CK CHUGD presentation nov 11

Geology Teacher
Training
Name of presentation

CHUGD meeting
update

Earth Science Education Unit

14th November 2011
Earth Science Education Unit
www.earthscienceeducation.co
m


A teacher with a geology degree:
• has a geoscience degree (with a minimum of 40%
geology)
• has a PGCE (one-year teaching certificate)
– the PGCE may be in science/geology teaching
– or in science teaching or in geography teaching (from
institutions where a geology degree is recognised)

• has not trained in Scotland (since a geology degree
is not recognised for science or geography teaching
in Scotland)


A teacher with a geology degree:
Last year (2010/11):
• 26 people with geology degrees trained to become

secondary science teachers in England and Wales
• of these, six trained to become science teachers with
a geology specialism (at Keele or Bath Universities –
more details below)
• an unknown number trained to become geography
teachers
• an unknown number trained to become primary
teachers


Geology teacher
demand


England, Wales, N. Ireland - A-level

• A-level entry was falling, but has been steadily
rising recently


England, Wales, N. Ireland - A-level

• as

a percentage of all A-levels – more uneven


England, Wales, N. Ireland - A-level

• Rises in ‘comprehensive’ last year = academies

England, Wales, N. Ireland - AS-level

• New AS-level looked promising – it then fell – but
a recent continuing rise; 2011 = an artefact


England, Wales, N. Ireland - GCSE Geology

• The new GCSE in Geology has just come on
stream – with interest rising


AS- A- GCSE level figures
• 2011 A2-level Geology – 1900
• 2011 AS-level Geology – 3148 (an artefact – but still
looking good)
• 2011 GCSE Geology – 1112
• A and AS-level - two Awarding Bodies (Exam Boards
– OCR, WJEC)
• 2011 – OCR = 107 centres; WJEC = 92 centres; a
total of 199 centres
• GCSE Geology - one Awarding Body (WJEC)
• 2011 – 66 centres (including 24 new ones)


Geology teachers
• The centre numbers indicate a minimum of 200
teachers actively teaching geology

• The numbers are greater than this since:
– some centres have two geology teachers
– some centres teach only A-level or GCSE, not both

• Earth Science Teachers’ Association membership: 472
• Geology-teaching jobs advertised last year:
– two geology teaching jobs
– two science posts mentioning geology
– three geography/geology teaching jobs


Undergraduate geology recruitment - 2010
F600 Geology
• Total applicants = 1284 (617 accepted)
• Applicants with A-level Geology = 565
• Applicants with Scottish Higher = 13
• Applicants with A-level + Higher = 578
• % total applicants with A-level or Scottish
Higher Geology = 45%
Figures kindly provided by UCAS


Undergraduate geology recruitment - 2010
F6** Geology
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

F600 Geology
F610 Applied geology
F611 Industrial geology
F620 Mining geology
F630 Geotechnology
F631 Marine geotechnology
F640 Earth science
F641 Palaeontology
F642 Geoscience
F650 Geological oceanography
F660 Geophysics


Undergraduate geology recruitment - 2010
F6** Geology
•
•
•
•

Total applicants = 3699 (1214 accepted)
Applicants with A-level Geology = 1115
Applicants with Scottish Higher = 33
Applicants with A-level + Higher = 1148

• % total applicants with A-level or Scottish
Higher Geology = 31%
Figures kindly provided by UCAS


Geology in the National Science
Curriculum for England
Key stage 3: 11 – 14 year olds
– 14 statements of content
– one is - geological activity is caused by chemical
and physical processes (this includes rock cycle
processes, rock formation and weathering)
– 1/14 = 7%
Key stage 4: 14 – 16 year olds
– 16 statements of content
– one is - the surface and the atmosphere of the
Earth have changed since the Earth’s origin and
are changing at present
– 1/14 = 6%


School-level geology in Scotland
• For a number of years geoscience graduates
haven’t been able to train as teachers in
Scotland
• Last year (2010/11) - geology:
– 64 Scottish Higher entries
– 60 Scottish Intermediate 1 entries
– 21 Scottish Intermediate 2 entries

• The Scottish Qualifications Agency plans to
close Scottish geology qualifications and
replace them with qualifications in
Environmental Science
• The ES qualification contains only a small
amount of geology


Support for geology teaching
School-level geology teaching in the UK is
currently supported by:
•the Earth Science Teachers’ Association (annual
conference, bi-annual journal)
•the Education Committee of the Geological
Society
•the Earth Science Education Forum (England
and Wales)
•the Scottish Earth Science Education Forum
•ES2K in Northern Ireland


Geology teacher demand - summary
We need geology teachers to teach A-level and GCSE
geology:
•to supply an important percentage of students for
undergraduate geology recruitment
•… and an important group of other students with an
understanding of geology
We also need geology-trained teachers:

•to contribute to the teaching of broad science at KS3 and
KS4


Geology teacher
supply


PGCE geology teacher training
• Although in the distant past there were up to six
institutions training geology teachers
• in the past 15 years, there have been only two
– Bath University
– Keele University


PGCE Geology in recent years
Bath University – total 21 since 2003, average 2.3 pa


PGCE Geology in recent years
Keele University – total 131 since 1997, average 9.5 pa


PGCE geology teacher training
• Although in the distant past there were up to six
institutions training geology teachers
• In the past 15 years, there have been only two
– Bath University
– Keele University

• Average no. of geology teachers trained nationally
since 2003 = 10.1 pa


PGCE geology teacher training
Bath University, last year (2010/11):
• trained only two specialist geology students
• decided earlier not to continue the course
• closed recruitment for 2011/12 onward


PGCE geology teacher training
Keele University, year before last (2009/10):
• decided in March, since recruitment was low, to close
the course
• were given three ‘no cost’ options to convince them to
re-open the course
• agreed to the third ‘no cost’ option, providing a CPD
course for existing teachers in Geology teacher training
was developed in the longer term
• reopened recruitment in May
• since recruitment had been closed between March and
late May – recruited only 4 trainees