Meadowbank School

This book, from the Nuffield Foundation, describes problems and events occurring in an imaginary school, each written up in the form of a case study designed to be of value to students and teachers in training. It is one of the eight publications prepared by the Science Teacher Education Project (STEP), a project which has involved many tutors from the colleges and university departments of education preparing materials for use in the professional development of teachers.

In the early stages of the project, tutors pooled suggestions for learning experiences, many of which included case study materials. These were then developed and tested. For example, in the main trial (1971-2), the first case study in this book was evaluated by eighteen tutors, of whom sixteen said they would be inclined to use it again. General impressions such as these, and detailed comments, were used to revise the materials.

Most of the case studies in this book were selected from the STEP trial materials, suitably modified in the light of the experience gained. All were adapted to fit the context of an imaginary comprehensive school, called Meadowbank. The case studies range widely, embracing a host of pedagogical issues. Many formats for the case studies were adopted to provide variety: sometimes in-tray letters, sometimes transcripts of conversations, sometimes descriptive narrative, and so on.

[b]Contents[/b]
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
CASE STUDIES
1 Conflict of aims
2 If it happened to you ... ?
3 A job in a comprehensive school
4 Accidents will happen!
5 Having a field day
6 Crime and punishment
7 Mind your language
8 Integrating the sciences
9 Do the pupils really understand?
10 What are examinations for?
II Twenty-five per cent for guessing
12 Other people's lessons
13 Pupils upset in biology
14 Planning practical work
15 Is teaching for me?
16 Parents' complaints
17 Do atoms exist?
18 To stream or not to stream?
19 Who will teach the slow learner?
20 Moral dilemmas for the science teacher