Additional Applied
Science
Rationale, Assessment
and Resources
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Some figures
Bottom 40% of UK workplace earn less than
2/3 of the pay of German counterparts
Why?
Lower percentage in education post-16
National Commission on Education Follow-up Group (Dec 2003)
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Applied Science courses
Motivate potential school leavers

success at all levels

meaningful hands-on experiences

assessment – larger % coursework

real employment prospects
3
Work-related learning
A statutory requirement at KS4

rationale
–
–

learning …
–
–
–

The student: ‘a broad and balanced education … ‘part of fully
preparing for an adult life’
The economy: ‘the country’s economic well-being’
through work
about work
for work
audited
4
Applied Science courses
Major challenges

authenticity, as employment patterns
change

perceptions of students, parents, teachers
and employers
5
C21 Additional Applied Science
Aim:
To meet the needs of students who wish to develop
their scientific understanding through authentic,
work-related contexts.
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1993 study - CSTI
Occupational group
number (000s) Category
Nurses & midwives
467
Agriculture/horticulture/forestry/fisheries
329
Engineers (all types)
311
Chem/gas/petroleum process operatives 161
Medical doctors & dentists
156
Lab science technicians
130
Medically related occupations
128
Food processing operatives
113
Secondary school science teachers
106
Product, works and maintenance managers 86
Marketing sales managers
73
University/HE/FE teaching professionals
64
Engineering technicians
60
Biological scientists and biochemists
49
Chemists
39
Physicists, geologists, meteorologists etc 28
critical
enhanced/significant
critical
enhanced
critical
main
main/critical
enhanced
significant
significant
significant
main
critical
main
main
main
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Additional Applied Science
Choose any 3 modules from:

Life care

Agriculture and food

Scientific detection

Harnessing chemicals

Communications

Materials and performance
8
Key features of the course
1 Cluster of related workplace contexts
2 Authentic procedures and techniques
3 Underpinning science knowledge
4 Employers, regulators, social values
5 Problem-solving - applying knowledge
9
Key features of the course
1 Cluster of related contexts in which people
apply science in their work - but with freedom to
adapt to local circumstances
– assessment: Work-related report
2 Authentic procedures and techniques ‘where
the results matter’ - adapted as necessary for
school labs
– assessment: Standard procedures
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Key features of the course
3 Underpinning knowledge - with a degree of
coherence and including some big ideas of
potential value for progression
– assessment: Module Test
4 Framework within which people apply
science (organisations, employers, regulators,
social values)
– assessment: Work related report, Module Test
5 Applying knowledge and techniques to solve
a practical problem
– assessment:
Suitability test
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Internally assessed skills

Authentic and manageable Work-related Portfolio
–
–
–
Six standard procedures (2 per module) - 12%
One suitability test - 21%
One work-related report - 17%

Additional Applied modules have been developed to
take 36 hours, leaving time for skills assessment

Teachers arrange coursework differently to suit their
curriculum and students
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Module structure
Example: Ap2 Agriculture and food
Ap2.1
The agriculture and food industries
Ap2.2
Ap2.3
Ap2.4
Growing plants
for food
Animal farming
for food
Biotechnology and
food
Ap6.5
Quality, value and sustainability
13
Scheme of work (each module)

35 hours of guided classroom activities +10 hours for
skills assessment + FLEXIBILITY

through work: science-related work experience placements

about work: practitioner focus, visits from & to local workplaces

for work: work-related portfolio, underpinning knowledge
14
Video sequences for the course
Locations
A1: Human performance lab, Middlesex Uni
Diagnosis and treatment – from GP to hospital
A2: Longley farm - from cow to yoghurt
A3: National Gallery – examining paint
Food standards officer, Haringey
Environmental Agency – monitoring a stream
Cape Farewell – gathering data about life in the Arctic seas
A4: Manufacturing agrochemicals
A5: Ferraris Respiratory – testing baby monitors
A6: Rolls Royce – testing turbine blades
National Physical Laboratory – measuring temperature
Funded by Gatsby SEP
15
Student books
Referenced from the scheme of
work
– Case
studies
– People
– The
and organisations
science
– Procedures
and techniques
Coursework overview
– Glossary and index
–
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Progression routes

AS/A Applied Science

BTEC Nationals in Science

Other vocational courses and vocationallyrelated qualifications

AS/A courses in Biology, Chemistry or
Physics
(top students, with suitable choice of modules)
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Challenges for technicians

volume of practical work

ordering new apparatus and consumables

storage

providing for varied tasks in the classroom
e.g. Suitability tests

maintenance of frequently-used kit
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Challenges for teachers

Addressing perceptions of students & parents

Capitalising on the freedom,
not letting it be a burden

Meeting the diverse demands
for equipment, materials and ICT

Making connections with the
working world of science

Managing the assessment

Offering progression to post-16 courses
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What do teachers say?
“Pupils enjoy the
practical work
involved”
“Attitudes, motivation
and achievement in
science improve during
the applied course”
“It is a genuine pleasure to
be working with pupils in
these lessons”
“The grades that
students achieve are
typically one grade
higher than we might
expect from previous
science courses”
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Websites

General information:
www.21stcenturyscience.org

Publications from OUP:
www.twentyfirstcenturyscience.org

Specifications, assessment and training:
www.ocr.org.uk
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