Teaching support continues as RSC unveils schedule for week-long free conference
As the current academic year draws to a close, the Royal Society of Chemistry has unveiled its programme for a week-long free conference for teachers to help inspire them in readiness for a return to the classroom.
The conference will bring to a conclusion a programme of free webinars held by us to support teachers during one of the most unusual periods in recent memory, where lockdown prematurely ended classroom lessons and changed the way teachers had to think about delivering education.
Friday 19 June will mark the 100th free webinar held by us during this period, which have so far welcomed 1,287 attendees for the 92 sessions across trainee, primary and secondary teachers.
All of which leads the way perfectly into a conference week packed full with some of the biggest names in chemistry.
Remember, all of our free webinars, professional development courses and remote teaching support and advice can be accessed by registering, or by visiting the RSC Education website.
I was so impressed with every aspect of the RSC's online content for teaching, particularly over this recent period. Each course is thorough, well presented and easily navigated and with lots of ideas and take-aways. It was very clear to me that the people who made these resources have a really good insight and experiences into the challenges of being a chemistry teacher, as well as knowing exactly what a non-specialist teacher would benefit from when doing chemistry CPD.
Conference week: Supporting chemistry education – beyond lockdown
Running all next week (22-26 June), our digital Conference Week brings together a host of high profile guest speakers to discuss and share best practice for supporting chemistry education now and after lockdown.
Running from 10am-5pm every day, some of the brightest minds working in the chemical sciences today will be on hand to inspire you for the year ahead.
With an opening speech from Professor Tom Welton, President-elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Imperial College London, and words from Professor Dame Carol Robinson, RSC President and Chair of Dr Lee’s Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, the event is one simply not to be missed.
The week-long programme will cover several aspects of chemistry education, including career progression and how using CPD can help you escape the education ‘hamster wheel’. Caro Garrett from the University of Southampton’s session How to teach the mole will also provide tips on how to reach different types of pupils.
A discussion forum, Key Misconceptions, on tackling myths around chemistry will be one of the livelier sessions, while chemistry teacher Adam Boxer and Andy Chandler-Grevatt will share their experiences as former RSC Scholars in the What I Wish I’d Known sessions.
CLEAPSS’ Matt Endean will be on hand to provide invaluable advice for returning to the classroom as well as negotiating the curriculum with two sessions across the week, on the 22nd and 23rd, with both sessions likely to be very popular.
And as we begin to plan for the end of lockdown, past-president of the RSC, Professor Sir John Holman, who is currently President of the Association for Science Education and Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of York, will urge us to seize the day.
The whole conference is provided free of charge – view the programme and register to attend here.
Online webinars
Eight webinars are available this week, with Friday’s staffroom session a celebration of our 100th webinar since lockdown commenced.
Our timetable is the best place to start if you’re looking for inspiration – you’ll find a summary of what’s to come, as well as details of upcoming Q&As and sharing sessions.
Once registered, logging in is easy, and all drop-in sessions are hosted on Zoom, so there is no need to download unnecessary additional software. While this is the last week of the regular webinar series, they will return in the new academic year.
All teachers are welcome, as Elizabeth Cranfield can testify. Living and teaching in Sydney, Australia for the past 12 years, she has been setting an alarm for some of RSC’s online sessions – and she says the resources have proved invaluable.
“Whenever I am seeking online activities or inspiration to make learning chemistry more accessible and engaging, I always search within Education in Chemistry or add RSC to my searches. The website is invaluable as a trusted source of a copious variety of resources which can be directly incorporated into learning activities or to inform pedagogy. During the period of online learning, I have made use of various videos and interactive resources that I found on the Education in Chemistry site, or learned about during the Zoom sessions.
The RSC resources have been extremely valuable and the support provided during the lockdown period and learning from home has been brilliant. The bank of articles with hyperlinks is user-friendly and can be trusted to provide a quick read and abundance of ideas for bringing into the classroom, be that at home or onsite. And all for the cost of a few minutes of my time to register!”
Another teacher who has found the webinars helpful is UK-based RSC Scholar, Charlotte Edwards, who has so far enjoyed 24 of our webinars since lockdown began.
She said: “I am so glad that I have been attending these webinars. They are incredibly useful, not just for subject knowledge but for pedagogy and networking with other chemistry teachers and professionals. My Twitter friends have grown exponentially in this time! And I’m getting to know the RSC Education website better, there is so much on there.
“They have been invaluable for me bridging the gap between being in placement and finishing my PGCE. It was pretty traumatic being pulled out of placement knowing how much real life experience I would miss in the classroom. Speaking to the other professionals on the webinars has really helped me have an insight into how schools are operating, and the challenges and opportunities.
“I would like to say a big thank-you to all the Education Coordinators who have put these together and worked so professionally in such a new way they have done a fantastic job.
“I am looking forward to staying in touch with the RSC in my NQT year, I will definitely be using the resources and collaborating where I can.”
Free Professional Development
All nine of our online professional development courses are free until the end of August, six of which normally require payment – so there is no better time to log on and access this invaluable training material.
These can be found on the online courses page along with a range of materials and resources to support classroom activities.
All nine courses are designed to be useful for specialist and non-specialist teachers and for all levels of experience.
Six of the sessions cover technical aspects, including redox, energy and change, and analytical chemistry, while three sessions focus on developing underpinning skills: mathematics, developing and using models, and effective pedagogy.
And they are certainly proving useful to teachers – more than 2,000 teachers who have registered since March 15, who collectively has subscribed to more than 5,000 courses.
Many more online sessions are coming up in the future too. Keep checking the professional development courses on the events page, here to ensure you don’t miss out.
These sessions have been really helpful for recently qualified teachers like me because it gives us more strategies on how to deliver a lesson and they help me be more confident in the classroom because I am improving my subject knowledge. It is always comforting to see other teachers who teach the same subject and exchange a few ideas. The resources provided by session coordinators like 'build an atom', 'build a molecule' simulations, practical demos and balancing equations are very useful tools for teachers to deliver chemistry lessons in a classroom.
Don’t forget to register for your free Education in Chemistry magazine
Normally delivered directly to schools or colleges, Education in Chemistry shares the latest news and views in the field. With schools and colleges closed during lockdown, all Teach Chemistry members can receive a free copy straight to their door.
Last month, we delivered 1,382 copies of Education in Chemistry to homes across the UK and Ireland.
The July issue is coming soon, but registrations must be submitted by June 17. Register now and don’t miss out.
Career inspiration resources
Our Chemistry Making the Difference careers campaign is helping inspire young people to pursue a career in chemistry by showcasing the varied options open to them.
Hosted on our Future in Chemistry website, we have collated a number of case studies across a range of career paths, from options that can help change lives to fixing the future, challenging opinions and innovating industry – it has been designed with young people’s ambitions in mind.
This month’s focus is on changing lives, with our analytical chemist Tilly and research assistant Lewis showing how their work is directly helping improve people’s lives, tackling conditions such as cancer, asthma and infectious diseases.
Visit the website to find the case studies and more information on how young people can make the difference.
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