During their third year of studies, our physics students are able to choose a module that allows them to experience life in the classroom as a physics teacher. The "Teaching Physics in Schools" module counts for 10 credits towards their physics degree.
The “Teaching Physics in Schools” module allows our third year students to visit a primary or secondary school for one term (spring term) and observe/participate in the teaching of physics. We choose high quality students for these placements and we always try to link with high quality education establishments which are local to us. All our students receive a DBS check before they go to their placements.
We usually allocate one student per school. Our student visits the school once a week for a few hours (half-day) during the spring term. The school’s responsibility is to allow the student to observe lessons and, when they choose to do so, to allow the student to teach parts of a lesson or a whole lesson. Some schools have used our students as a valuable resource for creating new activities or running physics clubs etc.
At the end of the placement all we require from the school is to send us a double-page report which forms part of the final evaluation of the student’s performance. Detailed information about the scheme can be found in our Information for Teachers document (pdf).
We are always looking to link with new schools who are interested in supporting the scheme. If you are interested in hosting a student in your school, please contact our Outreach Team.