Summer science school

Teachers and the Minister for Science went back to the laboratory today to brush up on their experimental skills in preparation for the new term.

Satrosphere, Aberdeen’s Science Centre, played host to the primary school staff to demonstrate practical experiments to take back to their classes to help boost pupils understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages, said:

“This is a brilliant way for Satrosphere staff to share their expertise in bringing science to life with these teachers to take back to their pupils.

“It is really important that we show children how exciting the STEM subjects are from a really young age. That gives us the foundation to build on and highlight what a wide and diverse area it covers, with fascinating opportunities to learn about the world around us. This is a very exciting programme and I am really keen to hear how the teachers think they will use what they’ve learned here today to inspire their pupils.

"STEM is one of the key areas where we are doing a lot of work to improve the historical gender imbalance, and teachers are vital to us making a difference. If they can encourage all of their class to question, explore and aspire to a better understanding of how the universe and everything in it works, those pupils aren’t going to grow up thinking it isn’t for them because of they are a boy or a girl. This is a wonderful, practical way to build staff confidence in STEM areas using resources easily available to teachers.”

Liz Hodge, Chief Executive Officer of Satrosphere said:

“We are delighted to be hosting, co-ordinating and delivering a number of the activities of the Summer School for City and Shire Primary School teachers. All staff at Satrosphere are passionate about communicating the relevance and impact STEM has on our daily lives and we always welcome the opportunity to work with teachers to find innovative ways to inspire young people and encourage them to continue to study STEM subjects later in their education.

“The programme for the summer school includes interactive session on bridge building, flight, renewable energy and geology all highlighting the real life applications. Our approach as informal educators can assist teachers in the delivery of the capacities and principles of Curriculum for Excellence as well as the experiences and outcomes.”