This report draws upon evidence from design and technology (design and technology) subject survey visits by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) to primary and secondary schools between September 2007 and July 2010. The inspections evaluated how well the subject was meeting its National Curriculum aims and promoting high...

This set of resources support the physical game Megawatt - Discover Energy. This straightforward card game introduces pupils to the different ways electricity can be generated, the power each method generates and its environmental impact. It is suitable for pupils aged 11 plus, but an educator would have to help...

This is a standard standing waves investigation, where you hang masses off an elasticated piece of wire/string to see how this impacts the vibrations.  It is good to provide this in the everyday context of a guitar or violin string and you can look at altering the length of the wire or the masses hung on it.

These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop the idea that mixtures do not have precise melting and boiling points. Using properties that depend on the material only to...

These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop the idea of a substance as a kind of ‘stuff’ which has a definite melting point....

In this Catalyst article scientists investigate the basis of memory using lab animals; this can lead to insights into human memory, and treatments for people suffering deteriorating memory.

The article focuses on two aspects of memory:

*the hippocampus, the part of the brain belonging to the limbic...

The first video explores the purpose of both RAM and ROM in a typical computer system.  The differences between the two memory types are outlined.

The second video considers what happens when a modern multi-tasking operating system runs out of physical RAM.  Does it output a “memory full” message and refuse...

This Catalyst article looks at the topic of human memory. While it is clear that memory is essential in so many ways, there are many myths about how memory works.

This article explores some of these fairytales and explains what modern psychological science has discovered about how memory really works and why...

This task assesses how well students understand calculating conditional probability. Some of the tasks require either systematic listing or use of  tree diagrams.

The task features a ‘memory game’. In the game there are four cards, two have a picture of an apple on them, and two have a picture of bananas. In...

This resource contains exercises requiring students to answer questions relating to the dimensions of the square, the circle, sectors of circles, the cube, the cylinder and the sphere. The resource begins with teacher notes to provide some additional background information.

Squares: Students...

Designed to improve confidence in mathematics, these resources from the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching, focus on mensuration and were developed particularly for primary teachers and those non-specialists who teach mathematics in the lower secondary years. Each section offers an overview of a...

'Mental arithmetic' provides rich and varied...

Students are presented with two calculation ‘tricks’ involving squaring two digit numbers. They then use algebra to explore the reasons why the method works.

The short presentation can be used to show examples to illustrate each of the methods.

The teachers...