ASE welcomes new Chair

Liz Lawrence looks forward to her year as the ASE’s Chair when she aims to lead the Association’s role as a voice for its members on science education matters such as the new National Curriculum.

As Chair, she heads up the ASE’s Assembly, which is mainly responsible for the Association’s work in science education.

The Assembly has representatives from all sectors of the science education community, in order to bring expertise to debates and formulate actions to take forward the Association’s strategic objectives.

Liz Lawrence said: “I see my main role as focusing on the science education priorities and outward face of ASE. Central to this is to continue to build the Assembly as the co-ordinating body responsible for achieving ASE’s aim of improving science teaching.

“There is much to focus on at present. Draft programmes of study for England’s new primary curriculum have been produced, changes to the examination system are being floated and we are awaiting more detail about the secondary curriculum.

“ASE members have a key role to play in defining a good science education and the type of curriculum that will provide it, and in scrutinising and interpreting what is offered to ensure it fulfils its purpose and teachers are supported in implementing it.

“Linked with curriculum change are as yet undefined changes to assessment. ASE members initiated and were heavily involved in producing the recent Nuffield Foundation report on primary science assessment and will continue to lead the debate as the Government’s intentions become clearer.”

ASE's Chief Executive Annette Smith said: “Liz has an ideal mix of expertise and experience to be an excellent Chair of the Association for the new academic year.  

"This will be an important year in the life of ASE’s Assembly as it becomes established as a conduit for ASE’s authoritative voice on science education matters and I am delighted that Liz is taking up the challenge with such enthusiasm.”

Liz Lawrence spent 14 years as a primary teacher in and around London, before taking her current post as Advisory Teacher for Primary Science and Technology in Barking and Dagenham.

She has been an ASE member for more than 20 years, holding region and section officer positions. She is currently a Region Treasurer and previously chaired the Primary Science Committee.

She said: “As a new member of the ASE, I first attended local meetings to get ‘stuff’ like lesson ideas and resource recommendations but what eventually captured me, was a meeting where we engaged with a consultation.

“I will never forget the feeling that I could not only find out what was going on beyond my place- and phase-specific bubble, hear other people’s opinions and share my own, but that someone out there was listening.

“That was when I began to understand the real value of the ASE and the reason why it needs to exist, have a strong membership and speak with the voice of those members.”

A fuller account of the new Chair’s plans for the year ahead is in her article for the ASE’s September issue of its in-house magazine Education in Science.