AQA Revision Notes – Following DfE/OfQual guidance, the AQA exam board has told schools taking its papers that the following aspects of their GCSE Combined Science Synergy Science qualification will not be examined this summer:
- Development of the Earth’s Atmosphere
- The Carbon Cycle
- The Greenhouse Effect
- Human Impacts on Climate
- Climate Change: impacts and mitigation
- Pollutants that affect air quality
- The Water Cycle
- Levels of organisation in an ecosystem
- Negative human impacts of ecosystems
- Energy Resources
- Life Cycle Assessments
- Recycling
.
Just Business as Usual – If you click on the following, you’ll see how AQA’s GCSE Combined Science Trilogy and the GCSE Biology Separate Science exams are also affected. All exam boards will be doing this. Given that question papers were set last year, it’s not that these topics have been cut from the 2022 exams; rather, it’s that there was never any intention to examine these topics in the first place. This is not unusual.
Curriculum Hwb – As a result of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 changes have been made to the Curriculum for Wales guidance. The details are here. Four purposes provide the starting point and set out the aspiration for a school to support its learners to become:
- ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
- enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
- ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
- healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society
.
Skills and Looms – The National Education Union [NEU] has responded to the DfE’s draft strategy on climate education. It includes the following criticism:
“This consigns climate to specific subjects, rather than weaving it through all subjects in the curriculum, which is our recommended approach. The current recommendation is better than having climate as an optional subject (which many students wouldn’t take), and incorporating it in science, a core subject, means all students will receive some climate education. The overall problem, however, is that climate breakdown is framed as an issue that can be siloed and/or added to an otherwise unchanged curriculum. This runs in parallel with the approach to skills – which is all about generating a green sector of the economy – seen as something distinct and separate from the rest of it – rather than having to rethink and retool the whole of society. The same applies to training. It should not be an add-on for those interested, rather it should be integrated into the core of everything we do. …” The response is not yet on line. You can see more of what NEU says in a comment on it by our Chair.
.
GreenComp – We are all invited to a panel discussion organised by the European Science Education Research Association via Zoom on 24th March (1500 to 1600 GMT). Its focus is GreenComp and Education for Sustainability, and the panelists will include Guia Bianchi, Marcelino Cabrera Giraldez, and Erica Bol. ESERA President, Sibel Erduran will chair the event. This brings together contributors to the new initiative in the European Commission to foster environmental sustainability. The Commission has developed GreenComp as the European sustainability reference framework for lifelong learning including sustainability values, complexity in sustainability, envisioning sustainable futures and acting for sustainability. Click here for more details and to register.
.
What do Students Want from Education? – UNEP is hosting a webinar on March 2nd (1530 to 1630 GMT) with the theme: We are what we teach: 5 ways education can be rewired for nature. This will present innovative ideas around formal and non-formal education for nature and will “bring together universities, sport, the gaming industry and youth”, and offer a unique discussion among education and environment ministers to build out a broader plan around education for nature. Registration and details here.
.
The Meaning of Nature – Geographical has a feature article on what “nature” means to us, depending on who we are. In this, Faizal Farook investigates the relationship between Britain’s diverse ethnic-minority communities and the country’s natural spaces. “Nature means something different to every one of us and for people from ethnic minorities, a huge variety of traditions, cultures and histories feed into that relationship. Philosophies that ‘centre’ humans within nature, or that see the two as separate, also have traditions that inculcate a deep respect for the natural world.”
.
Ratty Maps – Researchers from the University of Glasgow, together with partners from Glasgow City Council, NatureScot and Seven Lochs Wetland Park, have developed an interactive web tool to map suitable habitats for water voles. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. More detail here.
.
Alpha, Beta, Gamma – Do you worry about being exposed to radiation? If so, do you also have concerns about eating carrots, brazil nuts, lima beans and bananas? Bill Lee (Bangor University), and Gerry Thomas (Imperial College) write in the Conversation providing reassurance about the radioactivity in the foods we eat, and ThoughtCo provides some facts and figures on how radioactive different foods are.
.
Birds of the World – Global Birdfair has a new website and its work can also be followed on Facebook @GlobalBirdfair Twitter @GlobalBirdfair and Instagram global_birdfair. The next UK event is on 15th to 17th July in Oakham. Detils here.
.
Aurorasaurus – If you are lucky enough to see it, you can report sightings of the northern lights through a project called Aurorasaurus which tracks the phenomenon around the world producing a global map. More detail here.
.
Circular Plastics – The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have launched a joint campaign calling for a legally binding UN treaty on plastic pollution. When governments meet at the UN Environment Assembly at the end of February in Nairobi, there will be an opportunity to start negotiating a treaty that provides a solution to plastic pollution
.
Plastic Impact & Action – This course explores the ways we interact with plastics, and uses plastics to investigate the complex dynamic systems shaping our planet and our lives. It will apply critical thinking and systems thinking to learn about everything from the plastic lifecycle, to plastic’s social and environmental impacts, to NGO efforts and government plastic policies. Cornel University says that this is a unique opportunity to be part of an online learning community taking action against plastic pollution. It starts on March 14th and runs into April. Details here.
.
Wetland Curriculum Role – WWT’s London Wetland Centre in Barnes is looking for someone to join its learning team to work on its schools programme. This includes delivering curriculum linked sessions as well as the innovative new Generation Wild programme. Details here.