Strengthening Teaching and Learning of Particles, Key Stage Three National Strategy - Training Materials

This is one of a suite of continuing professional development (CPD) units from the Department for Education covering the five ‘key ideas’ at Key Stage Three (cells, interdependence, particles, forces and energy). It links with the 2002 Framework for Teaching Science: Years Seven, Eight and Nine and builds on ideas within the Misconceptions in Key Stage Three Science CPD unit.

Context
This CPD unit offers background information and practical suggestions to support classroom practice when teaching about particles. It considers the importance of models and modelling and how these should be refined as different concepts are addressed. The unit considers progression issues with earlier sessions considering state changes, diffusion and Brownian motion. Later sessions develop ideas for teaching about atoms, elements, molecules and compounds and how formulae and equations are used to represent chemical reactions.

Development
This CPD unit is designed to be delivered to teachers wishing to improve their teaching of the particles ‘key idea’. It can be delivered as a single day's CPD or as four separate CPD sessions of 45 to 105 minutes. It is particularly useful for non-specialist teachers wishing to improve their subject knowledge and pedagogy. It is also useful for subject specialists to clarify their thinking about teaching ideas about particles.

Components
The materials consist of separate tutor notes, participants’ notes and a presentation with hyperlinks to audio video files. The unit is composed of four sessions.
The four sessions are entitled:
• Session 1: A systematic approach to teaching minutes particle theory
• Session 2: Using the key scientific idea of particles to explain physical events: Year 7
• Session 3: Teaching about different kinds and sizes of particles: Year 8
• Session 4: Using particle theory to improve understanding of chemical reactions: Year 9