The importance of inspiring our youngest pupils in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in education is often discussed and here at OTT SCITT we ensure that our Primary Associate Teachers experience a range of opportunities to develop their understanding and confidence in this area. We work with some inspirational expert colleagues across this field. Our subject specialist, Linda Hull, is a Local Leader of Mathematics Education for the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Maths Hub, and we work with other colleagues from the Hub including Nathan Crook, an independent mathematics consultant, to provide sessions which give real insight into the challenge and creativity within the primary Mathematics curriculum.
Finally, we are not afraid to get practical! At the end of term 2, our Associate Teachers enjoyed the first of two Design and Technology sessions where they carried out a design activity to investigate, plan and make their own moving card. This involved investigating books with moving parts, considering the mechanisms involved, and then building their skills by testing out some levers and linkages. They used these ideas to design and make their own cards, with a festive theme – and you can see some of the results here!
Throughout these activities they were not only focused on their own task, but also considering how they would need to adapt it for the age and stage of pupils in their placement classes, and considering where support or challenge might be needed. Again, the combination of creativity and purpose was a recurring theme in their reflections on the session and one that carries through the primary curriculum for all the STEM subjects.
