These monthly newsletters aim to keep all member networks updated with news describing how to get involved, as well as information of relevant events, services and new initiatives from the RSC Networks team. If you require further information about any of the items in the newsletter, or have any comments or ideas for content please contact the Networks team.

Committee members and representatives are encouraged to disseminate this information, as appropriate, to colleagues and other members. E-alert request forms can be downloaded from the Useful Forms and Documents page. Up to date lists of members can be obtained by emailing the Networks Team.
 

Expanding our network across the regions

The February 2019 Networks Newsletter sees a special update from the Regions team about the Royal Society of Chemistry Education Coordinators and how they can support member networks. You can find your find your local Education Coordinator here.


From improving teacher confidence and recruiting the next generation of chemistry teachers to supporting outreach activities and forming connections, find out what our Regions Team is up to and how you can get involved.

The Regions Team works on the ground, connecting teachers, students, members, other partners and the general public with each other and the Royal Society of Chemistry to inspire and engage the next generation of chemical scientists.

Our Education Coordinators (ECs) play a key role in engaging teachers, education partners, and you, our members, with the Royal Society of Chemistry. Education Coordinators organise and contribute to a variety of activities to engage secondary school teachers of chemistry, from teacher conferences to industry site visits and smaller network meetings all advertised through regional newsletters. In addition, ECs introduce the RSC support available to trainee teachers and primary teachers at workshops and teacher sessions.

Education Coordinators also work closely with our local sections and members to support activities with schools including Top of the Bench and Schools’ Analyst Competition. They work with you to support local education funds and organise public outreach activities. If you are looking to find out more about a region, make contacts with schools, teachers or to find opportunities to get involved and volunteer at our outreach activities then your local Education Coordinator may be able to help.

In addition to the Education Coordinators, we have six Regional Programme Managers. The RPM’s role is to develop opportunities, foster partnerships and coordinate activities to help support regional priorities and deliver the RSC’s strategy across the UK and Ireland. RPMs also support RSC regional governance structures such as the RSC’s Regional Steering Groups and Regional Education Division Committees. RPMs share intelligence gathered from the Regions Team with colleagues and partners, and coordinate our work across the regions to ensure that key promotional messages are timely and consistent

In line with the RSC Education Strategy the main focus of the Regions Team is working with teachers, and the key areas that we support are:

 

  • Secondary teachers
    We aim to support retention and development of teachers of chemistry. We achieve this by engaging teachers with their local chemistry community such as universities, businesses and industry and by promoting our resources and CPD offering. A particular focus for 2019 and beyond is to develop our support for schools in our free Learn Chemistry Partnership programme and to provide targeted support to priority audiences such as early career teachers through a regional Secondary Teacher Engagement and Professional Support plan.
     

  • Potential teachers and trainee teachers
    We aim to increase the numbers of specialist chemistry teachers and support their professional development by introducing trainee chemistry teachers to the support available from the RSC by running bespoke sessions during their teacher training. We also promote teaching as a career and support the Department for Education Teacher Scholarship scheme in England and support probationer teachers in Scotland.
     

  • Primary teachers
    We aim to improve confidence of primary teachers to teach science (with a focus on chemistry). We achieve this by running workshops for primary science leaders to help them disseminate resources and ideas for teaching science in their schools, clusters of schools and RSC supported Primary Science Quality Mark hubs.

  • Members
    In addition to our work with teachers, the Regions Team works closely with members. We support regional member groups and structures such as local sections and Regional Steering groups.

As part of the RSC strategy to engage members as advocates, we offer opportunities to engage with schools and the public. The Regions team organises Outreach activities from attendance at Science and Technology Showcases for school-aged students to busking at train stations and stands at language, music and food festivals. Throughout 2018, 288 members participated at 37 events, engaging 14,734 members of the public with hands-on chemistry. These events are a fantastic opportunity for you to support our aims to increase the science capital within the population and provide a chance for you to develop skills and experience in delivering outreach.

If you would like to express an interest in volunteering at our Outreach events across the regions, you can contact the Education Coordinator in your region.

You can also meet members of the Regions Team and hear more about our work at our Regional Meetings; look out for further details about these events in upcoming newsletters.

Posted by Aurora Walshe on Jan 31, 2019 2:07 PM Europe/London

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