Speak Up Scotland!

这个想法是为了让年轻人谈论和辩论科学--良好的沟通技能与尖端科学相遇。我们想要做这项工作，因为我们相信在辩论中学到的技能，如客观的批判性评估，对于培养具有科学素养和参与性的公民非常有价值--以及在日常生活中有用。年轻人将在他们自己的学习经历中发挥重要作用。老师们告诉我们，当他们的学生不得不提出理由时，他们真的必须理解材料，所以辩论成为一个有价值的工具。它还让学生们走出理论世界，去研究应用程序。辩论有助于培养广泛的技能--研究、建立连贯的论点、公开演讲、倾听和评估，以及协作学习。这也是一种探索科学的有趣方式。除了让年轻人掌握辩论技能外，我们还希望帮助他们了解如何质疑和权衡证据，以做出明智的选择。这些技能是大学和未来雇主高度重视的，将增加参与其中的年轻人的生活机会。通过STEM大使计划和我们在大学的其他联系，学生将有机会向来自工业界和学术界的科学家提问，促进更广泛的联系，并鼓励年轻人将科学视为职业。该项目与新的苏格兰卓越课程非常契合，该课程提出了更多跨学科的学习方法，并在科学课堂上承担起识字的责任；并改善了STEM教师的专业发展。正如本申请书的其他部分所解释的那样，我们将争取边远地区的学校参与，这些地区通常(由于成本和距离的原因)可能无法参加这样的科学计划。我们想要讨论的话题领域是核能。这是去年我们项目反馈中要求最多的资源(见下文)。我们将看看它是如何与可再生能源并驾齐驱的；以及废物和再处理的问题。我们希望在学生们将要做的关于放射性和核反应的工作中，把实际的、实用的东西放在骨头上。这些资源将以“情况说明书”(印刷的课集)的形式与教师的笔记/教案一起提供。两者也都可以从我们的网站上免费下载。这是去年开始的一个项目的延伸，资金来自苏格兰政府、罗伯逊信托基金和麦克罗伯特信托基金。我们能够：-为科学教师创建一本辩论手册，并建立一个网站(www.Speakupsktland.org.uk)。我们现有的课题包括粒子物理(CERN)和空间研究(如哈勃定律)；纳米技术和可再生能源。我们所有的资料都可以免费下载。-为科学教师举办辩论讲习班--组织科学家访问学校(通过STEM大使方案)；-设立全国科学辩论比赛。我们努力与学校和科学界建立联系，在此过程中我们学到了大量的东西，所以我们认为我们现在能够提供更好的研讨会和支持。我们知道，该项目继续下去的需求很大。去年，137所学校的430多名理科教师参加了辩论工作坊。这些都得到了教师的一致高度评价：97%的人认为他们优秀或良好(优秀：63%)。反馈中最多的是，老师们发现自己做活动很有用，他们喜欢各种辩论形式，因为这使他们能够更容易地将辩论融入自己的课程中。我们现在正在寻求资金，以帮助我们继续这个项目：为教师和学生举办更详细的研讨会方案，创造新的科学资源，并继续鼓励科学家和年轻人之间的讨论。

The idea is to get young people talking and arguing about science- good communication skills meet cutting edge science. We want to do the work because we believe the skills learned during debating, such as objective critical evaluation, are very valuable in developing scientifically literate and engaged citizens - as well as being useful in everyday life. Young people will play a huge part in their own learning experience. Teachers have told us that when their pupils have to make a case, they really have to understand the material, so debating becomes a valuable tool. It also takes pupils out of the world of theory to look at applications. Debating helps develop a wide range of skills - research, building coherent arguments, public speaking, listening and evaluation, and collaborative learning. It is also a fun way to explore science.As well as equipping young people with debating skills, we want to help them understand how to question and weigh up evidence to make informed choices. These are skills which universities and future employers value highly, and which will increase the life opportunities of the young people who take part.Through the STEM Ambassadors programme, and our other university contacts, pupils will have an opportunity to question scientists from industry and academia, fostering wider links and encouraging young people to consider science as a career. The project fits well with the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, which sees a more interdisciplinary approach to learning plus a responsibility for literacy within the science classroom; and improved professional development for STEM teachers. As explained elsewhere in this application, we will seek to engage schools in outlying areas, which may not usually (for reasons of cost and distance) be able to take part in such a science programme. The topic area we want to address is Nuclear Energy. This was the most frequently asked for resource in the feedback from our project last year (see below). We'll look at how it sits alongside renewables as an energy source; and issues of waste and reprocessing. We hope to put practical, and applied, flesh on the bones of the work pupils will be doing on radioactivity and nuclear reactions. This resource will be in the form of 'fact sheets' (printed class sets) alongside teachers' notes/lesson plan. Both will also be freely available to download from our website. This is the extension of a project begun last year, with funding from the Scottish Government, The Robertson Trust and The MacRobert Trust. We were able to:- create a debates handbook for science teachers, and a website (www.speakupscotland.org.uk). Our existing topics include particle physics (CERN) and space research (eg Hubble's law); nanotechnology and renewable energy. All our materials are freely available to download. - run debating workshops for science teachers - organise scientist visits to schools (through the STEM Ambassadors programme);- set up a national science debating competition. We have worked hard to make the contacts with schools and the scientific community, and we have learned a huge amount along the way, so we think we're now able to offer even better workshops and support. We know there is a big demand for the project to continue. Last year, over 430 science teachers in 137 schools took part in the debating workshops . These have been consistently highly rated by teachers: 97% rated them as excellent or good (excellent: 63%). What came across most in the feedback was that teachers found it useful doing the activities themselves, and they liked the range of debating formats as it enabled them to incorporate debating into their own lessons more easily. We are now seeking funding to help us continue the project: to run a more detailed workshop programme for teachers and pupils, create new science resources and continue to encourage discussion between scientists and young people.