Reaching the under-served and growing population of home-educated students
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Our main aim is to reach the under-served community of the Home Educated students and families, and increase
their science literacy to facilitate their full participation to the science debate and decision making process of future technologies.
In particular we aim at:
1. Increasing the number of home educated students taking physics and maths at GCSE
2. Conveying to them and their families the excitement of STFC cutting edge science
3. Adding specialised physics knowledge to their curriculum, related to STFC science
4. Enhancing their experimental skills when working in a real laboratory environment
5. Showcasing new possibilities and varieties of careers
6. Increasing awareness of what scientists do, their motivations and work ethic
7. Providing a platform where home educated children can meet and share
8. Creating links with the home educated students and their families beyond the workshop days
By engaging with home-educated-students families, our educational impact will be on the whole home educated family and not only on the students, as it will encourage science discussions to enter the family life. This will improve science literacy of family members that might not otherwise have chosen to engage with science.
their science literacy to facilitate their full participation to the science debate and decision making process of future technologies.
In particular we aim at:
1. Increasing the number of home educated students taking physics and maths at GCSE
2. Conveying to them and their families the excitement of STFC cutting edge science
3. Adding specialised physics knowledge to their curriculum, related to STFC science
4. Enhancing their experimental skills when working in a real laboratory environment
5. Showcasing new possibilities and varieties of careers
6. Increasing awareness of what scientists do, their motivations and work ethic
7. Providing a platform where home educated children can meet and share
8. Creating links with the home educated students and their families beyond the workshop days
By engaging with home-educated-students families, our educational impact will be on the whole home educated family and not only on the students, as it will encourage science discussions to enter the family life. This will improve science literacy of family members that might not otherwise have chosen to engage with science.
Planned Impact
We have strong links with many University outreach officers via The Ogden Trust. We participate in the annual meeting for Ogden Outreach Officers and we have previously trained many Ogden Outreach Officers in delivering our own workshops.
We will inform the Odgen Trust officers about our events/workshops and any successful outcomes of this project.
We have strong links with the Institute of Physics. We are members of their Outreach and Public Engagement Network (OPEN) and participate in their meetings, often presenting our work and relevant workshops.
We have strong links with the STEM ambassadors programme and have run training workshops for members of the STEM ambassadors community.
We plan to present this new initiative at IoP, Odgen Trust, STEM meetings so that other institutions and Universities can think of getting involved with the home educated community.
We aim to publish our resources online, thus allowing others to download and use them easily (e.g.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/outreach/primary-schools/particle-physics-workshop.aspx)
We will put an article/advert into one of the magazines/websites that home educated families use to get information.
We will benefit from the existing networks to spread the news of the project on social media.
We have recently started a mailing-list for Home Educated families which was joined by 44 families on its first day and has currently 75 families, growing at a constant rate of a few families per week. This list will allow us to have direct links with the more local families, spreading the word for further family engagement with the University.
We publish papers in educational journals, such as Physics Education, and we present our work in conferences, on the sessions for outreach (e.g. EPS-HEP 2017). We plan to publish at least 3 papers in educational journals, in collaboration with our network coordinators, summarising the impact of the project. We aim to present this project at the Education sessions of main particle/astro/nuclear Conferences before the end of the three years.
We will inform the Odgen Trust officers about our events/workshops and any successful outcomes of this project.
We have strong links with the Institute of Physics. We are members of their Outreach and Public Engagement Network (OPEN) and participate in their meetings, often presenting our work and relevant workshops.
We have strong links with the STEM ambassadors programme and have run training workshops for members of the STEM ambassadors community.
We plan to present this new initiative at IoP, Odgen Trust, STEM meetings so that other institutions and Universities can think of getting involved with the home educated community.
We aim to publish our resources online, thus allowing others to download and use them easily (e.g.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/outreach/primary-schools/particle-physics-workshop.aspx)
We will put an article/advert into one of the magazines/websites that home educated families use to get information.
We will benefit from the existing networks to spread the news of the project on social media.
We have recently started a mailing-list for Home Educated families which was joined by 44 families on its first day and has currently 75 families, growing at a constant rate of a few families per week. This list will allow us to have direct links with the more local families, spreading the word for further family engagement with the University.
We publish papers in educational journals, such as Physics Education, and we present our work in conferences, on the sessions for outreach (e.g. EPS-HEP 2017). We plan to publish at least 3 papers in educational journals, in collaboration with our network coordinators, summarising the impact of the project. We aim to present this project at the Education sessions of main particle/astro/nuclear Conferences before the end of the three years.
Description | Collaboration with Birmingham School |
Organisation | University Of Birmingham School |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are organising together a public engagement event for children, and a summer school |
Collaborator Contribution | we both contribute to the event programme |
Impact | we are organising events to be held in 2023 |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | SmallPeiceTrust |
Organisation | SmallPeice Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Started collaboration to deliver engagement online to primary and secondary school children on physics |
Collaborator Contribution | smallpeice trust has a huge experience in delivering events online. their role is advisory and later on they may also adopt some of our resources for their own events |
Impact | we are preparing a particle workshop for primary and secondary school children to be delivered online |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | SmallPeiceTrust |
Organisation | SmallPeice Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are designing online engagement activities together |
Collaborator Contribution | We are designing online engagement activities together |
Impact | We are designing online engagement activities together, in physics and in particular particle physics, at primary and secondary school level |
Start Year | 2020 |
Title | application to deliver nuclear and particle masterclasses via a RaspeberryPi |
Description | The software is a package to be installed on raspberryPi. Home-educated children will use it to do a nuclear and particle project at home. The particle project cosists in searching for a particle particle in the LHC data set. |
Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Impact | The software will be used in events to engage with home educated children |
Description | Astro workshop for home educated children |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Astro (exoplanets) workshop for home educated children and parents. Activities split in 2 groups: primary and secondary school age children. very good feedback. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Nuclear workshop for home educated children |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Nuclear physics workshop for home educated children and parents. Activities split in 2 groups: primary and secondary school age children. very good feedback. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Particle events for primary and secondary school - home educated - children |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Particle workshop for home educated children and parents. Activities split in 2 groups: primary and secondary school age children. very good feedback. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |