Across the Divide – Research Report

‘Across the Divide’ was a cross-faculty project designed to question how University - primary/secondary school partnerships can influence academics’ pedagogic practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is offered at time of when schools and academic institutions are being encouraged to review and reflect on the quality of teaching and professional development, in line with the Teaching Excellence Framework consultation (2016) and the Standards for Professional Development (Department for Education, 2016). This paper reports on the engagement of a group of academics, primary and secondary teachers who through a collaborative activity over the course of 9 months, focused on critical reflection and discussion about STEM teaching and learning in their respective settings. Participatory research activity scaffolded reflection-in and -on action (Schon, 1983), and a documentary film of project experiences and dialogue was produced. By identifying similarities and differences between Higher Education (HE) and school provision the project stimulates improvements around the use of learning outcomes, small group/tutorial work, examination design and collaborative professional development which have implications on the enhancement of student experience, feedback and transition.