ASE 2027 Annual Conference

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries, please email [email protected]

This session explores how Micro: bit technology can be used alongside case studies and practical classroom activities to help students investigate how diseases spread.

Developed during the COVID pandemic through collaborative teacher learning, the approach was designed to model both airborne and more traditional contact-based transmission. Participants will see how these activities can support engagement with current, real-world science through problem solving, discussion, and enquiry.

The session will share the background to the work, outline how the activities were developed for classroom use, and demonstrate how Micro: bits and disease-transmission scenarios can be used to promote STEM learning and scientific sensemaking. Resources will be shared digitally with attendees.

1. Use case studies and Micro: bit technology to engage students in investigating disease transmission through relevant, real-world contexts.
2. Plan opportunities for students to apply science inquiry and problem-solving approaches as they analyse evidence and identify possible sources of infection.
3. Adapt an integrative STEM activity that supports exploration, sensemaking, and discussion of disease transmission in the classroom.

There continues to be a physics teacher recruit and retention crisis across the nations of the UK.  
There is little point in governments investing heavily in teacher recruitment if qualified teachers then leave the profession in large numbers.

With this in mind, Mark Whalley and Stuart Farmer have conducted research in both England and Scotland into identifying the reasons why physics teachers have recently left the profession. In this session, these reasons will be explored and comparisons made between the situations in Scotland and England, which factors are in common and which are different in the two nations where there has been an increasing divergence in educational policy in the last two decades. How do factors such as accountability and performativity, administrative workload, pupil behaviour, relationships with colleagues, and career progression routes impact on teacher wellbeing and their decisions to stay or leave teaching?

This collaborative session invites teachers and leaders to reflect on practical science models that are realistic, workable and educationally valuable. It will explore how practical assessment and practical learning can be designed in ways that support classroom delivery, gather meaningful feedback and balance ambition with the operational realities schools face.

Participants will also explore what makes practical science both educationally valuable and operationally manageable; to surface the barriers schools face in delivering practical science well; and to discuss models that could improve consistency, feasibility and learner experience. Participants will leave with a set of practical design considerations, examples of alternative delivery models and prompts for reviewing practical science in their own context.

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries, please email [email protected]

Biology teaching, from global biomes to the regulation of metabolism, has the power to inspire students about the natural world. Since the publication of The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review (2021) and the National Security Assessment on global ecosystems (2026) there is a strong argument for biology teaching having a duty to inspire students and play a role in creating a society fit for the challenges humanity faces.

This session will explore what we can do as members of the biology education community to instil a lifelong love of life in our students. Themes will include inter-relationships between topics, the wonder of biology, scientific thinking skills, and connection to the biology around us.

You will leave with ideas that you can use when planning lessons, developing teaching resources, organising schemes of work, or when influencing the national curriculum and exam specifications.

Session Outcomes:
•Apply at least one new idea to their own lesson planning, resource development or curriculum influence.
•Identify ways to bring wonder, curiosity and real world relevance into everyday lessons or resources.
•Explain why inspiring biology teaching matters for students and society.

Please feel free to attend the sponsored tea/coffee available for Biology educators available after this session on Learning Hub Level 2 foyer outside of rooms 231.

Physics is full of abstract ideas. For many students, these concepts can feel remote and inaccessible. Narrative and analogy offer powerful ways to bridge that gap.

This interactive session will explore how storytelling, models, and analogies can transform the teaching of physics. We will look at classic examples such as the “rope” model of current electricity or the “dice roll” analogy for nuclear decay alongside original classroom tested narratives I have developed. We will discuss how these approaches benefit student learning, from reducing misconceptions to increasing engagement.

We will also consider the limitations of analogies, how encouraging students to recognise where a model breaks down can be beneficial to understanding. Given time, there will be an opportunity for participants to share their own analogies and reflect on how narrative can enrich their teaching practice as well as how AI can play a role in this style of teaching.

Outcomes: By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
•Identify effective uses of narrative, storytelling, models, and analogies in physics teaching.
•Apply at least two new analogies or narratives in their own lessons.
•Evaluate the strengths and limitations of analogies to avoid reinforcing misconceptions.
•Develop strategies to make abstract concepts more memorable and engaging for students aged 11–18.

Background: Over 30 years of teaching physics to students aged 11–18, I have found that physics concepts - from Newton’s laws to nuclear decay - often become more accessible when framed through narrative or analogy. My classroom practice has involved developing stories and models that resonate with learners, drawing on both established teaching analogies and my own creations. These approaches have consistently helped students connect new ideas to prior knowledge, making difficult concepts memorable and meaningful.

Oracy is set to have a renewed emphasis in the revised National Curriculum, but what is the opportunity for oracy in the science classroom? In this keynote, Amy Gaunt will explore what it means to learn to and through talk in science, supporting students to develop their disciplinary knowledge and understanding while also learning to speak, listen and communicate like scientists.

Through discussion and practical activities, delegates will experience oracy in action and consider the opportunities for creating authentic and meaningful contexts for talk across their own science classrooms and departments.

If your focus is teaching or supporting biology lessons, come along for a networking session with complimentary tea/coffee and a muffin, to discuss how Miss Estruch Teach & Tell can support your practice!

We'd love to talk about physics education and how we can help you, your school or your MAT - and we've got treats. Join the IOP team to tell us what's going well and what you think we should be doing to support the profession.

This CPD session explores how science teachers can effectively plan for and support strong progression in practical work from KS3 through to KS5. Moving beyond isolated experiments, the session focuses on how practical skills develop over time, building from curiosity and engagement in KS3 to confidence, independence, and precision at A-Level. Teachers will consider how to sequence practical experiences, reinforce key skills, and ensure students are well-prepared for the increasing demands of assessed practical work. The session emphasises the importance of coherence and continuity in developing scientifically skilled and confident learners.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
> Identify the key components of effective practical progression from KS3 to KS5.
> Recognise gaps and inconsistencies in students’ practical skills development.
> Apply strategies to support a coherent and purposeful approach to practical work across the curriculum.

The session will explore what effective practical progression looks like across the secondary phase, using examples to highlight how skills can be built and revisited over time. Teachers will engage in activities to map practical skills, analyse current practice, and identify opportunities to strengthen progression. Through discussion and practical approaches, participants will develop strategies to ensure students move from early curiosity to confident, capable practical scientists by the end of KS5.

This session will explore how the practical Barcoding For Beginners project is being used to investigate invertebrate biodiversity with learners in years 10-13. Hear about the impact of authentic scientific investigation and collaboration on educators and students and see the resources available to support this inquiry-based project using molecular biology techniques, bioinformatics and transferable skills.

Launched in September 2024, Barcoding For Beginners is a project by Wellcome Connecting Science, funded by a Royal Society SEED Partnership grant. It provided funded CPD for eligible educators, a series of resources, equipment and consumables to support a 10 hour DNA barcoding project in the classroom. This session will discuss the findings from this two year project and examine the impact on educators and learners of completing inquiry-based science, using molecular biology equipment, supported by scientists in the field.

This session will discuss and showcase:
• how DNA barcoding has been used in schools and FE colleges for practical, inquiry-based projects investigating invertebrate biodiversity in years 10 - 13
• how using practical project work can enhance understanding of molecular biology techniques in the curriculum
• the positive engagement of educators and technical staff with Barcoding for beginners CPD and resources
• the impact on practical molecular biology ability, transferable skills and career awareness in participating students
• one of the bioinformatics exercises to showcase how interrogating open access databases can be used in teaching

Attendees will:
• understand the structure and impact of the Barcoding for beginners programme and how it can be applied in school and colleges
• hear about the impact the practical investigations had on students engagement with molecular biology and bioinformatics and their development of practical skills.
• discuss how a DNA barcoding project fits with the curriculum and can be integrated into teaching
•t rial a bioinformatics element from the project to demonstrate how the project can enhance students’ domain-specific skills

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries, please email [email protected]

The aim of this session is to demonstrate novel techniques for teaching Primary and Secondary students about inheritance, in the context of Forensic Science and real life applications to solving crimes.

The workshop is based on research being conducted by scientists at the Earlham Institute. One of the problems faced by forensic scientists is accurately analysing data which contains DNA from more than one person.

For example, if someone has been stabbed, there will be epithelial/blood cells from the suspect on the knife. However, if a victim has bled, these cells will be outnumbered by cells from the victim. This makes analysis difficult. Researchers are using a cell sorting machine to collect individual cells from the evidence. The students will have a go at this and compare the results, to existing analysis techniques.

The workshop starts with the crime - “Murder at the Boutique Hotel” (Secondary), “Pizza Thief at the Boutique Hotel” (Primary). Initially, they must think about where the evidence will be at the crime scene. We talk about cells, organs, and organ systems and where cells are in the body. We think about where the suspect will have touched as they move through the hotel, “Every contact leaves a trace”. I have a Lego model of the Hotel and crime scene. Students must add crime markers to indicate where we are most likely to find DNA evidence.

I demonstrate how DNA is extracted from the samples. I show the students the cell sorting machine the scientists use, then they use my mini cell sorters, to manually separate blood and epithelial cells. The suspect epithelial cells they collect glow in UV light. The students place these in their dark rooms to see how many epithelial cells are from the suspect. We then move on to the analysis.

The students are shown a DNA profile. I explain to them how the DNA profile is generated. To understand it they learn about microsatellites, which have different repeat numbers. We use a simple demonstration of a sentence, “The Cat Sat on the Mat,” to show this. I then demonstrate why for each part of the DNA on the DNA profile there are two numbers. One is inherited from Mum, the other from Dad. I use baubles and limbo poles to explain this! This is the section that teachers will really love. It is a great visual way of getting children to see exactly how genetic information is inherited.

Another set of poles is used to demonstrate what happens currently when we analyse a mixed DNA profile (DNA from two people). We talk about homozygote and heterozygotes, and how we use this information to analyse the data.
Students compare their data, with data from the Research Scientists new technique. The students can see how this new technique could revolutionise analysis of mixed DNA profiles! We identify which student is the murderer/thief and they are arrested.

The outcome is that teachers will have a tool box of practical demonstrations they can use to teach students about inheritance in way that they can understand, engage with and understand the importance of what they are learning in application to real life science.

This session will explore how AI is influencing trainee and early career teachers beyond practical use, focusing on professional identity development in a changing educational landscape.

You will hear findings from research into how trainee teachers are currently using AI to support planning, learning, reflection, and professional practice, alongside key themes around confidence, dependency, authenticity, and perceptions of expertise.

The session will then examine how AI may shape identity development during the transition from training into independent practice, raising questions around autonomy, judgement, professional voice, and the evolving role of the teacher.

The final part of the lecture will introduce the next phase of research focusing on ECTs, exploring identity development in the early years of teaching and launching a wider survey to gather insight into lived experiences of AI use in practice.



Outcomes:
Following this session, participants will hopefully be able to:

* Recognise key patterns in how trainee teachers engage with AI.
* Critically consider how AI may shape professional identity and autonomy.
* Reflect on implications for teacher education, mentoring, and induction.
* Identify emerging challenges around authenticity, confidence, and dependency.
* Engage with research-informed discussion around AI and identity development.
* Consider how AI use may influence teachers beyond efficiency and workload.

This session is grounded in research conducted at the University of Warwick exploring how trainee teachers are engaging with AI and how this intersects with their developing professional identity. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in educational practice, it raises important questions not only about workload and efficiency, but about how emerging teachers construct confidence, autonomy, expertise, and authenticity.

The project has explored how trainee teachers use AI for planning, idea generation, academic support, and reflective practice, alongside wider considerations around ethics, professional boundaries, and dependency. This work has led to a broader interest in how AI may continue to shape identity formation beyond initial teacher training. What the research has shown is that trainees are using AI, and the project is investigating what this means for both ITE and schools going forward.

The next phase of this research expands to newly practising teachers, examining how Early Career Teachers navigate AI use while developing identity, confidence, and professional agency in their early years of practice and we hope to promote this phase at the ASE Conference.

This interactive session will explore how collaborative, cross-institutional communities of practice can support higher education science educators in responding to emerging pedagogical challenges. The session will introduce the collaborative work of the BERG Higher Education Working Group through two current thematic areas: AI and assessment and decolonising the curriculum.

Through a series of short reflective case studies and emerging examples from participating HEIs, contributors will share approaches, challenges, and ongoing questions relating to inclusive curricula, assessment design, and the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning.

Participants will then be invited to discuss their own institutional experiences, challenges, and priorities within these areas. The session will encourage collaborative dialogue across disciplines and institutions, recognising that many of these challenges extend beyond bioscience education alone.

The session will conclude with a shared reflection on the role of collaborative networks and communities of practice in supporting responsive, inclusive, and evidence-informed approaches to science education in higher education.

Outcomes: - Participants will be able to:

Share current challenges and emerging practices relating to AI, assessment, and inclusive curricula within higher education science education.

Reflect on how different HEIs are responding to shared pedagogical and curricular challenges.

Discuss opportunities and barriers associated with collaborative approaches to educational change.

Consider how cross-institutional communities of practice can support ongoing professional dialogue and development.

Higher education science educators are navigating rapid pedagogical, curricular, and technological change. In response to shared challenges across the sector, members of the Biology Education Research Group (BERG) Higher Education Working Group, part of the Royal Society of Biology, established collaborative thematic groups focused on AI and assessment, and decolonising the curriculum. These groups bring together educators and academics from multiple HEIs to share practice, reflect on emerging challenges, and explore approaches to inclusive and responsive science education.

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries please email [email protected]

This professional registration lunch (by invitation only) is for those Honorary ASE members and member-science teachers and technicians who have gained professional registration or Chartership: CSciTeach, RSci or RSciTech, all of whom are invited to join Lynn Ladbrook, the ASE's CEO along with the Chair Trio for the Association.

New Honorary members will also be announced. Honorary Membership is the ASE's highest honour and is awarded to those individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the work of the ASE in at least two of the following areas:
National affairs of the Association
Regional affairs of the Association
Science education in general (at a national or international level)

Embark on a hands-on adventure and join marine biologists in their quest to uncover the mystery of Luna's father! Meet Luna, an adorable whale calf,  and become part of a passionate team determined to solve this heart-warming puzzle using gel electrophoresis and DNA fingerprinting.

Aims:
- To create a safe space for debate where people can explore their own understanding of gender/sex
- To deconstruct some ideas about classification systems and essentialism.

Objectives:
- To be able to answer the question “What is a woman?”
- To be able to answer pupils’ questions about gender/sex more confidently
- To be able to name and explain several examples of organisms that are outside of the gender/sex binary

In this workshop I will create a space where we are able to debate about gender and sex, we will be looking for the grey areas and discovering how and why things are not always as binary as they seem. Using my gender studies background I will share with you some philosophical ideas about gender/sex and oppression. We will explore how queer nature can be, and share exceptions to the sexual binaries in humans, and many other organisms.

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries please email [email protected]

This talk and discussion is a tribute to Professor Paul Black, whose pioneering work in classroom assessment practices for around 40 years transformed the way that assessment is used to help children learn.

While most teachers are aware of Assessment for Learning, many do not know its origins and the reasons why and how formative assessment has become more valued and recognised in promoting learning. This talk goes back to the seminal paper and the studies that Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam considered in their review of formative assessment that they published in 1998. It will look at studies  done by the King's team from 1999- 2026 by considering vignettes  of classroom practice and snippets of classroom interactions, so that you can understand some of the reasons project teachers began to change their classroom assessment practices. It will then challenge the audience to think about the classroom assessment they do,or they support others in doing, and explore how assessment has shaped and focused their teaching and impacted on the ways that children learn.

Paul Black passed away peacefully on May 16th 2026, leaving a profound legacy in science education and assessment; his impact has been phenomenal and continues to influence teachers of all phases and at all stages of their career.

Game-Based Learning (GBL) offers powerful opportunities to enhance engagement, motivation, and conceptual understanding in science education. As science educators seek approaches that support curiosity, resilience, and active participation, well-designed learning games—both digital and non-digital—can create meaningful contexts in which students explore scientific ideas through investigation, collaboration, and problem-solving. This session explores how game-based approaches can be integrated thoughtfully into science teaching to support disciplinary knowledge, scientific practices, and inclusive classroom participation.

Rather than treating games as rewards or add-ons, the session focuses on using game-based strategies as structured learning experiences that align with curriculum goals and support progression in scientific understanding. Participants will explore how game mechanics such as challenge, narrative, feedback, role-play, and iteration can be used to strengthen students’ reasoning, modelling, and evidence-based thinking. Examples will include classroom-ready activities that support topics such as ecosystems, forces, energy, particle models, and scientific enquiry skills across primary and secondary settings.

A key emphasis of the session is the role of games in supporting inquiry-based science learning. Game environments naturally encourage experimentation, hypothesis testing, and revision of ideas—processes that mirror authentic scientific practice. Participants will consider how carefully designed gameplay can help learners explore complex systems, visualize abstract concepts, and develop persistence when working through challenging ideas. These approaches help students move beyond memorization towards deeper conceptual understanding.

The session will also highlight how game-based learning can support inclusion and participation. Games can provide alternative entry points into science for learners who may not respond as positively to traditional instructional formats. Collaborative gameplay can encourage discussion, peer explanation, and shared reasoning, helping to build confidence and scientific identity among a wider range of students. Examples will demonstrate how low-cost and accessible game strategies can be adapted for diverse classroom contexts without requiring specialist technology.
Assessment is another important focus. Participants will explore how teachers can use gameplay to gather evidence of student thinking through observation, dialogue, and reflective activities embedded within game experiences. Approaches will be shared for designing purposeful learning games that make students’ reasoning visible while maintaining high expectations for scientific accuracy and rigor. These strategies support formative assessment while promoting engagement and curiosity.

Importantly, the session will address how teachers can select or adapt games in ways that maintain strong pedagogical purpose. Participants will consider how to evaluate whether a game supports conceptual learning rather than distraction, and how gameplay can be integrated within sequences of lessons rather than used in isolation. Practical frameworks will help teachers identify opportunities where game-based approaches can enhance—not replace—effective science teaching.

This interactive session is suitable for educators across primary and secondary phases who are interested in expanding their teaching repertoire through evidence-informed and classroom-ready strategies. Through discussion, shared examples, and collaborative reflection, participants will leave with practical ideas they can adapt immediately to support engaging, rigorous, and inclusive science learning through game-based approaches.

Ever wondered how to bring real-world science into your classroom in a meaningful and engaging way? This session introduces Inside Nature, a free resource developed by ZSL that transforms real animal post-mortems into curriculum-linked learning experiences.

You’ll gain insight into the full journey—from veterinary investigation to classroom resource—including the scientific, ethical, and creative decisions involved. Through examples and discussion, we’ll explore how authentic science can enhance engagement, deepen understanding, and make abstract concepts tangible for students.
Whether you’re looking to enrich your curriculum, improve practical engagement, or connect students with real scientific careers, this session will provide inspiration and ready-to-use ideas.

Outcomes: By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Explain how authentic scientific practices can be adapted into curriculum-aligned resources
Identify effective strategies for using real-world science to enhance student engagement and understanding
Evaluate the use of multimedia approaches (e.g. dissection footage, animation) in supporting learning
Plan how to incorporate similar approaches or resources into their own teaching context

Background: At ZSL, every animal that dies in our care undergoes a post-mortem (necropsy) conducted by specialist veterinary pathologists. These examinations contribute to animal welfare, global research, and the advancement of veterinary knowledge.

Recognising that many secondary schools face barriers to accessing real-world science experiences, ZSL’s Conservation Education team developed Inside Nature. This project bridges classroom learning and authentic scientific practice by transforming real post-mortems into curriculum-linked resources. Drawing on collaboration between educators, scientists, and creative teams, the project translates complex, sensitive material into impactful, accessible teaching tools

Biology is full of phenomena that seem almost unbelievable: fish that shoot jets of water to catch prey, fungi that manipulate insect behaviour, mammals with unusual resistance to disease, plants that trap animals, and organisms capable of remarkable regeneration. Yet these examples are far more than curiosities. Used thoughtfully, they can become powerful tools for teaching fundamental ideas such as adaptation, natural selection, transport, communication, homeostasis, ecology and disease.

This session will showcase a range of striking biological examples most suitable for Key Stages 4 - 5. For each example, participants will consider the core concept it helps to teach, why it is memorable, and how it might be introduced through images, short video clips, questioning, retrieval practice or discussion. Examples will be chosen to show how a single case study can often be adapted for different ages and levels of prior knowledge.
The session will also explore principles for selecting effective examples: ensuring clear curriculum relevance, avoiding novelty for novelty’s sake, linking surprising contexts back to core biological ideas, and using examples to deepen understanding rather than replace it.

Delegates will leave with a bank of ready-to-use examples alongside a practical framework for identifying and evaluating further case studies of their own. Whether teaching GCSE or A-level biology, participants should gain ideas that can be implemented immediately to enrich lessons and strengthen student learning.

As a result of attending, participants will be able to:

• select unusual biological examples that align clearly with curriculum concepts from KS4 to post-16;
• use images, short clips and questioning to turn examples into effective teaching episodes;
• explain how curiosity, relevance and novelty can support memory and engagement;
• adapt examples for different age groups, specifications and levels of prior knowledge;
• identify further case studies that can enrich their own biology curriculum.

This session is grounded in a combination of classroom practice, cognitive science, subject-specific pedagogy and professional reflection.

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries please email [email protected]

2026 saw issues of equity, diversity and inclusion thrust violently into the academic and educational spotlight. EDI has been the subject of intense, polarised and painful debate across national and international media, with events that have shaken the academic world to devastating effect.
This presidential address explores the motive of what it means to talk/ speak about equity within science education. It engages with a range of discursive challenges relating to equity issues, spanning resistance to equity through the accusation that “you can’t say anything these days”, to the practical dilemmas that STEM educators may encounter, such as not knowing ‘what you can or can’t say’, through to issues of ‘voice’ and injustice and whose voices are valued, recognised or marginalised and excluded within STEM learning spaces.
The presentation concludes with some possibilities for supporting greater equity, justice and inclusion in and through science education and how educators might speak more justly and productively about equity issues.

Our dedicated Chair Trio invite you to drop-in to the “Chair-Chat” sessions on one of the days of Annual Conference 2027. The Chair is a vital role to the ASE, and the elected Chair provides an authoritative voice for the thousands of members that the ASE supports, along with those working within the wider science education community. Those elected remain part of our Chair Trio for 3 years.

Got a question? Ever wondered about what goes on behind the scenes? Ever thought about getting involved in Committee activities? Are you wanting to know more about Professional Registration or writing an article in one of the ASE journals? First time attending our flagship Conference?

If this is your first ASE Conference, then please come along and say Hello.

We look forward to hearing your questions and will endeavour to answer them or point you in a selection of possible right directions!

ASE Teacher Developers' supports those whose roles include:

> The design, coordination and facilitation of professional development , mentoring and coaching, whether in school, schools groups or external
> Subject and departmental leadership

If this is you, come along to the "Meet the ASE Teacher Developers Committee" during Thursday afternoon tea break of Annual Conference 2027. We'll share upcoming activities led by the committee and talk about the ways you can get involved. We are keen to hear your views about how the ASE Teacher Developers group can support you and your colleagues.

We look forward to listening to your questions and will endeavour to answer them!

A chance to gets hands-on, and try out some of the latest CLEAPSS practicals.  

Pop in, ask a question, chat with the CLEAPSS advisors!

For queries, please email [email protected]

In this interactive session, participants will be invited to join a community of experienced educators with plant-based interests, but the session will cater for all levels of experience and expertise. Participants will, for example, have the opportunity to review creative and inspiring plant practicals to engage their classes with plant science and learn about current best pedagogy for the classroom. Participants will also have the opportunity to get involved in an emerging plant science education community to join up secondary and higher education.

The 50-minute session divided as follows

0-40 minutes – 4 x Lightning presentations by multiple presenters sharing good practice, organisations and resources for researchers and educators to take away, use, develop and adapt in their own teaching. Attendees will have the opportunity and be encouraged to record questions from these sessions for a Q& A and plenary at the end. Participants will be divided into groups to discuss and share good practice and their views on what is needed to advance the teaching of plants in schools including areas such as specific support and resources needed plus areas for future research. These will be fed back and captured on a Padlet and will be used to identify barriers to plant science education in the classroom and guide future research and solutions. This will provide the means to advance plant science education considering educator feedback.

Outcomes: After attending, participants will be able to:

> Utilise and share current best practice, research and resources in plant science education
> Identify and access key plant science education organisations and projects
> Join, or be able to refer to, a community of other educators interested in plant science
> Co-create recommendations to inform future research and support

This session will be run by the BERG Plant Science Education Working group. The group, set up in March 2025, comprises of a diverse range of educators, researchers and representatives of plant-related organisations. We recognise the fundamental need to share positive plant teaching practices, shape learning opportunities, and research to improve plant science education in general.

Aims:
•Learn about a range of free digital platforms that can be used to create video content
•Understand how the use of video content can transform learning, as shown by the PIC/RAT model
•Learn how to create their own videos or templates to scaffold tasks for pupils
From TikTok to Teams calls, many platforms offer video editing software features for free, therefore creating video content has never been easier.

‘If you truly understand something, you can teach it to others’
Getting pupils to make their own videos gives every learner a voice and develops a variety of additional transferable skills, ranging from literacy and oracy to collaboration and digital skills.

Join Dr Ben Scott as he showcases examples of pupil’s work that demonstrate their understanding of science ranging from digital lab report videos, creating models of atomic concepts and revision videos. These tasks engage and challenge learners to be more creative in how they express their understanding. Apart from showcasing some of his favourite go to tools, he will also demonstrate how he uses rubrics to design and mark these types of assessments.

Outcomes:
-Be more confident about harnessing video editing software in their own classrooms
-Be able to design rubrics to create and mark their own pupil video assignments
-Record their own videos to help support their own lessons and learners

Since Covid, Ben has been passionate about the use of technology in teaching and found many digital tools remained in his classroom when he returned to face-to-face teaching. This led to him becoming a digital research and development coordinator as part of the Teaching and Learning school team. Ben has been selected as a UK Adobe Innovator for the last two years, recognised for his creativity in science teaching. He is also a founding member of the National PedTech Partnership, a UK focus group of digital thought leaders who are developing a pedagogy first, technology second approach within their school institutions. Using a variety of digital tools, he continues to implement innovative ways to challenge pupil’s learning, through engaging and creative means, to assess their knowledge and understanding. Creating YouTube style video content has been particularly powerful.

This panel discussion is for all Secondary Science Leaders; experienced, new to and aspiring. Come along and hear from colleagues working at the chalk face who will share their insights into some of the key challenges facing schools and leaders. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to share and discuss the many challenges of leading in Science.

As well as discussing your own successes and challenges, topics are also likely to include:

> Recruitment and retention
> developing your team - planning and leading CPD
> Supporting non-specialists and non-scientists
> Leading curriculum change
> The road ahead for science leadership

CASTME Awards:  CASTME’s mission is to raise the general level of STEM education in commonwealth countries and beyond. They support and promote education at all levels, working in partnership with schools, colleges, civil society organisations and industry across the world. Their awards scheme recognises innovation, awareness raising, and sustainability across science education.