TSST Audit Form 2016-17

TSST Audit Form 2016-17

Introduction

This form is designed to allow community based panels of teachers to evaluate each other's course, facilitated by the Institute of Physics. Courses which meet the required standard will be deemed to have receive IOP approval, or to give it its full title, IOP enabled community approval.Evaluators will be primarily looking at consistency between course objectives/outcomes and mode of delivery. The audit form is designed to test the coherence of the course as described. Individual courses may vary in length and it is for individual participants to decide which advertised length suits their needs best.However, based on community feedback, it was felt that it would be helpful to provide some guidance as to specific aspects. Most specific recommendations are given in the Notes columns. In addition it was felt that a TSST course would normally be expected to take 30-50 hours to complete, excluding unmonitored independent learning time. Please note that a course submitted for auditing will not be penalised if it does not meet a stated guideline. However, the approval panel will expect to see some justification.Institute of Physics will publish details of all community approved courses on the IOP website.

Course Summary

Short description of the course (e.g. objectives and expected outcomes)

The aim of our TSST Course in physics is to support the preparation of current and returning teachers in the new GCSE & A-level syllabuses including foundational work at KS3. Evaluation of the impact of the course will be carried out using a series of participant’s self-evaluations, participant completion of course material, lessons observations and student outcomes (where applicable). Course sessions and materials have been designed to cover hard to grasp topics in Physics in the GCSE/A level curriculum. Delivery of these sessions is undertaken by experienced practitioners who have a track record in effective CPD delivery as well as being high performing teachers in their respective schools. Participants are expected to partake in a series of twilight sessions where trainers are presenting effective and inspiring ways to teach hard to grasp topics. Tutorial sessions will also be used to support and further reinforce the subject knowledge component of the topics in question. Participants are also provided with extra reading and exam style KS4/5 tests to assess their knowledge at suitable times in the course. All participants are expected to complete self-evaluations throughout the course as well as put themselves forward for lesson observations and provide feedback regarding improved pedagogy. Furthermore participants have been asked to provide details of lesson observation feedback where they can demonstrate a use of improved subject knowledge and/or improved teaching and learning techniques in the specified topic areas.

Objectives 1. Improve subject knowledge of hard to grasp topics in the Physics curriculum

2. Establish and support the delivery of inspiring teaching and learning activities in hard to grasp topics in the Physics curriculum

3. Evaluate the impact of the TSST physics course through self-evaluations and lesson observation feedback

Please provide the number of hours the course is intending to devote to each subject, per mode of delivery

For Other - instruct to put hours and details in right box

Energy / Motion & Forces / Waves / Electricity & Magnetism / Matter & Space / Other (hours)
Face to Face (includes presentation, lectures, guided group tutorial work with tutor present) / 5 / 5 / 7 / 6 / 7 / 4
Practical (Hands on use of apparatus working individually or small groups. Observation of demonstrations is not deemed to be practical work) / 4 / 4 / 6 / 4 / 6 / 4
Coaching/Mentoring (One to one or small group sessions involving coaching, mentoring or allied techniques lead by an experienced practitioner.) / 1 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1
Monitored independent learning (e.g. online tutorial work) / 1 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1
Other (hours) / (No response) / (No response) / (No response) / (No response) / (No response) / (No response)

Please provide further detail if "Other" is filled in the above grid (for both subject and mode of delivery)

Variable / Response
Please provide further detail if "Other" is filled in the above grid (for both subject and mode of delivery) | Subject / Maths skills workshopreview and consolidation
Please provide further detail if "Other" is filled in the above grid (for both subject and mode of delivery) | Mode of delivery / Participants will be given two x2hour extra workshops than those outline above. One workshop will act as a consolidation session of the whole year with participants being able to dictate the content of the session to better tackle that were more difficult than they thought. (this will act like a revision of the year as well as consolidation). the last workshop will cover the mathematical skills that are essential to the KS4 and KS5 Physics curriculum. this session aims to support the delivery of the maths skills in physics as well as informing delegates what maths skills pupils will have been taught in maths lessons (cross curricular planning will occur to ensure a high level of impact in this session). both these sessions are face to face,

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Please provide further brief detail on the following aspects of the course

Variable / Response
DETAIL ON PRACTICAL WORK (Specify what nature is- e.g. embedded in related session/standalone/skills focussed, work in pairs/groups. Also include Health and Safety measures in place.) / All workshops contain embedded practical work.Direct references have been made to the new 'core practicals' that the 2016 specification has outlined as core work. For e.g 2.19: Core Practical (1): Investigate the relationship between force, mass and acceleration by varying the masses added to trolleys will be modeled and participants will be expected to partake in the practical by themselves. All participants are expected to practice the skills discussed and taught. Where possible participants will work individually but in case of electricity and circuits, (10.17 Core Practical 5: Construct electrical circuits to:a. investigate the relationship between potential difference, current and resistance for a resistor and a filament lamp, b. test series and parallel circuits using resistors and filament lamps) equipment will require that participants work in small groups and pairs.All practical work adheres to the health and Safety requirement as set out by CLEAPPS and risk assessments have been carried out for necessary practicals.
SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE (Please give more details on methodology of subject knowledge (e.g. lecture, practice questions, peer tutorial, diagnostic testing) / Subject knowledge will be delivered in a lecture fashion and assessed using practice exam questions for the new and old specifications. diagnostic testing will occur at the start of the year using the IOP Physics diagnostic testing tool. Participants will also be assessed after and during each session using practice questions and in small group tutorials led by an experienced practitioner
PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (Give further details on methodology used (e.g. pupils, misconceptions/naïve conceptions) / Hard to grasp topics were compiled using subject leaders in the borough and results of internal assessments in two trust schools. Pedagogical knowledge is a key part of joint lesson observations of good physics teaching in action. Pupil misconceptions are tackled directly during workshops and used as focus for the delivery of some difficult concepts (electrical circuits). they are further tackled in tutorial sessions by an experience practitioner
RESEARCH INFORMED PRACTICE (How do you propose to embed the results of research informed best practice (e.g. access to research articles)). / Participants will be given access to research articles and discussions regarding the content of each workshops. This will be primarily done through the workshop itself and the small group tutorials that supports the practical element of the workshop with high level theory. some articles may be delivered via the group email system that is primarily used for admin purposes but serves as a regular connection to the cohort.
HANDLING OF MATHEMATICAL REQUIREMENTS (e.g. handling of graphical techniques, proportionality, errors). / Small group tutorial work will tackle this directly, e.g. nuclear decay equations session, as well as a separate workshop altogether tackling the mathematical requirements of the new Physics GCSE / A Level specification points. Feedback from 2015-16 showed that participants wanted to raise their confidence levels in this area, as such a separate 2 hour workshop has been devised to acknowledge this request.
PARTICIPANT ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS (Use of various modes e.g. lesson observation, portfolio, diagnostic testing etc.) / As above, participants with complete practice exam practice questions, diagnostic testing, self evaluations completed by participants and where applicable lesson observation data. Student outcomes will also be used where possible to determine impact of the training.
QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS (Mention use of any form of quality assurance- use of validated material, external validation or accreditation. Please include qualifications of staff.) / The use of an accomplished and experienced external trainer for 12 workshops- Director of Learning at The Birmingham Physics Factory - Hooked on Physics. He is also in charge of delivering teacher training in physics for the London Physics Factory and the University of West England. All materials have been validated by the Physics Factory in Birmingham/London. The use of an experienced practitioner with a continued track record of improved student outcomes at GCSE and A Level. This Head of Science/Physics has a Mathematical engineering degree and a PGCE in Physics teaching from Nottingham and Oxford University. An experienced practitioner is being used to deliver the small group tutorials. Although qualified with a Biology degree over 40 years ago he retrained as a physicist in his first few years of teaching, he has 37 years of physics teaching experience and was previously a Head of Physics where student outcomes were outstanding in the department. He is still a key component of this outstanding physics department. He has also studied for a diploma in Astrophysics at University College London in his spare time. All trainers will be appraised using expectations established in existing programmes & coaching from staff experienced in teacher training. Programme leader Kiran Bharath is an Assistant Head in charge of the Science Specialism across Twyford Trust and instrumental in delivering teacher training to trust teachers. Programme leader has taught and led Science departments for 13 years to outstanding outcomes and received ‘Train the Trainer’ session from the Science Learning Network at the start of the programme in 2015. The same programme leader is running the training this year. As per last year a random number of sessions will be sampled to ensure quality of content and delivery. This will be carried out by the Head of Teaching School for the Ealing Teaching School Alliance (ETSA) as well as the Programme Leader. It must be said that feedback from the current cohort has been instrumental in shaping the programme for 2016-17. Evaluations and detailed group discussions showed that participants appreciated the practical element of the workshop but felt more workshops were needed to raise their confidence further. hence the addition of of a further 4 sessions this year.
INDIVIDUALISATION OF PARTICIPANTS (Mention any separate routes possible, and how those routes are decided). / Last year participants were asked to self reflect before workshops begun and data showed the need for two separate routes to be applied. Some participants were very able and needed more of a focus on KS5 curriculum and knowledge and others need more support and reinforcement of KS4 concepts. This led to two strands of tutorials being developed. One for the more able participants and one for the ones who need more support. The same approach will be applied this year.
COURSE EVALUATION MECHANISM (Mention evaluation by participants, or external body, if you intend to publish survey results etc.). / The entire course will be evaluated using data from the following areas: lesson observations, student outcomes using internal and external assessment strategies, exam practice questions, and self evaluations completed by participants
LIFELONG LEARNING OF PARTICIPANTS (The TSST courses are inevitably of limited duration. Explain how participants are enabled to acquire the skills for autonomous learning beyond the course itself.) / Participants are expected to regulate self learning throughout the course as well as actively participate in workshops and group sessions. They are asked to bring along at least three questions they would like the coach to address in tutorial sessions and they are encouraged to contact the coach throughout the duration of the course. They are asked to outline outcomes for themselves in each session they attend. This method of course evaluation will encourage participants to adopt autonomous learning styles to promote their knowledge of the physics curriculum.

Please upload any supplementary file you think will aid the school's audit submission (optional)

assets/survey-uploads/1642925/69000035-Etn1a8itna/TSST Physics Programme 2016-17 FINAL.docx