Submerge yourself in the World Around Us: Review of a 2-day teacher CPD project entitled 'Submerge yourself in the World Around Us'

Revised in 2007, the Northern Ireland Curriculum for Primary, considers science as one component of the subject area: The World Around Us. Integrated with geography and history through this thematic approach, science teaching is often minimal and lacking in practical application. To compound the issue, most primary teachers are non-science specialists and need support to confidently teach science in the classroom.

Prior to 2012, the Education Authority (Northern Ireland) offered a comprehensive Science CPD programme for teachers at all career stages. However, since the boards merged into the EA in 2012, there has been no subject-specific support available for teachers and at best training has been piecemeal. Many teachers avail of online training through webinars while some do not receive any training at all.

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programmes also recognise this challenge but may struggle to add specific guidance and instruction into already compressed timetables. Due to the lack of CPD STEM opportunities, it is recognised that both practising teachers and initial teacher trainees do benefit greatly from curriculum-linked, locally delivered, and supported CPD.

With agreement between Ulster university and Deliberate Learning LTD, a focused bespoke 2-day training course was developed and delivered to in-service Northern Irish primary school teachers. The overarching aim of this training was to develop teacher confidence and leadership skills through carefully selected tasks and activities that would encourage teachers to develop their knowledge of the curriculum, teaching in the classroom and leadership skills as practitioners. To make the training more effective it was framed within the context and theme of Sustainable Development Goals and World Ocean Day.

In addition to the 2-day course for teachers, a slimline adapted 1-day event was provided for NQTs. This event also delivered using the above educational themes, however it did not include the leadership aspect.