TOP CLASS IN SCIENCE

TOP CLASS IN SCIENCE
An outline proposal for a pilot project
By
Dr Malcolm Seddon
(Director, Centre for the Advancement of Science and Technology Education,
Norwich)
Top Class in Science is a novel Internet-based interactive quiz competition that we
have devised and developed to stimulate students' interest in science. It comprises
quiz matches between whole classes in different schools. In this respect, it contrasts
markedly with most inter-school quiz competitions where only a handful of students
can take part. Moreover, these few participants are inevitably the most able students.
In practice, our Top Class in Science competitions include students from the whole
range of ability.
The Competition
All the students in each class are allocated to ten teams, each containing up to three
students working with the same computer. The teams in one class are paired with
particular teams in another to play games. These ten games constitute a match.
During the games, the opposing teams simultaneously download the same multiplechoice questions to their computers from a remote server.
As shown in the appended examples, all the questions refer to high-quality images,
and test the students in concrete visual terms, rather than abstract verbal terms. The
students in each team answer the questions collectively, and have only one attempt to
choose the correct answer. The quicker a team gives the correct answer, the more
points are won. After twenty questions, the team with the greater number of points
wins that particular game. The class with the greater number of games wins the
overall match. It is possible to see and take part in an interactive demonstration of a
match on our website, i.e.
http://www.top-class.org.uk/EU.htm
In Norfolk, the competition runs over several weeks as part of the Norwich Science
Olympiad, an annual festival of competitive events organised by the University of
East Anglia. The matches are structured in mini-league and knock-out rounds like
those in international soccer competitions. They lead to a grand final presented as a
stage show in a theatre. This show has a professionally designed stage set, where the
students tackle practical problems involving large-scale apparatus and props. It is a
prestigious event watched by a large audience. You can see video-clips of these stage
shows on the website given above.
A Grand Final Stage Show
The competition has been running in Norfolk for the last five years with both primary
and secondary schools. Formal evaluations carried out in each of the last three years
all report that the competitions have been very successful. There is no doubt that we
have established the operational and educational viability of Top Class in Science, and
that the time is ripe for its further development nationally and internationally.
The first step for international development is to carry out a pilot project in the
autumn and spring. Depending on the results of this pilot project, we shall then
decide with all interested parties as to whether and how further developments should
proceed.
The Pilot Project
There will be competitions between schools in different countries. In November, we
shall start the first round of the pilot project with matches between schools in the UK,
France, Poland, Portugal, and Catalonia. In January, we hope to run a second round
with schools from the rest of Spain, Italy, Sweden and Austria. The schools will be
organised in groups of four with each school playing all the others in the group once
on a league basis.
As shown on the website, the questions have already been translated into the relevant
languages. The questions will therefore be presented in the students' own language.
All the questions are suitable for use in the UK science curricula for students aged 14
- 16 years. Examples can be seen in the Demonstration Matches on the website.
Most of the questions will be suitable for the other countries as well. However, it may
be necessary to involve students from different age groups. Each school is therefore
asked to make its own judgment as to which students are most appropriate to
participate in the pilot project.
All the matches for the second round will be played between January and April, 2013.
The date and time of each match will be decided by the two schools involved. Once
the date and time are fixed, the match will be managed remotely from Norwich.
Información: t.barbado@madrid.org
Some examples of Top Class in Science questions
Many more examples in different languages can be seen in the Demonstration Matches on the website