An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

 

Department of Education and Science

 

Subject Inspection of Science

REPORT

 

 

Saint Cuan’s College

Castleblakeney, County Galway

Roll number: 62930V

 

Date of inspection: 19 September 2007

Date of issue of report:   17 January 2008

 

 

 

 

Subject inspection report

Subject provision and whole school support

Planning and preparation

Teaching and learning

Assessment

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

 

 

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Science

 

 

Subject inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Cuan’s College. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Science and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over one day during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers, examined students’ work, and had discussions with the teachers. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and subject teachers.

The board of management of the school was given an opportunity to comment on the findings and recommendations of the report; the board chose to accept the report without response.

 

Subject provision and whole school support

 

The science subjects in this school are Junior Certificate Science, Leaving Certificate (LC) Agricultural Science, and LC Biology. It is commendable that all students study Science at junior cycle. Subject options at senior cycle are based on students’ preferences and this is good practice. The school provides good support for students who wish to study science subjects at senior cycle. Students may study both Agricultural Science and Biology and in previous years, depending on the demand from students, students could also study the single subject Physics and Chemistry. The uptake of Agricultural Science is high and this provides evidence of positive attitudes among students to studying it. While a Transition Year (TY) programme is not part of the curriculum in the current school year due to insufficient demand from students, it is noteworthy that science subjects form a component of the programme when it does run. This is to be commended as exposure to science subjects during the TY programme helps students to make better-informed subject choices at senior cycle.

 

In this school, there is an approximately equal uptake of Agricultural Science among boys and girls but many more girls than boys study Biology at senior cycle. It is recommended that the science department use the subject planning process to devise a formal strategy that encourages a more gender-balanced uptake of Biology.

 

The time allocation for Science includes provision of a weekly double-class period and this is in keeping with the recommendations of the syllabus. The school provides a weekly time allocation of four class periods in second year and third year and of three class periods in first year. The syllabus is based on a minimum of 240 hours of class contact over the three years of junior cycle and to achieve this the syllabus recommends four class periods for Science in each year of junior cycle. Therefore, it is recommended that the school review its time allocation for Science to ensure that it meets with the recommendations of the syllabus.

 

Science classes generally retain the same teacher throughout junior cycle and this is good practice as it supports continuity of students’ learning. There are two class groups for Science in each year group at junior cycle. In first year, all science class groups are of mixed ability but in second year and in third year these class groups are streamed. The school timetables science classes so that they run concurrently and this allows some movement of students between higher level and ordinary level classes. However, the creation of two streamed class groups and the resulting limits on the numbers of students in each class group can limit students’ access to the level most appropriate to them. The use of mixed-ability groupings helps to ensure equal access to a subject and has been shown to have the benefits of improving the attitudes and attainment of low achievers and of raising the expectations of students and their teachers which leads to improvements in students’ performance in school. Therefore, it is recommended that the school extend the use of mixed-ability groupings for Science to include second-year and third-year students. It was noted from documentation in the science plan that differentiated teaching and learning strategies have formed part of the in-service courses provided by the school. In the context of moving to mixed-ability groupings for Science it is advised that further support for differentiated teaching and learning strategies may be accessed through the Special Education Support Service’s website, www.sess.ie.

 

There is one laboratory in the school. It is of older construction but is functional. Currently, the gas facilities in the laboratory are limited and this creates additional demands in relation to planning for experiments. The good work done by the science teachers in facilitating students’ performance of practical activities is to be commended. The Department of Education and Science has approved the provision of two new science laboratories that will enhance the school’s science facilities and the science teachers are planning for this development.

 

The school has a health and safety statement that is reviewed annually and as needs arise. The science teachers are involved in any review of the statement. These practices are appropriate. It is reported that stock and resources are managed using an annual stocktake and this is good practice.

 

The school provides good support for the science teachers’ continuing professional development by facilitating their attendance at in-service courses and by providing flexible timetabling arrangements and financial support for involvement in further study and relevant professional associations. These good supports are to be commended. The science teachers have shown commitment to their continuing professional development by attending in-service courses that are sanctioned by the school and by attending additional courses in their own time. This commitment is acknowledged and is to be commended.

 

Planning and preparation

 

While one of the science teachers acts as co-ordinator for the science department it was evident that the science teachers work well together as a team. Good work has been done in establishing a subject department structure. The teachers meet regularly, formally and informally, to plan and prepare for the teaching of Science. Minutes of formal meetings are kept and this is good practice as it facilitates continuity from meeting to meeting and enables issues that arise to be highlighted and resolved.

 

A copy of the science plan was viewed. This document contains a variety of resources that are useful when teaching Science including a list of content to be covered by each year group, reference to teaching methodologies, minutes of meetings, and syllabus documentation. The good work done by the science teachers in developing this plan is to be commended.

 

Where individual teacher planning files were viewed they were comprehensive, well organised and of value in supporting the teaching of Science.

Teaching and learning

 

All lessons that were observed were appropriate to the syllabus. Lesson preparation was evident where there was use of a variety of lesson materials to support students’ learning. Using varied lesson materials helps to motivate students’ interest and engagement and is to be encouraged.

 

Teaching and learning was most effective when a variety of methodologies was used and when there was a specific focus on maximising students’ involvement. A mixture of questioning styles and question types was used in the lessons that were observed. Directed questioning was the most effective questioning style as it enabled teachers to receive specific feedback from students and to ensure that students were engaged in considering and responding to questions. There was variety in the levels of involvement and engagement of students across the lessons that were observed. Student involvement and engagement were greatest when directed questioning was used and when short, focused tasks were used to reinforce key lesson objectives.

 

Where recall of lesson content was a learning goal there was good use in a number of lessons of recap and reinforcement strategies to support students’ learning. These strategies included use of worksheets, directed questioning, student note taking, and the highlighting of key points by teachers. It is advised that recap and reinforcement of lesson content be prioritised for all lessons where recall of content by students is a learning goal. It would be beneficial to consider the role that group work can play to support students in reinforcing their learning.

 

The majority of questions posed by teachers were recall based. While the acquisition of background knowledge is essential in developing students’ scientific education, the syllabus is predicated on an investigative approach to the teaching and learning of Science that encourages the use of open-ended activities in theory and practical activities. It is recommended that the science teachers extend their use of open-ended learning strategies and higher-order questions to help students further develop their higher-order thinking skills. Some useful advice on this topic may be found on the Junior Science Support Service’s website, www.juniorscience.ie. Good practice was noted where there was an emphasis on the correct spelling of scientific terms and this is beneficial as it supports students in developing their scientific literacy.

 

Discipline was sensitively maintained and there was a positive atmosphere in all of the lessons that were observed. This was underpinned by a sense of mutual respect between teachers and students. Affirmation of students’ efforts was a notable feature of lessons and it helped to support a positive classroom atmosphere. Good practice was noted where students gained individual help from their teacher and where their teacher monitored students while they worked and advised them when they needed help. Teachers used cross-curricular links with other subject areas to help students broaden their understanding of the topics under study and this is good practice.

 

Assessment

 

There are appropriate in-class and whole-school arrangements in place for assessing students’ progress regularly and reporting to parents periodically. There are suitable structures in place that support communication between the school and students’ parents and these structures include use of students’ journals, parent-teacher meetings, and formal written reports.

 

Samples of students’ work were viewed and these samples showed that homework is a regular feature of students’ learning, is corrected by students regularly, and monitored by the students’ teacher. These are good practices and are to be commended. Where teachers had monitored students’ work they had included guiding and affirming comments and this is good practice as it is formative in nature and uses assessment for learning (AfL). The use of AfL is to be encouraged as it is helps students to learn from their work and to improve their performance. In conjunction with the good classroom practices that support students’ scientific literacy that were noted during lesson observation it is advised that monitoring of all students’ work include feedback to help students improve their scientific literacy. Some useful advice on AfL may be found on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s website, www.ncca.ie.

 

The science teachers use common assessments with first-year students and this is good practice as comparison of student attainment across a year group can help to identify problems in students’ learning and enable sharing of practice and strategies in teaching topics. On moving to mixed-ability groupings for all year groups, it would be beneficial to extend the use of common assessment to include second-year and third-year students.

 

The school has developed the good practice of analysing students’ State examination results. This is to be commended as this analysis can help to inform and improve the subject planning process.

 

The science teachers facilitate students’ participation in a number of science-related extra-curricular and co-curricular activities such as ecology trips and lectures from a range of visiting speakers. The good work done by the science staff in enabling students to gain a broad experience of science education is acknowledged and is to be commended.

 

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

 

 

As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:

 

 

 

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Science and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.