teaching - Earth Science Teachers' Association

TEACHING EARTH SCIENCES ● Volume 31 ● Number 4, 2006
Farewell and Thank You
It has been a good summer, with another visit to the
Big Green Gathering – fieldtrips and camping trips
are so much more fun if it doesn’t rain, and this year,
although there were a few wet moments, there was no
flooding which meant plenty of time sitting round the
camp fire, star gazing and sampling the occasional bottle
of red amongst friends.
Then back to work. The conference in Bristol was a
good way to start the new term, getting back into the
work routine. I don’t know how we managed to drink a
pub dry – maybe they were running down stocks before
the return of the ‘real students’.
There was a range of talks and workshops, covering
all interests from primary to HE. As in previous years, I
found it difficult to choose between them and ended up
moving from room to room. Speakers, workshop and
fieldwork leaders and delegates have been invited to
submit their write-ups for publication in this and
future issues of Teaching Earth Sciences. Keep a look out
for them.
Curriculum development and discussions continue
at all levels, from the staff room to the ‘corridors of
power’ in Westminster. Over the last few years, I have
been involved in working groups looking at primary
science, KS3 Science Strategy, KS4 and now Geology A
level. Opinions vary, but the future looks bright.
Coursework, assessment and content continue to excite
and frustrate and new ideas abound.
I was interested to hear more about the International
Baccalaureate from Tony Grindrod, particularly as one
of my local schools in St Albans is introducing this next
year. Whether it turns out to be a success or not, it has
already had the effect of involving parents and getting
them discussing their children’s school work and future
education. It is also motivating staff with the excitement
of something new and different, rather than just more
administration and yet more changes to their lessons.
So, the debate continues.
GCSE work at home is banned
At the Labour conference in Manchester, the Education
Secretary, Alan Johnson, said that GCSE maths
coursework would be scrapped. Projects in other subjects
would have to be completed in school under
supervision. This is to avoid cheating; the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) said that it
has identified persistent evidence of abuse. One in 20
parents admits doing their children’s coursework,
which may account for 20-60% of the marks. So, less
work for teachers in setting and marking coursework
(unless they find themselves having to supervise
coursework in school), less work for those parents
who will no longer have coursework to do (unless
they choose to attend adult classes) – but maybe more
revision and exam nerves for those who rely on doing
their best under exam conditions?
Pink Diamonds
As a gemmologist and author of books on gemstones,
my eye is often caught by articles on gemstones and
particularly the unusual, the biggest or the best. I was
interested to read that the largest collection of pink diamonds
in the world went on sale in London on 28 September.
65 gems were shown to potential buyers at a
secret location in Mayfair. The pink diamonds are selling
for more than £200,000 per carat (carat = 0.2g). The
diamond collection is from the Argyle Mine in Western
Australia. I also mention gemstones as a reminder about
careers, so that when you hear an occasional student,
friend or colleague mistakenly associating geology or
mining with ‘boring grey rocks’ or ‘only oil rigs and
things’ remind them that mineralogy and gemmology
are also worthwhile and often well-paid careers and
they could be handling some of the most attractive and
valuable rocks on Earth!
Graduate Skills and Recruitment Report
It seems that the wide range of Earth science careers
are seldom, if ever, mentioned at schools as worthwhile
or well-paid careers. This lack of awareness is
often duplicated in HE/FE. The Earth Science Education
Forum for England and Wales (ESEF(EW)) is
particularly concerned about the lack of Earth science
teachers and the lack of qualified Earth scientists. Following
on from the conference report ‘Improving the
Effectiveness of Education Resources for Earth Science
and Industry’, ESEF(EW) has set up a working
group to look at workforce issues (www.esef.org.uk or
contact me for further details).
The lack of graduate skills and recruitment issues has
also been highlighted in other areas. The City of London
Corporation and the Financial Services Skills
Council surveyed 25 banking, insurance, asset management
and legal, accounting and maritime services firms
(but not geological firms). Results indicated that British
graduates are missing out on top City jobs because they
do not have the skills of their overseas counterparts.
Employers recruit up to one in five foreign youngsters,
because they are more mature and better prepared for
the workplace, speak more languages and have greater
working experience. In some companies, the figure is as
much as 50%. Earth scientists are a global workforce
and these figures should be heeded as a warning, but
also as an incentive to train more Earth scientists for the
global market.
And so it is farewell
I was pleased to report to the AGM at Conference:
www.esta-uk.org
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