National Qualifications - Sciences

November 23rd, 2010

Calling all Aberdeen/ Aberdeenshire Physics teachers

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Physics, National Qualifications, Researching Physics, SQA, Scottish National Qualifications, Uncategorized, resources

Roy Pearson (LTS) and John Sharkey (SQA) will be giving a presentation on latest developments and resources for the new CfE-inspired Higher Physics to an Institute of Physics meeting at Aberdeen University on Thursday 25th November 2010.

IOP members and/or interested Physics teachers are invited to come along to the Meston Building at 6.30 pm.

Many brand-new support materials for the new Higher Physics are in production. For a sneaky peak check out the Glow Group!

November 11th, 2010

New Higher Biology Resource - PCR Case Study!

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Biology, National Qualifications, Uncategorized, case studies, early-adopters

A fantastic new resource is now available on the NQ Biology Glow group to support students and teachers of the new Higher Biology. The resource is a case study of the Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) and gives learners the opportunity to carry out the PCR experiment, as well as looking at applications of PCR in modern biology. Furthermore, the resource provides an opportunity for learners to develop their problem-solving skills in relevant, topical contexts through analysis of PCR data related to forensics and disease-screening .

The resource will also appear shortly on the Biology page of the National Qualifications website. Watch this space!

November 9th, 2010

Biology Teachers share bright ideas!

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Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Higher Biology, National Qualifications, SQA, Scottish National Qualifications, case studies

Approximately 30 Scottish teachers commissioned by LTS to produce materials to support the new Biology/ Human Biology qualifications met at the Optima Building in Glasgow on 8th November 2010. The purpose of this meeting was to share ideas and good practice, and to establish the characteristics of a fantastic resource to support both learners and teachers.

The meeting was supported by representatives from Abertay University, The University of the West of Scotland and Edinburgh University, as well as SSERC and SQA. All of these participants gave valuable input and perspective to the discussions.
Geoff Morgan (SQA Qualifications Design Consultant, Biology) gave a very interesting presentation on the use of ‘case studies’ in Higher Biology which stimulated lots of great discussions within the group.

Some excellent materials which have already been produced were showcased during the meeting, highlighting the high standard of resources being produced.
The meeting was highly successful and allowed teachers to establish links between resources, as well as sharing innovative ideas and good practice.

Watch out for these new resources appearing on the NQ Biology GLOW group and on the NQ website over the coming weeks!

November 8th, 2010

Transferable Skills - Web-based Research in Chemistry

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Biology, Higher Chemistry, Higher Physics, Researching Chemistry, Researching Physics, Scottish National Qualifications, case studies

The new CfE-inspired Higher Sciences specifically develop a number of crucial transferable skills for life and work. In the Physics and Chemistry Highers these skills are gained through the ‘Researching’ half-units, whereas in the Biology and Human Biology Highers they are developed through the ‘case studies’. A mixture of scientific and generic skills are developed throughout the new courses.

One key skill for any scientist is to be able to undertake an effective literature search to find out what is already known about their topic of interest. Web-based research is becoming an increasingly important tool for scientists. Two superb resources (an introductory powerpoint and a set of pupil activities) have been prepared to support teachers and learners with the development of effective web-based research skills in chemistry. These resources can also be found on the NQ Chemistry Glow group.

Watch this space for news on other brand-new resources for the development of other key scientific skills….!