Tool WD-2: Connecting tasks to the world of work How should we use science tasks to connect to the WoW? Tool WD-2: Connecting tasks to the world of work © 2016 mascil project (G.A. no. 320693). Lead partner University of Nottingham; CC-NC-SA 4.0 license granted. The project mascil has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013).

Overview Aim: To consider ways in which classroom science tasks link to the world of work. We will: Examine two resources; Discuss the links that are made to the world of work and how these may be made more explicit. The aim of this tool is to develop a better understanding of how connections can be made to the world of work in science. The group will explore two freely-available resources for teaching science, consider what links are made to the world of work and discuss how these links could be made more explicit.

Two resources Ask the group about resources that they have found with connections to the world of work. Hold a short discussion with the group about: the range of resources available on the Internet; the quality of these resources; the way in which some are more effective in making connections to the world of work. Show the group the resources: Picture This Pod 2:Waste. These resources are set within real life contexts and include student learning activities. You could choose other resources.

A detailed look at the resources Examine and discuss the two resources: How are links made to the world of work? How could these links be more explicit? Make a note of your thoughts. Now ask the teachers to work in pairs to explore the resources in detail. They should download some of the supporting materials (from the Mascil classroom resources) and consider how they would use these with one of their classes. Ask them to think about ways in which links to the world of work are made. Give them Handout 1: Science in the world of work and ask them to write down their ideas. In particular, they should focus on how classroom activities such as these deepen their students’ understanding of the many ways in which science is used in the world of work.

Finishing off Choose one of these tasks and together devise a research question that you would like to answer. Teach at least part of the lesson and be ready to report back at the next session on: What happened in the lesson What you found out To conclude the session, first ask the pairs to share some of their thoughts with the whole group. Then ask the group to devise a research question to be explored when they use one of these lessons in their own classroom. Encourage them to focus on relating school science to the world of work. Before next time each teacher should teach at least part of one of these lessons and reflect on their chosen research question. They should be ready to report back on what happened and what they found in the next session.