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Should children be required to have all their vaccinations before they can go to school? This debate kit provides all you need to get your students discussing the issues behind the important topic of vaccinations. The kit follows our tried and tested format, based on character cards and lesson notes. It includes 8 debate cards outlining the opinions of different fictional characters with an interest in vaccinations, and teacher notes to help you carry out the lesson effectively. The activity is design to last for 50 minutes and takes very little preparation. The debate helps students think through the issues and reconsider their opinions, while the structure shows them hoe to build a discussion and back up their opinions with facts. There are already plenty of resources looking at whether vaccinations are safe and a good idea — with the science coming down heavily on the side of vaccinations being safe. This … Continue reading →

So far we have produced 9 debate kits (listed below) and there is an 10th in production for release next March. So what should the 11th and 12th kit be on? We want to know what subject areas you would find most useful. Please take 2 minutes to fill in the survey below. What other ideas do you have? This survey is now closed. Thank you. Previous Kits: IVF – Should IVF be available on the NHS? Stem Cells – Should the UK government fund embryonic stem cell research? Are we too clean? – Should we ban advertising of antimicrobial cleaners? Cannabis – Should the UK legalise cannabis? Drugs in Sport – Should ALL drugs be banned in sport? Food Security – Should our school only buy food produced in the UK? Electricity Distribution – Should we build pylons in Kinewell Valley? Big Data – Should we sequence the genomes … Continue reading →

Should the Health Services tell GPs to give back-up prescriptions* instead of immediate antibiotics wherever possible? This simple debate kit provides all you need to get your students discussing the issues behind the extremely important topic of Antibiotic resistance. Eight character cards explore a world without antibiotics, the economics of drug research, the effect of antibiotics in farming and patient choice amongst others. The kit follows our tried and tested format, based on character cards and lesson notes. It includes 8 debate cards outlining the opinions of different fictional characters with an interest in antibiotic resistance, and teacher notes to help you carry out the lesson effectively. The activity is design to last for 50 minutes and takes very little preparation. The debate kits are free to UK and Republic of Ireland (thanks to Science Foundation Ireland) based teachers. Sign up to receive an Antibiotic Resistance Debate Kit! This debate is being … Continue reading →

Our next debate kit is on Big Data and the sequencing of one million human genomes to have longer and healthier lives. You can find more about our new debate kit and sign up to receive one here.

After launching our Food Security Debate Kit, we emailed all the 791 teachers who requested it, we followed up with reminder emails, letters and phone calls. This way we collected feedback from online surveys, mailing campaigns and phone conversations, we analysed it and wrote it all up in a report. We have estimated that at least 35% of teachers had used the Food Security Debate Kit within five months from receiving it. Each kit was used with more than 3 classes on average, which means that over 800 classes have been discussing about Food Security using our debate kit. We were happy to find out that 60% of the teachers who haven’t yet used the kit said that they use it in the future, when it fits better with the curriculum. Apart from the kits that were directly requested from teachers, 510 were sent to STEM Contract Holders, Global Food … Continue reading →

“Should we build pylons in the Kinewell Valley?” It sounds like the start of the argument best left to Retired Majors, but hidden within a seemingly simple question lies a rich vein of debate about how we produce and consume electricity in 21st century UK. As with all science, facts and theories are only part of the story. Social issues and politics affect the way science and engineering is done. This Electricity Distribution debate pack examines issues including: Environmental Economics Smart grids Climate Change Sustainability This simple debate resource allows your students to find out what influences they way our country receives its power. The activity is designed to last for 50 minutes and takes minimal preparation. You’ll find resources and links on our electricity distribution page. Sign up for the Electricity Distribution pack here or if you have already signed up for a previous kit then please check your … Continue reading →