Joining the Bristol Teacher-Scientist Partnership Network

Joining the Bristol Teacher-Scientist Partnership Network necessitates a degree of commitment to making your partnership work...

But there is no joining fee; when your application to join is accepted, we seek to facilitate your partnership, to share our experience with you, and to network outcomes with other partnerships.

Some of our scientists are involved in research, but we are equally delighted to create links with industry, engineering and medical professionals and all who apply scientific understanding in the wider world. We also welcome teachers from all types of school, from nursery to post-16 including special needs schools.

Because important as electronic communication is, some face to face contact is essential between the teacher and the scientist in each partnership, and also between different partnership pairs in the network, this network is geographically focussed in the Bristol area.

However, we are keen also to link also with others concerned with these issues nation-wide and world-wide.

SO if you are interested, read on.

Note although we are pleased to hear from anyone, joining a partnership is of course not open to pupils themselves. They are represented by their teachers.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

If you are interested in joining the network as a Bristol Scientist or a Bristol Teacher, we will ask you about any preferences in order to find you a suitable "partner". We will also send you a Welcome letter containing advice and practical points to make your partnership a success.

After giving you and your partner each other's details, we can help you set up your first meeting. If possible, one of us would like to attend this meeting, although this is not essential. This is usually when you will discuss what both of you want to get out of your partnership and what sort of format you want it to have.

Each partnership is unique, which is why the two partners decide together what format best suits their individual requirements. The Network is there for support, but not to impose how partnerships should be run.

Depending on individual circumstances within the partnership, the scientist may work with one class or several, or support the teacher in some other way. He/she may be involved in a particular project, or in a range of activities. The teacher may want to get the scientist involved in the teaching he/she has to deliver. However, this is also an opportunity for the pupils to approach new subjects and new ways of learning. The partners will also decide on the frequency of interactions. Whatever is decided must fit with the partners' particular circumstances; high quality partnerships can operate on relatively small commitments of time, provided you are both committed to the concept. Two or three well planned activities per year can make a significant impact for the pupils. Of course the partners may want to meet much more often!

The scientist will probably need to get to know the school, how it works and what are particular issues on its agenda. He/she may want familiarise him/herself with the relevant parts of the National Curriculum. However, the scientist is not a teacher and is not expected to act as one. The teacher may want to know more about what the type of job the scientist is involved in, and the kind of equipment he/she uses. Each partner have their own expertise which, when pooled, will provide the basis for a very fruitful partnership. Each partner will bring his/her own valuable ideas. This is why each partnership usually develops very unique and original ideas and ways of working together.

The partners tend to have plenty of ideas of their own in terms of the activities which the scientist could get involved in, but we can also make suggestions if necessary.

Here are some ideas of activities which the scientist could do, and there are many more:

- come into a class to answer the pupils' questions about what it is like to be a scientist

- bring some equipment to the class

- come to talk about a particular topic, either to do with the scientist's research or to do with the topic the class is studying

- get involved in a competition, a science game, an outing, an on-going project

- hold a debate on a controversial issue

- take pupils to visit the university (or whatever the scientist's place of work may be), show them equipment (even lecture theatres)

The scientist is an additional resource for the teacher to help support his/her teaching. Apart from the activities with the pupils, the scientist can also provide advice and information over the phone.

The most successful partnerships are built on a good relaxed relationship. So we encourage the partners to try and keep in regular contact with each other even when not working on a particular activity. To maximise the potential of the network, we also would like all partners to keep in touch with us regularly, even if everything is running smoothly. Indeed, linking with other partnerships in the Network is very important and we will work really hard to do this.

Whether you are a scientist/engineer or a teacher, if you decide to join the network, we believe you will find your involvement a valuable and exciting experience. Furthermore, the pupils will benefit hugely from this personal connection with the real world of science.

* Now make contact: Dr Nathalie Caplet ncaplet@netscapeonline.co.uk, 0117-982-2052.

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