Curriculum Programme

KS3 STEM Project

Nuffield STEM for Key Stage 3

Why cross-curricular STEM?
There are many benefits to pupils in working on authentic purposeful cross-curricular activities that extend across the STEM disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These include:
• Greater motivation to learn
• Improved ability to reinforce learning across subjects
• Engaging with coherent and purposeful STEM learning sequences
• Better ability to tackle complex problems.

Nuffield KS3 STEM activities encourage pupils to explore problems in depth through a series of Science, Maths and D&T activities. In this way they will be developing a better understanding of how these disciplines interact in the real world.

Learning Skills for STEM

The project challenges pupils to conduct their own development work. To help them carry this out successfully, pupils will be explicitly taught a set of enquiry-based skills. Such a skills-based project will help KS3 pupils to:
• Develop their personal, learning and thinking skills
• Plan and organise their own learning
• Formulate their own questions or design briefs
• Discuss and plan collaborative work
• Critique information from books, newspapers, websites and TV
• Analyse and represent data
• Develop frameworks for thinking about any topic
• Record and evaluate their learning journey
• Present and explain their designs or solutions

These skills will be taught in context, building on the knowledge, skills and understanding of the individual STEM subjects.

In this way cross-curricular learning can be designed to enhance individual STEM subjects.

Sustainable Futures
The Nuffield Foundation Curriculum Programme is using the theme of sustainability as an exemplification of the Nuffield STEM approach.

Sustainable Futures challenges pupils to consider some of the key environmental issues which may impact on their life.
Pupils compare processes in natural and man made systems. In nature there is no waste since all materials are cycled in ‘closed loops’. On the other hand manufactured products are simply dumped as waste when their useful life is over. By mimicking the closed loop systems of nature it is possible to design products and systems so that useful materials can be reclaimed.

The ‘Sustainable Futures’ unit consists of a 2-hour introductory pod (module), three 5-hour learning and skill development pods, and two 5-hour project pods. There are detailed teacher & technicians’ notes on each activity.

In order to help schools do this the Nuffield Foundation Curriculum Programme is producing a set of exemplary STEM materials set within a coherent skill based framework.
The package will contain support and guidance for schools wishing to develop their own cross-curricular projects.

National Curriculum background
The National Curriculum of 2008 requires a change in emphasis away from knowledge-based learning towards a more skill-based approach. It also calls for greater collaboration between school departments to enable better cross-curricular experiences.

FUTURES: overview

Futures: resource development
The package will consist of teacher and technicians guide, pupil sheets, powerpoint, video clips and animations. In addition it will contain a cross-curricular tool kit that will enable schools to design their own projects. The materials are being prepared for trialing in February 2010. A larger pilot will take place the summer of 2010.

Summary

Pod 1 Introduction

Pupils consider their own attitudes and interest with relation to sustainability.

They are introduced to the key issues around waste, energy and climate change. They learn about the effectiveness of recycling and the implications of waste disposal for life on our planet. Pupils compare our linear production model with natural circular (closed loop) systems where nothing is wasted.

Pod 2a Cars
Pupils consider car conventional engine design and review new green alternatives. They collect evidence for pollution in their local area and analyse the data.

They use maths to interpret graphs showing past and predicted oil consumption. They use data to assess the impact of legislation on traffic pollution.

Pupils produce and present suggestions for alternative approaches to transport. They evaluate their data and reflect on their presentation.

Pod 2b Waste
Pupils start by classify debris on a beach according to whether it is will decay and or not.

Pupils analyse product life cycles and generate their own questions about:
• natural closed loop systems in which all waste is re-used
• human-made linear systems which end with resources being wasted and thrown away – but there is no such place as ‘away’.

Pod 2c Climate change
Pupils use experiments to investigate the key com-ponents of the carbon cycle. They analyse evidence relating CO² and to climate change. Pupils compare the carbon footprint of different activities and different societies. They use closed loop thinking to consider new ways of reducing CO² in the atmosphere.

Pods 3a and 3b Pupil project
Pupils use the Learning Skills they have acquired in earlier pods to carry out a piece of project work. They identify a problem or question relating to sustainability, and use STEM knowledge and understanding to present a closed loop solution. Their project will involve research, analysing, evaluating and syn-thesising information, and communicating possible solutions creatively through a variety of media.

THE GAMES: overview
The development of Sustainable futures has been informed by The Games - a pilot project based on the London 2012 Olympics. This topic consists of 25 hours of STEM activities divided into 3 pods.
• the science of athletes’ fitness and skills in different sports, and the maths of measuring and analysing ways of improving
• a design approach to the development of improved sports equipment and analysis of the results
• forensic methods of evidence collection and analysis during the story of the theft of an athlete’s shoes.
The resources for the Games are available free on request. They will be updated and revised in Spring 2010.

To find out more ... contact the STEM Project Director Cris Edgell