is...

This Catalyst article explains the code structure of DNA and looks into how it is copied across generations.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students...

A Catalyst article about people who believe that their health is affected by mobile phone radiation. The World Health Organisation has labelled this condition Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance with attribution to Electromagnetic Fields (IEI-EMF). Idiopathic describes a disease with no known cause. The article...

A Catalyst article about mobile phones. This article looks at the science behind this popular piece of technology, such as the use of radio waves, aerials and cells. The article also explains how mobile phones are able to use short aerials.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16,...

A PISA in Focus study published in 2012 from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), looks at whether students perform better in science if they are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, such as field trips and science projects. Most countries (22 of 31 OECD countries)...

Published in 2016.  Mathematics anxiety (MA) is the state of discomfort around the performance of mathematical tasks. Does MA cause poor performance in mathematics, or is it poor performance in mathematics that causes MA? The question is important, because it affects the “treatment” that results. Should the focus...

A Catalyst article about Dorothy Hodgkin who was a pioneering scientist, a peace activist, a mother of three and a Nobel Prize winner. The article looks at her life and work in science. She did valuable work as an X-ray crystallographer and in finding the structure of biologically important molecules such as...

This Catalyst article looks at how people lived in the past, archaeologists look at the items (artefacts) these cultures left behind. Using chemical analysis of residues in the artefacts an enormous amount of additional information can be gleaned. This article investigates early dairy farming. Analysis of tiny...