Chemistry for All Cross Faculty Research Project between Teacher Education and Science at LJMU @LJMU_CfA @LJMUchemistryforall https://www.facebook.com/chemistry4all
Chemistry for All (CfA) is a £150k 5-year longitudinal research programme funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to support university-led intervention activities in local schools. Dr Andrea Mallaburn, ITT Partnership Lead in the School of Education, in conjunction with colleagues in Science, is supporting the coordination of the research with schools for the NW arm of the project. As one of only four university teams in the UK, LJMU is delivering activities to six local schools and working with a research team led by University of London’s Institute of Education (IOE) who are investigating the impact of those activities on pupils’ attitudes and attainment. The longitudinal nature is a unique feature of the project. As the North West has strong links to the Health and Chemicals sector and many STEM employers, the region needs school leavers and graduates with a strong science education.
The ‘Catalyst Fairy’ demonstration. Page 3
Some of our pupils who engage with these programmes
The activities that the team have delivered have specifically focussed on five key themes enrichment, enhancement, motivation, aspiration and careers; to motivate pupils to achieve their potential both in terms of science learning and long-term employability. The website (www.ljmu.chemistryforall.co.uk) contains a variety of content including “element of the week”, Chemistry at Home experiments, videos and profiles. The site is promoted at events and on all publicity material. In addition, the designated CfA Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages are popular with students and teachers.
CfA is a successful outreach programme whose community engagement includes pupils, parents, teachers, students, primary pupils and outside agencies. CfA has increased laboratory time and engagement with Chemistry for the pupils involved. Evaluation of feedback shows that pupils enjoy and engage with the activities and learn from the events. As the programme has developed, pupils have a deeper understanding of the importance of chemistry in the modern world and challenging activities support and develop their GCSE knowledge and understanding. To support the research aspect of the project an LJMU funded PhD researcher (Victoria Brennan) is investigating teachers’ perceptions of the impact of outreach work to devise a model of best practice.
