I'm a Scientist Network

The teachers have spoken. They voted for legalisation of cannabis to be the topic of the next debate kit, and so, obedient as ever, that’s what we did. Our grant doesn’t cover printing and distributing this kit, so it’s online only. Just click the link below and print it out. Download Cannabis Debate Kit (normal size) (pdf) Download Cannabis Debate Kit (large print) (pdf) The debate kit is a simple-to-use role play on the topic ‘Should the UK legalise cannabis?’. Your students play characters with different points of view and have a structured debate. It helps to cover the following curriculum points:- AQA To evaluate claims made about the effect of cannabis on health and the link between cannabis and addiction to hard drugs. Some people use drugs recreationally. Some of these recreational drugs are more harmful than others. Some of these drugs are legal, some illegal. CCEA the effects … Continue reading →

People have made some brilliant suggestions of topics for the last debate kit. Thanks! Please vote for your preferred topic below:- [poll closed] BTW, There are some suggestions I’ve not included, for one of three reasons:- 1. It’s not a biomedical topic (e.g. renewable energy) – the Wellcome Trust fund us to promote debate and discussion about biomedicine. But we’d be happy to produce kits on other topics if someone else would fund it! 2. It’s a topic we’ve already done. Previous kits are on IVF funding, Stem Cells and ‘Are we too clean?’. You can download earlier kits here. 3. I couldn’t see a way to make a debate kit on the topic. e.g. Nature vs Nurture just seems far too big a question. It’s a fascinating one though and I’d love to produce resources of some kind on this. In fact I’ll probably be distracted for the rest … Continue reading →

Do you have topics you really want to get a classroom discussion going on? Do you find you haven’t got time to research and prepare resources yourself? Well your wish is our command! Our last debate kit is coming up, please let us know what you’d like it to be about. Here’s a list of topics teachers have suggested before to start you off. We’ll gather suggestions for a week, and then you can all vote for which topic you want. Please bear in mind that as the kits are funded by the Wellcome Trust, who are a biomedical research charity, the topics must have some relevance to biomedicine. Sad to say, the next debate kit will be our last, as we are coming to the end of our Wellcome Grant. This last kit will be online only, as planned. Some suggested topics Animal/human hybrids Animal organ transplants Designer babies … Continue reading →

Well, of course, I’m going to say YES to that question. What’s This? Here is the evaluation report on the first half of the debate kits project, comprising the first two kits (from Summer and Autumn 2009). Obviously I was supposed to publish this MONTHS ago, but it’s fallen by the wayside, until now. Why now? We have just brought out the third IAS debate kit, on Stem Cells. We posted out 1,500 stem cells debate kits earlier this week.  I got an email from a teacher this morning saying ‘Just got the Stem cell pack…fantastic!’ so I’m hopeful they’ll be as popular as previous kits:-) What are the debate kits? The debate kits are designed to get students in their science lessons debating and discussing science issues, seeing things from different points of view and learning to back up their opinions with evidence. Each kit is developed in consultation … Continue reading →