Keynotes and Special Events

New for 2023, the ASE is delighted to be offering ‘a slice of conference’ in the form of a selection of live-streamed sessions covering all sectors of science education broadcast from Sheffield Hallam, delivered live to you wherever you are on any device. The live-streamed sessions can be identified by using the Sched link above and filtering under Type on Live Streamed Session (yes). Recordings of these will be available for viewing until the end of March 2023 for those purchasing the live stream ticket type from Eventbrite. Thursday at 11:00: Panel on making the most of practical work: Many teachers believe practical work is central to science learning, while others accept it’s engaging for students but not that important in science learning. Where do you stand on this continuum and does this change for different year groups? Join the panel to hear the views of a number of members.

Thursday at 13:00 Global Science Keynote: The 2025 PISA Science Framework. Join Jonathan Osborne as he provides an opportunity for participants to hear about the OECD PISA Framework, which will be used as the basis for the international assessment in 2025.

Thursday at 14:00 ASE Presidential Address: Science education at a time of existential risk. Professor Michael J Reiss highlights, over the past 30 years, the risks from climate change, loss of biodiversity, pandemics, and nuclear tensions, and how school science can respond through its curricula, pedagogies and assessment to help current learners face the future.

Thursday at 14:55: CASTME and Alexander Awards. Join Professor Michael Reiss and Marc Neesam as they award prize-winners with The Findel CASTME Community Award and The Alexander Award.

Thursday at 17:45: ASE Members Reception including Book of the Year Award. This event is open for everyone, whether you are an ASE member or not! Come along for a glass of bubbly or a cuppa to celebrate the ASE. Thursday at 19:00 Social Event: Street Food and Doncaster Youth Swing Jazz Band. Don’t miss out on this evening’s fantastic variety of Street Food, accompanied by some great live music and a pop-up bar, through until 22:30. (Eventbrite tickets close on 18th December – don’t miss it!)

All Day Friday: Early Career Teacher day. By generous sponsorship from the Royal Society of Chemistry, we have procured a fantastic selection of sessions specifically for Early Career Teachers. Explore what is on offer on Sched using the search ‘Trainees’ under Audience Type.

All day Friday: Dedicated Technicians day, by generous sponsorship from Philip Harris. Science Technicians kick off their day with a Breakfast TechMeet at 08:30, followed by a great variety of Professional Development sessions offered by technicians for technicians, and a great lunch at 13:00 provided by the sponsor, for all technicians registered to attend the day.

Friday at 08:30: Early Career Teaching Keynote: Finding your feet in your first few years. This session will provide opportunities to interact with experienced teachers from the ASE’s 11-19 Committee, who will guide ECTs through likely scenarios they may encounter during the early stages of their career. Friday at 09:00: Schools Exhibition. Schools from all sectors of education present a science project happening in their classrooms or STEM/Science Club. A great place for collaboration and sharing of ideas and teaching practice – don’t forget to visit on Friday morning.

Friday at 09:30: Brenda Keogh Keynote: Creativity in the primary school and beyond. The panel will discuss thinking creatively in the classroom and extend the talk beyond the classroom boundaries to include the wide-ranging creativity of scientists and engineers, and how to engage children to think in these ways. Friday at 11:00: Panel on ASE Project: Panel on effective interdisciplinary approaches to primary science. This panel discussion focuses on the benefits of interdisciplinary approaches using the ASE’s ‘A Fossil Hunter’s Story’ with an emphasis on history, religious education and English, as well as science. The panel are joined by 2 primary teachers who have piloted this project.

Friday at 11:00: ASE Project on Primary science skills and how to teach them: Getting to grips with progression in science enquiry skills. Join in with Ali, Anne and Tracy as they discuss quick easy activities to boost children’s scientific skills, covering the historic and successful AKSIS project to current years and how to get your KS2 children to carry out their science enquiries with more confidence and independence.

Friday at 12:00: Keynote – Beyond the Label? Understanding why some children struggle at school. Duncan Astle talks about learning difficulties and how some children may never receive a formal ‘label’. The aim is to study the cognitive and brain development of these young people to better understand the underlying cognitive and neural routes that underpin their difficulties.

Friday at 12:00: ASE Project: the art and science of the demonstration. Join the panel sharing practical ideas about how teachers can use demonstrations effectively and identify key points to optimise the use of questions and explanations. Toolkit provided!

Friday at 12:00: Ofsted Science Subject Reports Panel Session. This session, brought to you by members of the ASE Futures Group, discusses the Ofsted Science subject reports published every 3 years and invites participants to discuss them with a view to improving science teaching practice.

Friday at 15:30 Talking Science Debate: a curriculum framework for primary science. The panel for this 2-hour session comprises members of the Primary Curriculum Advisory Group and the Education Policy Alliance, for the launch of our Curriculum Framework.

Friday at 19:00: Social. Chippy Night with music. Come along to our Sheffield-style Chippy Tea with music from the 80s 90s and early Millenium, through until 22:30. A pop-up bar will be available too. (Eventbrite tickets close on 18th December – don’t miss out!).

Saturday at 09:30: Research Keynote: How to implement a research informed change to your classroom practice. Have you seen something from research or from conference that you wish to implement in your classroom? In this session Colin will look at how you can make a change to your practice and how you might evaluate the impact.

Practice: Increasingly we are called upon to look to research to help us inform decisions about the ways we teach, but what research have teachers found useful and how have they moved from awareness of the research to shaping their practice? Join this panel session to hear the experiences of several teachers and explore their journeys.

bringing science stories to life through books and films (followed by a book signing by Tracy Chevalier). Internationally acclaimed author of ‘Remarkable Creatures’, Tracy Chevalier and producer of films from ASE projects Terhi Kylliainen converse with Marianne Cutler on the art of balancing historic accuracy with dramatic licence when telling stories about science.

Saturday at 12:00: Keynote: Once Upon a time: the dark twists and happy endings to telling stories in the science classroom. Whilst stories are ‘cognitively sticky’, the target concepts of science education are not narratives – stories may be a distraction. Join Richard Brock as he explores balancing the potential distractive tendency against the pedagogic value of science stories.

Saturday at 13:00: Keynote: Linking summative and formative assessment, followed by a book signing. In many secondary schools, science has put far greater emphasis on summative than formative assessment. Some schools use more formative techniques but rarely are the two types of assessment merged. Paul explains how easy and beneficial this can be for student achievement. Join Paul after his session outside Chef Hallam Central Owen Building Level 6, for his book signing.

Project: A Fossil Hunter’s Story. Join team members of the ASE’s award-winning project and teachers to explore the key findings of the impact on teachers and their pupils and to try out some of the project’s activities for children.

Saturday at 15:15: ASE Project ASE Best Bites: Online topic-level bitesize CPD for primary and secondary. Explore 3 innovative CPD units focused on difficult topics that span the transition from primary into secondary science and hear about their impact in pilot schools. Drawing on the research-informed approached of Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST), the units have been developed by UYSEG, CIEC and ASE, funded by Wellcome.