1st entry: 13th
October
My first entry into this log!
Seeing as I haven’t actually been into a school yet, there isn’t too much to
report – but a few words about the application process and our training seems
like it might be handy for reflecting back on later.
So the application process –
like many things, it began with one of those emails that appear in our
university inboxes, which any student with a rational sense of
self-preservation just deletes without opening. I must have been feeling a
little masochistic that morning – or maybe the endorphins from the early
morning power-walk to the King’s Buildings in the cold were to blame. Anyway,
the email was opened and I found myself getting really excited about the Pro
Science project. In a nutshell the idea is that 2nd year science
students from Edinburgh University go into local schools to help out in some
capacity with science lessons (or clubs, projects etc), with a view to
encouraging more students to pursue higher education in science.
From a selfish perspective the
project sounded fantastic because I am really interested in science
communication and the Pro Science project seemed like a great way to get some
experience communicating verbally – with a not necessarily receptive audience.
I also just empathised with the project generally – I came to be studying
physics through a string of unlikely circumstances, and whilst I’m now really
happy with my degree choice, I’m very aware of all the preconceptions and
prejudices surrounding science degrees.
I also felt a bit of a fraud
when piecing together my application – I have worked with young people before,
but always in a theatrical context, never an academic one. That brings me to my
other point – why am I trying to convince people that further education in
science is a good idea, when I spend all of my spare time acting, dancing,
drawing and writing – all things that most people just would not associate with
a science student? Eventually, rather than trying to avoid this, I made it the
‘theme’ of my application letter – generally, that I’d like students to realise
that science isn’t – or doesn’t have to be – an imposing, isolated and
exclusive world that excludes anyone with an interest in anything else. So
under my ‘work experience’ section, I just included anything that involved
working with young people and communicating generally. This probably made for a
rather odd CV –the bulk of my work with teenagers involves helping out every
summer as a voluntary make-up artist with National Youth Ballet. Although,
arguably, if I can convince a teenage boy that, yes, he does need to wear
eye-liner on stage, then convincing someone that maths can be interesting
should be a doddle. Transferable skills!
After an interview with Katie
Hudson – the founder of Pro Science - where we chatted about my rather
eccentric CV and how I would respond if a student asked me why they should
bother with science – and a wait of a few days, I received confirmation of my
place on the project. Then it was just a matter of a couple of training
sessions and we’d be let loose on the local schools!
The sessions were up at the
King’s Buildings between about 5 and 8 for two evenings. I don’t think many
people would claim to enjoy spending time at the King’s Buildings – something
about the maze-like layout, the uphill trek to get there and the fact that the
arts students are all basically unaware of its existence, all contribute to
making it feel a bit like the Mordor of Edinburgh University. But, that said, I
still wasn’t really sure what the project wanted from us and I also wasn’t
complaining that we were all going to have our PVG disclosures (necessary for
working with young people – or indeed anyone that can be defined as
‘vulnerable’) arranged and paid for.
In the end the rough structure
of the training turned out to be this: the first session we heard from a
student who had worked on the Pro Science project last year, and then from
Neil, a representative of Edinburgh University who took us through what science
communication means, and what the further reaching implications of the project
could be; the second session we were spoken to by a practising teacher about
how to deal with certain situations that might arise, and how to get through to
different students, and finally 2 representatives for the ‘East Scotland’ sector
of the STEM Ambassadors scheme.
So to explain a little bit –
STEM Ambassadors are people with a background in any of the STEM subjects
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) who, as the name suggests, act as
ambassadors for those subjects. Pro Science very much falls under the STEM
umbrella, and so all Pro Science volunteers also register as STEM ambassadors,
and it’s through this affiliation that our PVG administration is handled. Frank
and Kevin, the STEM representatives for East Scotland, were also able to
provide us with a lot of information about how to actually conduct ourselves in
schools. Patrick, the high school teacher, and Oonagh, who worked on the
project past year, were also able to give us lots of pointers. As much as this
project is about enthusing students about the sciences, in reality it involves
working with schools, which like any institutions have their own rules,
challenges and internal politics.
For example, as much as we
might want to self-congratulate for committing to a voluntary project, it’s
easy to imagine how irritating it could be for an over-worked teacher to be
presented with a bright-eyed undergraduate and told to find a way to make them
useful. Especially when it will be a good few weeks until they can really know
whether that student is actually going to bother showing up regularly. Another
aspect is that the kids themselves might not be interested – or alternatively,
they might be really interested and we might get showered with questions we’ve
no idea how to answer off the top of our heads! So this project isn’t really
just about ‘being inspirational’. It’s going to require us to be motivational,
to think on our feet, and also to be genuinely dedicated.
I suppose another factor is
that every one of us is coming into this project for different reasons. Maybe
to expand a CV, to get some experience working with young people, or perhaps
just a genuine passion for science that should be shared! Whatever the reason,
it’s going to be really interesting to see what different people get from the
next year, and to see how we all feel coming out of the project. Looking back
on these notes in retrospect will probably be quite interesting as well! Maybe
we’ll all wonder just what we were thinking . . .
I’ll finish on that note for
the moment. I don’t get to meet my school until the 26th because
half term is coming up (humph, half-term) – but some other volunteers have
already started to meet their staff and students. Next week we have a session
that will inform us about integrating Pro Science with achieving the Edinburgh
Award. More on that next time!