| Science has changed an awful lot since I was at school. The first thing is the environment - the environment we teach in - and the equipment we use. It's much more modern: we don't have Victorian buildings with wooden benches, laboratories have been re-equipped with interactive whiteboards and lots of computers. Also, science has moved on; for example, we now study DNA. We're doing experiments actually to manipulate DNA. I think the key thing is it's a much more stimulating environment. |
| The most rewarding science subject for me is not actually chemistry and biology, but it's actually something that I've learnt about as I've been teaching: physics. I had a background in physics, but not very strong. As I've developed as a teacher, and as my skills have increased, I've actually taken an active interest in physics outside of school. As my knowledge has improved, I've brought that into the classroom, and my enthusiasm for the subject, as well, has really changed the way I teach kids. |
| I make science more interesting and fun by taking the opportunities that are available. That includes taking the students out on trips and visits; in your lesson, making sure that you inspire them, making the lessons have an element of wonder in them, whether that be by doing experiments, or whether it's using a computer for a lesson, or using an interactive whiteboard or a digital microscope. It's just making sure that you vary your teaching but, most importantly, keep it interesting and inspire wonder. |
Becoming a teacher
