Introduction

Teaching and Learning
Since SPU was introduced in 2000 it has been very popular with the students and teachers who have been involved. It has also been recognised by many teachers and by researchers from King's College London that the different aims of this course require different teaching approaches; ones that not all science teachers will have used regularly in more conventional science courses.

Why is SPU different?
SPU aims to help students understand how science works and to provide them with the skills needed to participate as citizens in debates on topical issues. We therefore need to develop students' abilities across a wider range of concepts and skills than are employed in most traditional science classes. These include the ability to express an opinion, supported by evidence and to critically evaluate arguments used by others, including media reports. This means that as teachers we have to use a wider range of techniques to practice these less familiar skills. We need to let go some of our control to allow open-ended discussion, whilst still taking responsibility for ensuring that learning takes place.

Some of the approaches like 'Small group discussion' or 'Role play' are advice on organising a session. Once you have practiced using these techniques with the activities here you will start seeing lots more opportunities to apply them. Some like 'keeping SPU topical' or 'linking the three strands' are not so much specific classroom techniques related to individual activities as ideas to keep in mind and use when you can.

Some, like 'evaluating evidence' or 'web site evaluation' are related very specifically to student skills and have check lists for students to use. These skills will need practice throughout the course.

• ' Breaking the Mould (268 KB)' (Osborne, Duschl and Fairbrother 2002) is an evaluation of the teaching and learning of the AS course