Collaborative approach key to professional development

Dundee Science Centre exists to support engaging, inspiring, relevant, enjoyable, lifelong science learning: the same ethos and many of the same values we are now delighted to share with Curriculum for Excellence. 

The concept of ‘engagement’ is infused throughout what we do: we seek to bring people together.  We bring together school pupils with research scientists, families with astronauts, teachers with industry professionals, and art with science. 

One of my favourite ‘engagements’ in the science centre was between a P5 boy and a science author, when the boy, having enjoyed one of her books,  enthusiastically asked the author where he could get copies of her other works.  The boy, his teacher told us, was previously a ‘non-reader’.  However through a structured science and literacy project, science had provided a way into a book, and a pathway to seeking to read even more. 

Powerful ‘engagements’ like this, though, come from collaborative engagement.  The science and literacy project had been the outcome of working with a local libraries service and a literary festival.  We each brought our strengths to the project, and our own enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment in working together created similar experiences for the pupils.  HMIE highlighted our work for its ‘trans-professional leadership’ values.  We had just enjoyed the process.  I like working together with people who want to work together.  ‘Engagement’ is great for learners, but as reflective practitioners ourselves, we can learn a great amount, and achieve most, by engaging with other professions and organisations who share our values.

There is so much will to support Curriculum for Excellence, from higher education, further education, research scientists, museums, and many others.  However, we need to get together and engage our enthusiasm, resources, and expertise.  To do so in our region, Dundee Science Centre is about to launch DSC Science Learning Institute: a collaborative approach to professional development for teachers, research scientists and others.  Working together with the University of Dundee and Dundee College, we have created a collaborative model that supports what we each do, and also produces a rich CPD programme that helps teachers develop classroom practice, inspires research scientists to engage confidently and skilfully with the public, and shares the science centre’s ethos and interactivity with museum and community educators. 

As we encourage our pupils to become enthusiastic, excited, engaged successful learners, across the boundaries of topic and level, we need to work together to break the boundaries of our professions.  Collaboration isn’t just a buzzword, but a powerful form of engagement, and one we should be excited about, both for ourselves and for our learners. 

Hannah Crookes, Director of Science Learning and Public Engagement, Dundee Science Centre

To find out more visit:
www.sensation.og.uk/learning and www.dundeesciencefestival.org

Or contact Hannah directly at:
hannah.crookes@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk