HST2003, CERN
High School Teachers
at CERN
Alumni
Working
Group
2003
HST: Past Present and Future
The High School Teachers at CERN programme (HST) was developed to promote the
teaching of high energy physics and particle physics at High School level, to promote the
exchange of knowledge and experience among teachers of different nationalities, give
teachers some direct experience of the front line research and stimulate activities that might
raise the profile of physics both within and beyond the classroom. In this fifth full year of the
programme, following a trial run in 1998, it was felt that it was time to review the impact and
operation of the programme and to look at recommendations for its continuing development.
A small group of former members of the programme were asked to come together to carry
out the review and report formally.
The members of the group were:
F. Barradas (Spain 2001), P. Dunne (UK 2000), D. Hoekzema (The Netherlands 1999),
W. Peeters (Belgium 2000), G. Shetler (USA 2001), V. van Engelen (Belgium 2002), R.
Van Peteghem (Belgium 1999), F. Wheeler (UK 2001)
The group took on the task of collecting information about the impact that the programme
had had on former participants, how the experience had influenced their professional
development and what kind of contributions to the teaching of particle physics they had
developed as a consequence of their stay at CERN.
A brief questionnaire was devised and circulated by e-mail to all 112 former participants in
the month leading up to this year’s programme. There were 46 responses to the
questionnaire collected and it was felt that this was a sufficiently solid base of information
upon which to work. The 40% response rate might be expected as participants will have
changed jobs, changed e-mail addresses etc. The responses to individual questions
highlighted the fact that some of them might have been interpreted slightly differently by the
respondents and so a further but shorter follow-up questionnaire was sent.
This report looks at the responses to the questions sent, the working group’s interpretations
of the information and their attempts to relate the findings to the stated goals of the
programme. The report is in two parts: the first part deals with the analysis of the
questionnaire material, the second part deals with a review of the current HST programme
and its responses to recommendations over the years. The second part also includes
recommendations for the further development of the programme.
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I. Analysis of responses from former HST participants
1. Global opinion of former participants on the HST-programme
The former participants were asked what they felt, in general, about HST programme.
The feelings about the programme were very positive with almost 50% of the
respondents rating it as excellent and 44% rating it as very good.
Global opinion on the HST program
Excellent
49%
Good
7%
Very good
44%
Satisfactory
0%
Unsatisfactory
0%
It is suggested that the positive response reflects the fact that the programme organisers
have shown great flexibility, have acted on feedback obtained each year and have
modified the programme content and structure accordingly.
Examples of the changes implemented in the 2003 programme are:



The lecture schedule has been adjusted to include introductory level material with
follow up discussions and lectures tailored specifically for a teacher audience. The
wide range of participants’ background understanding of the topic areas has been
recognised and the delivery of the material has been given with that aspect in mind.
The technical and general support personnel have responded to difficulties
experienced by participants in the past and continue to introduce changes to make it
easier for participants to work effectively. They have supplied electrical adapters,
wireless network connections, adopted a more user friendly operating system,
adjusted working schedules etc.
The overall number of working groups has been reduced and working group
schedules have been reorganised to ensure that it is possible for individuals to
participate fully in the activities. Membership of the working groups has been limited
so that participants would normally be linked to just one group. New groups have
been formed to look at ‘hands-on’ activities like cloud chamber construction,
accelerator models etc.
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2. The impact of the programme
Former participants were asked to give information about how their stay at CERN had
influenced their personal development, their teaching, their interactions at classroom,
regional, national and international levels etc.
The impact can be described on several levels:
2.1. At the personal level:
More than 90% of these teachers indicated that they mention their HST experience
regularly in their schools: 64% indicated that they referred to CERN more than 10 times
in the year.
This is an important way of doing outreaching. To many young (science) students the
existence of CERN and its activities are becoming well known.
How m any tim es did you m ention your visit in your class.
never
2%
Less than 5 times
9%
5 to 10 times
25%
M ore than 10 times
64%
The majority found the HST programme to have a significant impact on their professional
approach. The experience was highly motivating.
Were you more motivated to teach after your HST stay?
No
9%
Not applicable
20%
Yes
71%
(The answer “Not applicable” appears because not all participants were classroom
teachers; some were involved in educational programmes, etc.)
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2.2 At the classroom level
Participants were asked about the use of the materials produced during the HSTprogramme and adoption of other CERN-materials. Participants were asked a number of
specific questions relating to the use of the materials and limitations such as lack of
adequate translations and the place of particle physics in the curriculum. Respondents
were invited to cite other limitations that they might have encountered.
It was found that more than 50% of these HST respondents use CERN based materials
on a regular basis in their classroom. 40% reported that they use the materials only
occasionally. This is understandable as in some countries it turned out that particle
physics did not currently demand a significant amount of curriculum time.
Use of materials in classroom.
Systematically, in
all classes, every
year again
23%
Never
5%
Only occasionally
39%
Systematically,
but only in a
limited number of
classes
33%
Some examples of the use were given: materials were used in different kinds of work on
high energy physics by students, in experimental clubs and other extra curricular
activities, posters in the classrooms, participation in contests like “Life in the Universe”
and “Couldn’t do without it”,etc.
2.3 At the local (school) level
Whilst it was indicated earlier that not all schools might have a significant section of the
curriculum relating to particle physics, the proportion of schools that did have such a
section was reported to be about 70%.
Comments were made to indicate that the school curricula in some cases were not
nationally directed and teachers had opted to build the subject in. As one of the goals of
the HST programme was to promote the teaching of physics and particle physics in the
High Schools, the experience of HST seems to be having a positive impact. Seven of the
respondents stated that they had managed to change the curriculum in this direction.
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Is particle physics part of the curriculum at your school?
no
9%
other
19%
yes, but only for
science oriented
students
42%
yes for all students
(only basic)
30%
Even if the curriculum had not been changed, respondents reported the incorporation of
particle physics through publications in school periodicals, poster sessions on open days,
long term projects during the year, directed study, co-operation between schools on
particle physics linked projects etc.
2.4 At the regional level
A significant proportion of the respondents reported that they had taken initiatives in
doing training sessions for colleagues of other schools in their region. This links well with
the goal to stimulate activities related to the popularization of Physics within and beyond
the classroom
Seminars and trainings
no answer
9%
no
46%
yes
45%
2.5 At the national level
Whilst there was no specific question directing the respondents to give information about
their activities at a national level, the open responses to a number of the questions
indicated that former HST participants had either maintained or increased their activities
at a national level. This goes some way towards meeting the general goal of promoting
the teaching of physics, and in particular, particle physics, in High Schools.
It was reported that in seven countries the curriculum was influenced by HST
participants. Teacher training sessions were set up in Belgium, Spain and at national
science conferences in Germany and the UK. Master classes on particle physics were
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established in cooperation with the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Publications related
to the teaching of particle physics in schools were published in Poland, the Netherlands,
Hungary, Bulgaria, the UK and Spain. National projects on science involving HST
participants were approved in Spain and Belgium, and the national press mentioned the
HST programme in Ireland, Finland and the Czech Republic.
2.6 At the international level
One of the HST programme goals was to promote the exchange of knowledge and
experience among teachers of different nationalities and encourage the cooperation
between CERN and existing programs sponsored by the European Union in the area
of science education. More than 50% of HST participants reported that they had
maintained their international contacts in the years following their attendance at CERN.
HST alumni had direct involvement in the EU Comenius-1 and Minerva programmes
The HST programme is having a significant effect on stimulating intercultural contact and
participation in (international) programmes as well as driving the development of an
extensive active network of physics teachers.
Contacts with former HST-participants after the programme
30
25
20
15
26
10
3
5
1
Only for
greetings
No answer
0
9
7
Several
times, with
several
persons
5
Note: Several people responded in more than one category.
3. Continuing involvement with the programme
In addition to maintaining their international links, HST participants continued to develop
and share particle physics and HST related material on returning home from their stay at
CERN. They developed particle physics websites, revised and translated the cartoon
booklet “The World of Particles”, they worked on revising and translating the CD “Particle
Physics, a Keyhole to the Birth of Time, produced games on particle physics, authored or
translated leaflets on the subject etc.
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Translation and adaption of Cern materials done by HSTparticipants at home
Not applicable
13%
No
20%
Yes
67%
Did you produce new materials after your HST visit?
no
39%
yes
61%
This aspect of continuing international collaboration and involvement is central to the
aims of the HST programme and its extent can be expected to grow in the coming years.
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II. Observations on the present state of the HST programme and
recommendations for future development.
The HST programme has seen year on year improvements. The present very buoyant
state of the programme is a direct result of the openness of the organisers to feedback
and suggestions.
1. Lectures
The structure of the present HST programme is significantly different to that of earlier
programmes. The early programmes involved the teachers attending the lectures
designed for the Summer Student Programme during the first two weeks of the three.
Feedback from participants suggested that whilst the introductory lectures of the first
week were valuable and relevant, the increasingly technical ones of the second week
were directed towards the development of the graduate students and became less
relevant to that majority of teachers who were interested in developing material aimed at
school level.
The programme has been restructured so that the introductory first week lectures have
remained to set the scene. They enable the teachers to see that they are part of a larger
scientific community and welcome them back into an intellectually satisfying academic
environment beyond that of their day-to-day work. The technical lectures of the second
week have been replaced by ones that are still delivered by frontier level working
academics but are tailored to the needs of teachers and aim to bridge the gap between
theoretical physics as done in CERN and physics at high school level. They also set the
scene for the working group activities that start to take shape in the second week of the
programme. It is felt that the current mix of first week general CERN Student Summer
School lectures and ones specifically designed for the HST group is a good one.
2. Working groups and discussion sessions
The lectures that have been designed specifically for the HST participants are always
followed by a session in which the teachers can ask questions directly of the person
giving the lecture. The kind of questions that emerge in this arena are quite different to
those that might occur in the larger Student Summer School lectures: they are a mix of
questions driven by the personal academic and intellectual needs of teaching
professionals who have been away from higher education for a period of time, and ones
related to application of the lecture content to classroom situations. It is felt that those
discussion sessions are extremely valuable and their development and implementation is
welcomed.
Similarly, the attachment of CERN academics to the working groups has been very
fruitful. The equal relationship between the academics and the groups allows teachers to
ask questions without fear of appearing naïve and to develop their understanding of
topics in a tutorial/seminar-like atmosphere that leaves their professional self esteem
intact. It is felt that the attachment of scientists to working groups should be continued
and extended if possible.
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The programme in the past has tended to involve the development of working groups that
concentrated on the development of web based classroom materials. In this year's HST
programme there have been opportunities for teachers to allocate time to discussion
about lesson content and teaching methods. Participants also came together to share
information about national and international projects that promote physics in general. The
sessions were felt to be very valuable and are an aspect of the programme that might be
developed more within the working group time.
3. Numbers of participants
The numbers of participants have grown over the years to the current size of 35 to 40
teachers. This has been a mix of new participants and alumni invited back to share their
experience. It is felt that this number of participants is about right and is manageable.
4. Site visits
The programme has traditionally involved a range of visits to the experimental facilities. It
is felt by the participants that the site visits are very valuable and it always seems to be
stimulating for teachers to be able to tell their students what they saw at CERN. The
visits are well organised, are very much appreciated by the participants and should
remain a significant part of the experience.
5. Website and materials
Much workgroup activity has involved the development of materials to put on the HST
web page. Whilst it is true that the respondents to the questionnaire indicated that they
used the materials, many of the pieces of work produced remained unfinished. There is a
need for some kind of follow up to the work done during the HST weeks to sort out those
materials that are simply stored as a record of work done and those that can be
realistically presented for practical use by others. It would be helpful to advise developers
of website materials to think of the prospective user, to indicate the target age range and
any clear linkage to existing curricula etc.
6. Social activities
The organisers of the HST programme have taken great care in organising a full
programme of social activities to make sure that there is a good balance between the
work and necessary relaxation. That programme is much appreciated and is of great
value in developing the social cohesion of the group. The creativity, tirelessness, the
investment of time and energy of the organisers that is put in to ensure that their visitors
feel at home and enjoy their stay is commendable.
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7. Proposals for possible further developments of the current HST programme
It is recognised that the HST programme has a heavy agenda but feedback from a
number of participants has indicated that the following might be considered:

The development of a school level experiment laboratory to enable participants to do
experiments in the field of modern physics. Many participants do not have
opportunities in their schools to carry out certain modern physics experiments and the
opportunity to carry out such experimentation at CERN would be welcomed.

Arranging for the HST participants to make contact at CERN, if possible, with
scientists from their own countries. It might be possible for that contact to result in
authoritative support for the dissemination of the work of the HST teachers at a
national level

Formalise the collection of feedback about the programme by issuing a questionnaire
at the end of the programme with a follow up questionnaire approximately nine
months later. It would be valuable to keep in touch with the activities and
achievements of the HST participants, their work might feed back into the HST
programme.

Arranging for one or two teachers to be in charge of the follow up of the programme
permanently, consolidating unfinished materials, gathering and spreading information
about forthcoming new materials from formal participants, disseminating teaching
strategies etc. It would be useful if the follow up teachers were linked to a CERN
physicist to have access to academic support.
8. Proposals for possible further developments, aimed towards teachers, beyond
the current HST programme
To further realise the goals that were set for the High School Teachers’ programme we
recommend the establishment of further 1 week HST programmes aimed at two
different target groups of teachers:

One programme aimed at former HST participants to enable them to evaluate and
exchange experiences such as existing classroom materials, including
translations, teaching approaches, dissemination processes, actions towards
colleagues and general public, national and international exchange programmes
and projects. It would be good to restrict this group to about 35 persons for
practical and social reasons

A programme aimed at a larger group of teachers selected from different countries
modelled on the 3 week HST programme but with a smaller emphasis on working
group activities. It would build on the experience developed at the 3 week HST
programme and be aimed at developing understanding of basic aspects of particle
physics and the work of CERN. More teachers might be able to attend a one week
training programme. The social and professional aspects of such a programme
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might help to raise the awareness of other European cultures: this programme
might be sponsored by the EU.
It is suggested that the content and the possibility of organising this event should
be further discussed at CERN with the organisers of the now existing weekends
for teachers.
9. Proposals for a possible further development, aimed towards students and
linked to the HST programme
It is suggested that CERN considers working with the HST participants to establish a
project that would bring together selected groups of students from different countries
to visit CERN. It is recommended that an application be made to the EU (for example
through the Science and Education section of the Sixth Frame Programme or similar
initiatives) by CERN staff with responsibility for such sponsorship applications.
This would link into the HST goals of establishing closer links with European schools
and encouraging the co-operation between CERN and programmes sponsored by the
EU in the area of science education. It might take the form of a series of 4 day visits
spread throughout the year. Groups from five schools from different countries might
meet and carry out extension work on projects or tasks that had been started in
school before the visit. The work would be complemented by visits to experimental
areas and discussion with working scientists. It would be expected that students
participating in such a programme would be involved in follow-up activities designed
to disseminate their findings about particle physics and the activities of CERN to the
general public.
This initiative might be developed to coincide with 2005 "World year of Physics"
It is felt that the proposals listed above would have positive effects at all levels of the
education system as categorised in the first part of the report.
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Addendum 1
The conclusions above concerning consolidation and future of the HST programme are a
result of answers from a first questionnaire (46 respondents) using open questions, a second
questionnaire (23 respondents) sent during HST-2003 and discussions amongst the HSTalumni.
The results from the second questionnaire are shown below:
OPINION ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HST PARTICIPTION
16
14
12
10
8
6
Exchange of cultures
4
Special lectures for HST
2
Contacts with scientists
0
Not of great
Of some value
value
Visits to experiments
Quite valuable
Extremely
valuable
OPINION ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HST
PARTICIPTION
12
10
8
6
4
Working group activities
2
Summer student courses
Informal social contacts
0
Not of great
value
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Professional contacts
Of some
value
Quite
valuable
12
Extremely
valuable
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Addendum 2
This is a list of activities known to have been undertaken by former HST teachers after
their visit to CERN. They involve the press, scientific reviews, projects, training sessions
etc. at different levels. The entries below are a mix of personal comments and records of
activities drawn from the circulated questionnaires.
The countries are put in alphabetical order.
Belgium:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
At school level:
Many lessons about high energy physics besides the existing curriculum, also in
language lessons, for pupils as well as for colleagues
Slide shows about CERN and research in high energy physics
Exhibition for the broad public about CERN and contemporary research;
Individual year works of pupils where the materials developed at HST are intensively
used in the preparation phase, where contacts with researchers is promoted and
where pupils themselves disseminate the gained knowledge towards their fellow
students, other teachers and parents
Dissertations made by all the students of the last year for the examination of the
Dutch language about a contemporary scientific topic to make it evident that science
is part of culture and to make them aware of what still needs to be done
Several publications in the school periodical about visits to CERN, about
international scientific meetings where also some of the pupils were involved, about
collaboration between people of different cultures
Permanently working with students and European meeting in the project
“Contemporary physics - Learning through collaboration”
Beyond school level:
Revision and translation of the strip “The World of Particles” in collaboration with
CERN’s press office.
All existing videos were scrutinized as to their usefulness in class room. Translations
were made and two Dutch videos were produced. (They were handed over to CERN
and NIKHEF.)
Production of a CD-ROM with a vast amount of material ready to be used in class:
didactic sets of transparencies, with instructions where they can be inserted in the
normal curriculum, animations, PowerPoint presentations, slides from CERN, etc.
Teacher trainings for physics teachers at several universities in Flanders (BE) where
many material in Dutch for use in class room was completely integrated; these
included dissemination of materials made by HST as well as Dutch videos, strips,
posters, etc. Establishing of a network among these teachers interested in particle
physics in Flanders: 75 members
Training of the guides for the exhibition about CERN in the regional science centre;
Teacher training at the regional science centre (Technopolis) at the beginning of the
period of the travelling exhibition about CERN;
Lecture and workshop at the yearly conference (Woudschoten) for physics teachers
in the Netherlands;
Attendance of Physics on Stage I (at CERN) and Physics on Stage II (at CERN) to
promote collaboration between research and education
Lecture on the possibilities of collaboration between research in physics and
education at secondary school at the yearly meeting of the Belgian Physical Society
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17. Lecture for chemistry and biology teachers at the yearly teacher conference in
Belgium
18. Master classes at the University of Antwerp for pupils of the last year of secondary
school
19. 7 teacher trainings sessions on the “Practical use of Internet in physics education”,
establishing a network of 165 teachers in Flanders.
20. Information and training of graduate teachers in the field of particle physics
(planned)
21. Publication of an article in “Natuur en Techniek”, the most prominent popular
science periodic in the Netherlands and Flanders
22. Articles in the science teacher periodic of Flanders (VeLeWe), and the school
periodic.
23. Project with Antwerp University: “Brugproject”, building bridges between secondary
schools and university
24. Project with Antwerp University: “Experimental Kits”, with hands-on experiments for
all levels of secondary schools
25. Developing of the Comenius-1 project for schools “Contemporary physics - Learning
through collaboration”
26. Textbook in preparation where nuclear physics and particle physics in integrated.
27. Attendance at Physics on Stage 1 and 2 with presentations on the teaching of high
energy physics in the High School
The Netherlands:
In view of several disappointing attempts to introduce various elements of Modern Physics
into the Dutch High School curriculum, a project was started in 1996 for preparing yet
another attempt. This time, the idea was to develop new material and test it under school
conditions. Pending a more extensive curriculum revision expected somewhere in the
coming few years, the project has been running since 1996 and in a growing number of
schools. (involving about 25 teachers in the coming year). Connections with the HSTprogramme at CERN were established right from its start in 1998, and the course of the
project was influenced by the HST-programme in several ways:
1.
The content of the project material, specifically the part about particle physics, was
influenced by the CERN experience.
2.
Most (nearly all) students participating in the project also participate in an excursion
to one of the international physics research institutes; initially only to CERN, but
more recently also to DESY in Hamburg and GSI in Darmstadt, and probably from
next year on also to JET in Culham. About 120 of the project students are expected
to visit CERN next year. The students are in general very enthusiastic about these
trips, and many indicate that it greatly changed their view on scientific work.
The connections made at CERN during the HST-stay have been quite important for
initiating these excursions.
3.
Along with the students, their teachers also get the opportunity of participating in
these excursions. In as far as possible, they are even more enthusiastic than the
pupils, and it is a highly motivating experience for them. Even some teachers who
were not specifically in favour of particle physics, indicated that the subject should
stay in because of the excursion.
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4.
In recent years some of the exam questions about the project material were based
on work done at CERN (e.g. CERN was explicitly mentioned in a question about
anti-hydrogen in this year’s project exam).
5.
There are several direct links to CERN on the project website.
It is worth noting that gradually the project is gaining a considerable impact on
the interest in teaching quantum physics and particle physics among Dutch
physics teachers. Results of the project have led to several publications in the
Dutch science teacher periodic (NVOX) and are regularly presented at teacher
conferences. Most importantly there is a yearly presentation at the
Woudschoten conference, a meeting attended by about 40% of the Dutch
physics teachers. Also the HST-programme is brought to the attention of
participants of these meeting, which has resulted in various applications.
(although many interested teachers shy away from spending half their summer
holidays away from their families)
6.
The trips to CERN have led to various articles in local newspapers and school
papers, and as far as anecdotic evidence goes, several students indicated that the
project, and/or the excursion played a role in their decision to study physics at the
university.
Spain:
For the general public
1.
2.
3.
4.
Exhibition on CERN and High Energy Physics at the “Madrid for Science” Science
Fair. I was a three – day event with an attendance close to 60000 people. (2002)
Exhibition on CERN and High Energy Physics at the National Science and
Technology Museum (Madrid). Attendance close to 1000 people. (2002)
Article in a regional newspaper (in Aragon) on CERN and the HST programme
(2001)
Article in the quarterly bulletin of the National Museum of Science and Technology
on HEP and CERN. (2003)
For schools
5.
6.
7.
Seminars for High School teachers on cloud chambers and its use in the classroom:
King Juan Carlos University, organised by the Madrid Regional Education Ministry.
2003
Seminars for High School teachers on cloud chambers and its use in the classroom:
Cosmocaixa Science Museum, Alcobendas (Madrid). 2002
Seminars for High School teachers on the Modellus software (3 seminars). 2002 –
2003.
Publications on CERN and the HST programme
8.
9.
Article in the Proceedings of the 2003 Royal Physical Society Conference. 2003
Article in the book “Madrid for Science 2002”. 2003 (distributed to all Madrid High
Schools)
10. Article for the Spanish Journal of Physics. 2001
11. Article in the school newspaper. 2001
12. Article for the Spanish Journal of Physics. 2000
Posters at conferences
13. Spanish Royal Physical Society Conference, Madrid, 2003.
14. FAST 2002 (Frontline Astrophysics for Schoolteachers), organised by ESO, the
European Southern Oservatory.Garching bei Munchen, 2002
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15. 3 Visits with students to CERN with special programmes designed for them
Development of educational Materials
16. Package for the teaching of HEP at schools in Galicia (Spain). First prize in the
PhT@CERN conference for 2002.
17. CD-ROM and website funded by the Spanish Education Ministry, 2003.
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USA:
1.
American Association of Physics Teachers presentation (included in RET
Northeastern presentation) (Gary Shetler)
2. Presentation of the program at Bates College (New Hampshire) (Nick Nicastro)
3. Web site material included on the Northeastern University Physics RET site (Gary
Shetler)
4. Informational article submitted to the Patriot Ledger newspaper (Quincy,
Massachusetts) and Old Colony Reporter (Plymouth, Massachusetts) (Gary Shetler)
5. Local school committee presentation and Local cable TV presentation (Jim Perry)
6. Local school periodical (Paul Eaton)
7. A one-page feature article in the local newspaper about my experience at CERN
(Nick Nicastro)
8. Presentations made within my school district to my department, to a school group
known as the “Science Seminar” (a group of our top high school science students, to
a group of physics teachers attending a conference of the Northeast Section of the
American Association of Physics Teachers (a group that I have recently been
elected to its executive board), and public groups, such as the mens’ and womens’
clubs of my wife’s church (Nick Nicastro)
9. Public recognition from our school district’s superintendent, principal, and science
curriculum coordinator. (Nick Nicastro)
10. Many anecdotal references to my experience in my physics and engineering
classes. (Nick Nicastro)
11. The development and incorporation of a new course in our upper-level science
curriculum entitled “Topics In Modern Physics” - which will be offered for the first
time this fall (2003) as a full-year, honors-level program for junior and seniors. (Nick
Nicastro)
United Kingdom:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
July 2001, a week long, Goldsmiths Summer course, Advancing Physics, at
Brunel University, London, with a day visit to CERN.
October 2001, Teach Space 2001, at ESA, following the success of my previous
students with winning “The Sea and Space” competition and representing Britain at
the World Expo.
April 2002, Physics on Stage 2, at ESA, where I contributed to The Institute of
Physics display with a demonstration of quantum effects.
July 2002, Teachers course at ESO, where I presented my work with the students,
involved in the Astronomy Society.
July 2002, Goldsmiths Summer course, Astrophysics, at Queen Mary College,
London.
September 2002, received a small grant from The Royal Meteorological Society to
buy equipment to start a long-term project with students, on STUDYING WEATHER.
December 2002, we received in our school the Solar Powered Car from ESA that
won the race across Australia. We invited local schools to visit the car and EPSRC
gave a grant to pay for transporting the children and teachers, to and from the
exhibition. PPARC provided large amounts of information that we distributed to the
teachers.
January 2003, attendance at the annual conference for the Association for
Science Education, Birmingham.
Alumni Working Gruop
17
HST -2003
HST2003, CERN
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
March 2003, a Day Training for Physics Teachers at Ampleforth College, York. 51
teachers attended and the day was a great success. We are grateful to CERN for
supporting the visit of Mick Storr (CERN) as a speaker at this day meeting. Teachers
had available to them several CERN materials, as for example, the videos: Stars
Underground, The Time Machine and others and they were all taken.
April 2003, received a grant from The Royal Society, to buy a wind power
generator and a solar panel to monitor the amount of energy obtained on a daily
basis throughout the year. A large number of students are involved in this project.
June 2003, one of my students has just been informed that he has won the Essay
Competition “Science and Society” as part of Couldn’t be without it. He
received 300 EUR and his essay is to be found on the websites of Eiroforum and the
EMBL.
July 2003, presentation together with four students, of a paper on the weather
research at the International Conference for Meteorology and Oceanography, in
Madrid.
July 2003, during the conference mentioned above, students received an award of
400 EUR from the European Meteorological Society.
Publication of articles in "Physics Education" on Feynman diagrams, Pion exchange,
Cosmic ray experiments in the classroom.
Award of grant from Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council to support
the development of a small cosmic ray extensive air shower array aimed at detecting
showers associated with cosmic ray primaries with energies in excess of 10 16 eV.
The project involves the collaboration between three schools.
Alumni Working Gruop
18
HST -2003
HST2003, CERN
Addendum 3
Summary
HST 3 weeks @Cern
(1)
(2)
(4)
(7) (5)
(2)
HST 1 week @Cern
(3)
(8)
(6)
(9)
Physics teachers in
country A
Physics teachers in
(10)
country B
Physics teachers in
country C
All teachers
Selected students
(11)
Graph:
3
week HST programme
1
week HST programme
Teacher training programmes in different countries (centrally organised basic
materials, locally translated and disseminated
At least 3 days, leading to a special certificate ( cooperation between local Teacher
& Physics Org)
Special activities aimed at selected science students (contests, final work, special
projects) in different countries.
Teacher training programmes for other teachers (science, other level physics,
general): 1 day or less
Blanc area: general public: the more people know about high energy physics
the more chance the general public will be in contact with it
AlumniWG 2003
19
9-3-2016
HST2003, CERN
All other initiatives concerning visits to Cern should remain, of course, but a real impact is only
possible if teachers and decision makers follow a real training, either short or for several days.
Meaning of the intersections:
(1) Core 3 week HST programme, attended by teachers selected by Cern via applications
through the net.
(2) Core 3 week HST programme, attended by selection of motivated teachers following the
teacher trainings programmes at the home countries
(3) Reduced 1 week programme at Cern, attended by selection of motivated teachers by Cern
(4) and as a result of following the teacher trainings programmes at the home countries (5)
(6) Indicates interaction between teachers coming from different countries and exchanging
information on indepent international projects
(7) Selected students coming out of the special programmes in the home countries, following a
multiple day programme at Cern, with reduced international interactions.
(8) Teachers following the teacher trainings programmes at the home countries, getting a
certificate and all (translated) teaching materials
(9) Indicates interactions between students working on special projects and teachers trained in
particle physics materials
(10)Teachers and people involved in education ( other sciences, specially interested) following
a short teacher training programme at the home country
(11)Students working independently on special projects (eventually via e-mail)
Organisations
Tools
Cern+EU+ selected teachers
3 weeks @cern
Cern+EU+ Nat Phys Org+
TTCenters+ Teacher Org.
1 week teacher training @Cern
(new teachers, minimum two
groups of about 35 persons)
If too many applications: larger
groups
Cern+EU+ Nat Phys Org+
TTCenters+ Teacher Org.
1 week teachers@Cern
follow up earlier HST (selection)
(Cern)+EU+ Nat Phys Org+
Universities+ TTCenters+
Teacher Org.
1 week teacher training @home
(Cern)+EU+ Teacher
Org.+schools+teachers
1 day teacher training
Information
Science as a cultural component of our society
Cern+EU+
Universities+Schools
4 days @Cern (students)
(Cern)+ teachers+ students+
Nat Phys Org+ Universities+
TTCenters+ Teacher Org.
(Cern)+ Local authorities
1 day student trainings
Visits
Contacts with scientists
Motivation for science
Cultural exchange (limited to 3-4 countries)
Information
Motivation for science
AlumniWG 2003
Goals
Evening meetings+ open days+
events+ exhibitions
20
International exchange (culture + programmes)
Core group dissemination.
Discussing teacher training schedules
Discussing, editing, peering and producing
teaching materials
Visits
Contacts with scientists
Disussing learning strategies an formulating
needs on teaching materials
International exchange of ideas and
programmes
Discussing teaching materials and needs
Discussing teacher training sessions @ home
Discussing dissemination strategies
Updating knowledge about Cern and science
Basic information on the field of particle physics
Adapting and adopting teaching materials and
learning strategies
General public
9-3-2016
HST2003, CERN
(Cern)+Teacher Org.+
teachers
Materials, posters, videos
Classroom use
Cern:
classical visits
General public
(Cern): commitment only in existing outreach materials
AlumniWG 2003
21
9-3-2016