Abstract
Explore Renewables Solar Trolley is an interactive cross-curricular teaching pack that introduces the theme of renewable energy through STEM subject lessons.
This teaching toolkit was created as part of a £250,000 commission from regional development agency One North East and Narec (National Renewable Energy Centre) to design resources for secondary school students on solar thermal energy, encouraging them to engage with science and technology subjects and consider careers in the renewable energy sector. Taylor developed the form of the teaching pack based on peer feedback collected from a cross-subject working group of secondary school teachers, who participated in detailed reviews of each stage of the design development - from initial concepts through to testing pilot resources, and reviewing the final design for production. Responding to the working group's identification of failings in previous teaching packs, Taylor's design for the delivery format incorporated detailed teaching plans and interactive exercises designed for delivery via electronic whiteboard, enabling instant 'out-of-the-box' integration into existing schemes of work in the form of individual lessons, subject-specific themed delivery over multiple lessons, or delivery as a cross-subject project throughout an entire school term - ensuring complete flexibility and ease of delivery. The full suite of resources includes a printed project folder, CD-ROM featuring printable lesson plans, student worksheets and interactive exercises, and a portable "Solar Thermal Trolley" demonstrator unit , with all lesson plans and activities developed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. The Solar Thermal Trolley teaching toolkit was made available free-of-charge to all secondary schools across the North East of England, and 154 schools sent staff to training sessions on the use of the CD-ROM and Trolley in order to receive their toolkit.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Tyne and Wear |
Publisher | National Renewables Energy Centre |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - Mar 2010 |