Mel Hinsley

Mel Hinsley Science Coordinator Dulwich Village Infants’ School Mel Hinsley describes how STEM Ambassadors had a positive impact on students by promoting curiosity and introducing interesting scientific concepts. Mel includes helpful hints on how to best manage a visit by STEM Ambassadors.

Was your request for an Ambassador dealt with in an efficient and timely fashion?

It was dealt with extremely efficiently and effectively.  Not only was I allocated an Ambassador very soon after my request but also offered two other Ambassadors during the following weeks as and when they became available in our area.

Please describe the activity carried out by the Ambassador

We had 3 ambassadors visit our school, all doing different activities.

  • Children had the opportunity to find out about what a “scientist” can do in their job. They also had the chance to make some soap using a kit that required heating and solidifying of materials. They made brain soap, eyeball soap and some other shapes such as flowers. 
     
  • Children had the opportunity to find out about constructions when an Ambassador with a background in engineering visited. They made a large tetrahedron out of doweling and elastic bands. It reached well over 6 foot high by the time it was all piled and stacked up. 
     
  • Children had the opportunity to experiment with materials that created bouncy balls and got to play with these, learning about the polymer bonds within the structure. They also used materials to create slime that was fun to play with.
     
 Was the Ambassador well prepared?

All three ambassadors were well prepared with ideas. They did extremely well in the challenge of working with children, especially considering this is not something they usually do!

Was the talk/activity pitched well for the age group? If so, how?

All activities were pitched well for the age group, although the activities needed support from both the ambassadors and the teaching staff in the school. The children were very interested in the activities and especially in the outcome. It is useful to talk to the ambassadors before hand to discuss the best way to approach and activity or a presentation with the particular age group.

Did the visit link directly to the curriculum or WRL requirements? If so, how?

There were national curriculum objectives that were covered within the visit, although we wanted the children really to discover a little about the excitement of science rather than meet learning objectives.

Do you feel that the Ambassador(s) had a positive impact on the pupils? If so please describe how.

Yes, I believe all three sessions had a positive impact. The children and teaching staff of the three classes fed back to me afterwards and said that they all enjoyed the activities and the visit. The visits helped to reiterate the objectives of the science week, which were to introduce new and interesting scientific concepts and to promote curiosity within the pupil’s minds.

Do you feel that the Ambassador(s) had a positive impact on the staff? If so, please describe how.

Yes, to all three ambassadors. The staff appreciated having a session of fun science activities that they had not planned, but that they could support. It is essential that teaching staff are present to support the ambassadors, and all our teaching staff said that they enjoyed their sessions.

Do you have any useful tips for other teachers on how to plan activities with Ambassadors?

Ensure you liaise with the ambassadors well in advance of the session, particularly if there are resources that need to be ordered or purchased. Ensure that the activities planned meet the expectations and abilities of the group of children. Prior to the session, chat with the ambassadors about timings and what they would like to cover within their sessions. For ambassadors who do not regularly work with children, explain the school’s expectations of the children, particular in regard to behaviour.

Any other comments? eg future plans for more Ambassador involvement

I look forward to next year’s Science week – we will definitely be inviting more ambassadors to do sessions with the children! Many thanks to all involved in this year’s sessions; the ambassadors themselves, as well as those who organised getting us in touch.