Easy-to-use kits to get science debates going in your classroom. Help students learn how to structure a debate, back up their opinions with facts and consider other points of view.
*Fanfare*
We have now got the go ahead from those lovely people at the Wellcome Trust to bring I’m a Scientist debate kits to the nation! Some of you will remember the IVF debate kits we produced as part of the teaching resources for I’m a Scientist. Well teachers really loved them. They said things like:-
“They were still arguing about the IVF debate when they left the room…They hadn’t done anything like that before but were all on task.”
“I thought the IVF cards were brilliant for debating…I would really like to see some other cards like this on different topics.”
As you know, teachers’ wishes are my command*. So, with the help of the Wellcome Trust, we are going to produce three I’m a Scientist debate kits, on different topics, and send them out to any teachers who want them. Based on our findings in the pilot, this will help to develop students’ ability to discuss science issues, and science teachers’ skills and confidence at running those debates.
The first kit will be ready to send out in two weeks time, on the 22nd June. The next kit will be in the Autumn term and the final one in Spring term. You’ll be able to order a kit from this website in a few days time. In the meantime, if you want to sign up for more information (over there ←), we’ll email you when the kits are ready.
And now for the bad news
This new project means that we’ve had to take the incredibly difficult decision to not run the I’m a Scientist event we were planning this June. I’m really, really sorry to have disappointed the students, teachers and scientists who wanted to take part.
With limited resources we just can’t manage both at the same time and do both to the standards we expect of ourselves. We’ve decided that, thanks to the kind funding from the Wellcome Trust, the nationwide roll out of the debate kits will engage far more young people and have a bigger overall impact, than the small scale I’m a Scientist we were planning, and so that has to be the priority.
But I’m a Scientist is still very much alive, we’re just re-scheduling! We will, to make up for it, run an extra I’m a Scientist event this year – probably in the Autumn. The questions is, when is going to work best for teachers? If you’re a teacher, please let us know what you want by taking our poll below.
[poll closed]
*I really hope none of my old teachers are reading this.
