We are working with Chris Smith and her colleagues at  the Iver Village Junior School to produce a publication of Concept Cartoons across the Curriculum.  No publication date yet.  Watch this space.

Concept Cartoons™ back on the subway

Concept Cartoons™ are back on subway trains, this time in Glasgow. The Glasgow Science Centre is running a project with posters on the subway trains from January 2005 until summer 2005. Illustrations are done by Laura Murray at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Find out more about the Glasgow Science Centre at scienceonthesubway.com

Concept Cartoons™ in Sprowston High School

Gifted and talented pupils in year 8 at Sprowston High School created their own Concept Cartoons™. These were designed to help each other understand misconceptions in KS3 science. Also it helped pupils to think rationally about science through discussion of ideas with peers.

Teachers at Sprowston High School Norwich have used images of themselves when producing Concept Cartoons™. These have had a big impact on the class.

Thank you to Neil Sanderson for sending us these ideas.

Click the images for a large version.

Concept Cartoons™ Workshop Website
Links to our Workshop Website have been added to "Concept Cartoons™ in the Classroom ( INSET )". This workshop has been created in association with AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust. The workshop was designed to show teachers how Concept Cartoons™ can be used in the classroom.

Tibetan Teachers Use Concept Cartoons™
Tibetan teachers working in an SOS Children’s Village in a refugee settlement Southern India were introduced to Concept Cartoons™ during a two-week science workshop.

Click here to read on ...

Concept cartoon competition at Physics on Stage
A concept cartoon competition was held at a Physics on Stage conference in Holland. People attending were invited to create their own concept cartoon. The best concept cartoon was produced by Tobias Kirschbaum from Germany. What do you think?

Click the image for a large version.

Congratulations to Tobias for producing such an interesting concept cartoon.

Briefing on primary science for MPs includes a concept cartoon
Parliamentary briefing papers are produced on a regular basis to inform Members of Parliament about current issues. A briefing paper on primary science has recently been produced. We were thrilled to see that an example of a concept cartoon has been given a prominent position on the front page. It would be interesting to see how MPs respond to the concept cartoon – we suspect that some of them might find that the concept cartoon is less obvious than it looks! If any MPs have seen the Concept Cartoons™ we would love to hear your comments.

www.parliament.uk/post/

Concept Cartoons™ feature in recent Conferences
Recent conferences at which Concept Cartoons™ have been presented include:

•  Primary Science Teacher’s conference in Tonsberg, Norway
•  Joint ISTA/ASE conference in Dundalk, Ireland
•  Honours exchange lecture at the NSTA Conference in Atlanta, USA
•  Physics on Stage in Noordwijk, Holland
•  NO-Biennial Conference in Lulea, Gothenberg, Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden
•  Professional Development Conference for Teachers of Physics in Noordwijk, Holland
•  Institute of Biology Conference for Biology Teachers in Stirling, Scotland
•  Irish Science Teachers Association Conference in Tralee, Ireland

If you attended any of these conferences please let us know what you thought about Concept Cartoons™. Click here for information on how to conatct us .

Research into Concept Cartoons™ continues
The research project on evaluating argumentation in the primary classroom using Concept Cartoons™ as a stimulus has almost come to an end. Bea Downing’s PhD research in this area is almost complete. The research has generated discussion about the nature of argument in primary classrooms and has resulted in the development of a new approach to analysing argument. Have you used Concept Cartoons™ to generate argument?

Our recent writing includes a paper presented at the European Science Education Research Association Conference in Noorwijkerhout, Holland, in August 2003, and a paper published in Research in Science Education (2007).
Click here to read the ESERA paper
Click here to read the RiSE paper

Concept Cartoons™ used in the Key Stage 3 Strategy for Science
Examples of Concept Cartoons™ have been included in the pilot material and the final material to support the Key Stage 3 Strategy for Science in England. Initial reports suggest that the Concept Cartoons™ have been very well received by teachers. Let us know if you have used them and how your pupils responded.

Concept Cartoons™ take off in Sweden
During 2003 we spent a week in Sweden at the Institute of Education, University of Stockholm, working with their trainee teachers to provide background on Concept Cartoons™ and how they can be used. The week included the keynote presentation at the NO-Biennial Conference and a presentation to the Stockholm branch of the Science Teachers’ Association. Thanks to funding from Plast och Kemiforetagen some of the concept cartoon posters have been translated into Swedish for for teachers to use with their classes in Sweden. We wonder whether Swedish pupils have the same misconceptions as those in the UK.

Click the image for a large version.

Concept Cartoons™ in the USA
We were privileged to receive an invitation to present the Honours Exchange Lecture at the National Science Teachers’ Association conference in Atlanta, USA, in April 2004. This was a good opportunity to present Concept Cartoons™ to teachers in the USA and the teachers at the lecture appeared to respond very positively. We hope to work with GlaxoSmithKline to disseminate the Concept Cartoons™ through CPD in the USA. If you are reading this in the USA, please look at our examples of Concept Cartoons™.