Mr Rob Tweats

Title: Science Programme Leader
Lecturer in Science Education (Biology)
Phone: (+44) 01782 734332
Email:
Location: Chancellor's Building : CBA 1.037
Role: Biology PGCE Course Leader
Science School Placements co-ordinator PGCE Science & 2 Year Primary)
PPPP Schools Liaison Officer
Science Taster Day Organiser
External Examiner co-ordinator
Contacting me: Please email me to make an appointment.
Tweats_Rob

Rob Tweats is the Biology and Broad Balanced Science education lecturer for the PGCE course at Keele University. Subsequent to this he had a very successful school teaching career in Cheshire schools; for seven years of this he was both a subject mentor and professional tutor for the Keele teacher training Partnership. He was a core evaluator for a national evaluation project for the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTa) and the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) concerned with on-line professional development for secondary subject teachers enhancing their subject teaching using ICT (ESTUICT).

He was also the leader of a national research group exploring the development of 'Ideas and Evidence' pedagogy during Keele and school based teacher training as part of the National Key Stage 3 (11-14 year olds) Science Strategy. This project was funded by the Science Enhancement Programme (SEP - Gatsby, an educational trust). He was lead evaluator in a national project to evaluate the Impact of ICT on Science GCSE in the UK, funded by the Specialist Schools Trust. He also lead a group of researchers developing teaching materials in 'scientific enquiry' for Key Stage 4 (14-16 year olds) from which a CD was distributed to all schools in England. He is an educational book reviewer and member of a number of international review panels.

He is the External Examiner for all science education related qualifications (both undergraduate and postgraduate) at Sheffield Hallam University.  Recently he has piloted a project using 2 Year Science PGCE associate teachers to deliver science in primary schools, enhancing KS2 provision at the schools and giving associates invaluable teaching experience.

The impact of ICT in Science Education, focusing on its use with interactive whiteboards in Biology teaching and the impact of initial teacher trainees’ development through long-term primary school placement prior to their secondary PGCE course.

Selected Publications

  • Tweats R. 2007. Is the Enhancement of School Science by New Technologies Best Supported by Financial Backing or a Continual Web-Based Regional Development Network?. SUPPORTING LEARNING FLOW THROUGH INTEGRATIVE TECHNOLOGIES (vol. 162, pp. 79-82). link>
  • TWEATS R. 2006. From ideas and evidence to scientific enquiry- the science that schools forgot- school science review. Journal for Science Education, vol. 87(321).
  • Braund M, Erduran S, Simon S, Taber K, Tweats R. 2004. Teaching Ideas and Evidence in Science at Key Stage 3.
  • Tweats R and Delves C. 2004. The Marriage of ICT and the teaching of Science in UK schools - a relationship"on the rocks" or"happy ever after"?. Contribution to International Conference on Computers in Education.
  • Denning T, Fisher T, Higgins C, Johnson M, Loveless A, Tweats R. 2003. The development and use of a computer-based model for assessing thinking skills.

Full Publications List show

Journal Articles

  • TWEATS R. 2006. From ideas and evidence to scientific enquiry- the science that schools forgot- school science review. Journal for Science Education, vol. 87(321).

Other

  • Tweats R. 2007. Is the Enhancement of School Science by New Technologies Best Supported by Financial Backing or a Continual Web-Based Regional Development Network?. SUPPORTING LEARNING FLOW THROUGH INTEGRATIVE TECHNOLOGIES (vol. 162, pp. 79-82). link>
  • Braund M, Erduran S, Simon S, Taber K, Tweats R. 2004. Teaching Ideas and Evidence in Science at Key Stage 3.
  • Tweats R and Delves C. 2004. The Marriage of ICT and the teaching of Science in UK schools - a relationship"on the rocks" or"happy ever after"?. Contribution to International Conference on Computers in Education.
  • Denning T, Fisher T, Higgins C, Johnson M, Loveless A, Tweats R. 2003. The development and use of a computer-based model for assessing thinking skills.
  • Tweats R. 2003. Thinking Skills and ICT in the Classroom. ICT and the Teacher of the Future.
  • EDU-00014  Foundation Biology (2 Year PGCE)
  • EDU-30021  Subject Identity 
  • EDU-30022  Subject Pedagogy
  • EDU-30023  Critical Reflection
  • EDU-30024  Education and Professional Studies
  • EDU-30031  Supplementary Studies: Biology
  • EDU-30031  Broad Balanced Science
  • EDU-30004  Dissertation (Year 3 Education Studies – Undergraduate)