Physics teachers: force multipliers for marginalised young people

Addressing teacher recruitment, retention, and retraining needs will help tackle some of the key barriers that prevent young people from disadvantaged groups accessing the opportunities that physics offers; in collaboration with the Institute of Physics, this is the case that we presented this week at the House of Lords.

High-quality physics teaching and learning provides access to a wide range of rewarding careers and further study, which many young people from marginalised groups in the UK are missing out on. Children are less likely to study physics post-16 without a physics specialist teacher, and this is the case most often in disadvantaged areas.

Education: Insights from Practice for Policy was a poster conference and information exchange event hosted by The Centre for Research into the Education of Marginalised Children and Young Adults, St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

The event provided a valuable opportunity for educators to share their insights about key educational issues, and what could be done at policy level to address them. The Institute of Physics suggested some quick wins based on existing initiatives, and we showcased the Ogden programmes that are available to schools to help address these issues.

The Institute of Physics will be publishing a report later this year on the physics teacher shortage and the role of recruitment, retention and retraining. Ahead of this report, they shared some quick wins that build on existing programmes within the 3Rs:

• Recruitment – Scale up initiatives to diversify where we recruit for physics teachers, for example, specifically targeting engineering graduates.
• Retention – Implement mentorship/supervision programmes and create supportive networks for physics teachers.
• Retraining – Establish subject specific professional development programmes that focus on inclusive pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching practices for physics educators.

We presented examples from our Teacher Support programmes that address these recommendations: Teach Physics is designed to help teacher recruitment; our early career programmes tackle retention; and our subject knowledge for physics teaching (SKPT) CPD programme is making strides in retraining and upskilling teachers who are teaching out-of-field and want to improve their understanding of physics and classroom practice.

“It was a privilege to be involved in this event with the Institute of Physics,” says Jackie Flaherty, Head of Teaching and Learning for The Ogden Trust. “Our programmes and approaches align with IOP suggestions for policy makers. We see the positive impact that our programmes have on the teachers that we work with, and confident, knowledgeable, and committed teachers in the classroom are fundamental in changing the physics learning landscape.

“We want to continue to build our programmes so we can reach more teachers, strengthening the physics teaching workforce and thereby helping more young people to access the opportunities and pathways that can stem from high-quality physics education,” concludes Jackie.

All of the posters presented at the event can be viewed in the Insights From Practice For Policy Booklet which can be found here on the event page for St Mary’s.

CREMCYA has a distinct focus on the education of children and young adults who are not well-served, and often treated as deficit by existing formal and traditional forms of education, locally, in the UK, and globally.

 

Back for more updates and insights