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The first release of the Virtual Journal of Science Teacher Club has had a flying start on Twitter, to discuss children's attitudes to science. The second is an unknown quantity at 19.30 on Tuesday

Good teachers have

. In a recent survey conducted as part of the interest and recruitment in the science project, first year students in science city "good teachers" as the greatest influence in their decision to take courses in basic science.

So how do you feel better to be a science teacher? Practice helps, as feedback from colleagues and students-t lit. Unfortunately, opportunities to study part-time undertaker SEEM few and far between, and finding time to meet other teachers in the school is more difficult.

social media tools could provide a

Way for those who want thousands of teachers to discuss new ideas, old problems, giving them greater access to the hearing is available in the staff room typical.

To this end, a couple of weeks I have taken over the first Professor of Journal Club, ALOM Shaha Organized by Alby and Reid, based in London, who built two teachers virtual network of science teachers and teacher trainers in the UK and beyond.

Book clubs

traditional small groups of people who come together to involve reading books and papers and discussion, either for fun or for reasons more academic. The Science Teacher Journal Club concerned about 70 people known to each other by their Twitter names only, such as @ @ and AmandaChemist darkskyman, tweets Exchange hours for one year.

challenges teachers

One Is How to access the latest research findings. The medical profession has a similar problem head on by addressing the development of "translational research" - condensation hard to read academic journals for general practitioners in articles to digest. I am involved with a similar project designed for educators in the non-academic.

For Science Teacher Journal Club, a paper thing, I thought I would be interesting to science teachers: a study I co-authored with colleagues at King's College London and Stanford University. It reflects the aspirations of science and career: from 10 to 14 years of the project (Aspire), a five-year longitudinal study led by Professor Louise Archer at Kings College. The paper focuses on six focus groups with school children it would be undertaker, aged 10-11, to explore science and their attitudes towards the interest in science.

The paper published last year in an attack was teaching science journal Science Education, and has been widely cited. The question for the club journal Twitter, however, if it may be useful to teachers who were not was, in truth, the primary audience.

How many people tune

to the discussion? Degenerate end of the session hand-wringing and researcher-term bashing

After years avalanche initial introduction, the conversation took off. @ Teachingofsci September tone with "Once I deciphered the language, I found a useful way to consider my students, past and present. Is certainly what I see. "It was a good start and it got better when @ morphosaurus responded with" Hard to say I teach KS5, drank noted differences in gender and cultural attitude "and added, "I am guilty of referring to 'brilliant' and boys 'hard work' -. shame that girls should have said to me"

For a moment I hiding, not wanting to become the center of the discussion. Ute, about 18 minutes, I respond to a suggestion that science teachers could do more to challenge students' ideas about careers in science, commenting "We are working with schools to jellybabyfizzer @ Six ways to increase the knowledge use of existing resources career in science classes. "This teleprompter @ DrRacheal to agree that" we need awareness earlier in the careers of our lessons. "This seems to be an aspect of the echo research with the teachers, see who it is benefiting students of career advice often "too little, too late." Another part of the key aspect of the discussion paper was covered with @ DavidWaldock Request "identifying their boys do not have the identity of the girls, if girls are working so hard, they're doing? "What Prompter @ morphosaurus to think" Could be - one of my hardest working man trying to believe without effort! "Add" probably has not helped the faculty bio all women, all teachers male Physics, Chemistry and one of each! "Submitted @ A_Weatherall be an explanation." As for the identity: aussi teachers identify with their specialty (and a polarization effect) When science education? " DrRacheal Shifted to the findings of Students discussion "of their lessons, saying that she" heard a Yr8 complain that it "was not entertaining." DavidWaldock @ Wonders " Recently expectations how "entertainment" has become a school? "

So was it worth it? Absolutely. The response to the document has been extremely encouraging. Aspirations of students and their attitudes to science are key issues in science education. Give teachers a chance half and they will be happy to share their experiences and their own personal experiences of being taught Themselves school. It is a threat that the sheer weight of ideas generated in a fragmented result of discussion - a bit like trying to talk to everyone in a party at a time - can order the teachers and the commitment with interest in our research is a rare treat.

It is encouraging that our findings from a limited number of focus groups, mirroring the experience of teachers across the country and abroad, and we work in the same year that teachers consider important area.