Science and technology are disciplines dependent on dialogues between established knowledge and new ideas and practices. Education in these disciplines should reflect this and the work of the centre aims to impact learning communities at all stages of education.
CRiSTLE sets out to develop research into pedagogies that address the current tensions teachers and learners experience between science and technology as existing bodies of knowledge, in which their performance can be assessed and as developing fields within which they can be creative and develop new understandings, tools and products.
TAPS develops support for primary teachers to make both formative and summative assessments that drive learning in science. A further three years funding from the Primary Science Teaching Trust will see TAPS further develop its online school self-evaluation tool and extend its impact beyond England.
Read about the project
Funded by the Wellcome Collection Trust, this project brings together an interdisciplinary team to design and trial materials with ITE primary trainee teachers on Primary PGCE or School Direct routes.
Learning Sciences in Teacher Education
In Pete Etchells' first book, he journeys through the history and development of video games – from Turing’s chess machine to mass multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft – via scientific study, to investigate the highs and lows of playing and get to the bottom of our relationship with games – why we do it, and what they really mean to us.
At the same time, Lost in a Good Game is an unusual memoir of a writer coming to terms with his grief via virtual worlds, as he tries to work out what area of popular culture we should classify games under.
Scientific thinking makes an important contribution to ways of thinking across different cultures. There are national and international concerns about the supply of future scientists and technologists and the educational performance of children in school in these areas.
However, scientific literacy should be part of a broad education for global citizenship that enables people to engage with personal and social issues such as health and the environment. It also resonates with the university research theme of Environmental Humanities. In line with the university conception of education and research, we seek transdisciplinary collaborations.
"Scientific thinking makes an important contribution to ways of thinking across different cultures."
CRiSTLE draws together researchers working in different areas of science and technology education within Bath Spa's School of Education, as well as with colleagues researching and teaching biology and psychology in the School of Sciences. We embrace opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the university and in the external environment.
The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) and based at Bath Spa University’s School of Education.
It aims to develop support for valid, reliable and manageable teacher assessment, which can have a positive impact on children’s learning.
In partnership with the Wellcome Collection Trust, Enhancing the Learning Sciences within Primary Initial Teacher Education brings together an interdisciplinary team to design and trial materials with ITE primary trainee teachers on Primary PGCE or School Direct routes.
Thinking Doing Talking Science (TDTS) is a programme that aims to make science lessons in primary schools more practical, creative and challenging.
STEAM Power Creative Structures linked PGCE secondary art and mathematics trainee teachers with Bristol M Shed museum and Threeways ssschools for children with special needs.
It explores interdisciplinary concepts and constructions stimulated by the architecture and geometry of Bristol Harbour.
Written in part by Pete Etchells, Head quarters is a blog published by the Guardian that aims to explain some of the fascinating discoveries of psychology research and reveals how psychologists go about their work.
Newer projects include ‘Rich retrieval’, which aims to develop support for primary teachers to use schema-building retrieval practice strategies for primary science that support pupils to build rich, connected knowledge of science topics.
We are also exploring a range of topics and connections with: mathematical thinking, post-digital perspectives, screen time, gaming and tech use.
Isabel Hopwood-Stephens
CRiSTLE is currently supporting a number of PhD students and we are pleased to consider new applications.
To learn more about studying for a PhD at Bath Spa University, please visit our Research Degrees page.
Rebecca Digby
Learning Sciences in Teacher Education
Enhancing the Learning Sciences
Thinking Doing Talking Science
Teacher Assessment in Primary Science
STEAM Power