Teacher-Scientist Partnership Networks
Some Essential Notes

Eric Albone, Clifton Scientific Trust

These brief notes, based on first hand experience, necessarily leave many questions unanswered. Further information is given in Eric Albone "Catalysts for Change", Science and Public Affairs, August 1999, in Evidence accompanying the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Report (February 2000), "Science and Society".

1. Teacher Scientist Partnerships make it possible for the Pupil

• to experience science in a real life context, giving genuine meaning to the curriculum, presenting scientists as people, and science as an activity in which people work together in teams to address problems/issues to which answers are not known
• to share in the challenge of genuine exploration as a part of their school experience

(enhancing motivation and achievement, addressing issues of inclusion, enhancing keyskills, linking with the Scientific Enquiry component of the new National Curriculum for Science, with considerable cross curricular linkage.

2. Teacher Scientist Partnerships depend on and support the professionalism of the Teacher

• by providing a context for teachers to develop and share best practice in their classrooms
• by providing the excitement, stimulus and support of an outside scientist friend/collaborator

(enhancing teacher professionalism, not by adding to teacher burdens, but by enabling teachers to meet their existing objectives more effectively)

3. Teacher Scientist Partnerships support the Scientific Community

• by providing individual scientists the opportunity to develop their communication and other interpersonal skills while enhancing their understanding of the educational and other needs of their local communities, and in the process enhancing their employers' corporate image
• by making a real contribution to the public understanding of science through their local schools

(it is the quality of the partnership, rather than the time content, which is crucial; each partnership negotiates its own strategy, but this need not necessarily involve a heavy time commitment on the part of the scientist)

4. Contexts

• continuing term partnerships; one-off events have very little lasting value
• in depth partnerships between a scientist, representing his/her institution and a teacher, representing the school; outcomes are then widely shared through the network
• science seen in very broad perspective; science and its applications in engineering, medicine, business, ethical debate, etc
• teachers in all schools, from infant to post-16, including special needs
• local networks, nationally and internationally networked

5. Organisation: The accumulated experience of the key facilitator (such Clifton Scientific Trust provides) is absolutely pivotal

• in developing partnership with key local organisations (eg LEA, universities, companies, research institutes, chambers of commerce, education-business partnerships, professional bodies, community groups, etc), and working with any existing schemes with related objectives
• in recruiting volunteer teacher partners, volunteer scientist partners, and setting up partnering meetings. Partnering meetings define the mode of activity of the particular partnership, taking into account the interests, needs, and circumstances of the situation. Each partnership is an experiment in what works in that particular situation. The facilitator provides advice on the basis of accumulated experience, but the decisions are those of the teacher and the scientist.
• in encouraging and supporting the partnership, monitoring progress outcomes, networking and publishing outcomes locally and nationally, in flagging up achievement, in measuring outcomes (linkage with Education Departments), using ICT to the full
• in organising Network Events (Inset for teachers and scientists, Summer schools and Miniconferences for pupils)

Clifton Scientific Trust is registered charity 1020913

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