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This article describes how energy issues and education for sustainable development (ESD) are part of the agenda for two current European projects, CoDeS and SUSTAIN. The latter is mainly concerned with the development of inquiry-based primary and lower secondary science education while the former is a network that aims to learn more about collaborations within schools and communities that foster sustainable development. Even though the words "sustainability" and "global warming" are not mentioned in the 2014 key stage 3 (ages 11-14) science and geography National Curriculum in England, it is suggested that teaching the difficult concept of energy within the framework of sustainability will increase the engagement and curiosity of pupils and their motivation to study science using different contexts.

This exploratory study draws on the experiences, workplace learning and professional development of five beginning teacher educators in the first three years of their new careers. Examples of their developing pedagogic practices and reasoning and conceptions of their roles and identities as teacher educators in their new settings have been generated from interviews from this longitudinal case study. Individual differences, which emerged from the start, remain but greater confidence to be more experimental with their student-teachers, to plan for student-teacher-led learning and to undertake modelling and more open discussion about their pedagogical practice and principles are reported. Insights are being gained into the ways in which professional pedagogical learning has developed and into the particular workplace learning influences on the formation of their emerging professional identities as teacher educators. (Contains 6 figures.)

This article highlights the blurring of boundaries as beginning teacher educators cope with the varying demands of teaching and research activities in higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. It suggests that the different forms of research and scholarly activities be made more transparent in order to support early professional learning in this area. Three cases of newcomers to higher education and working in different HEIs are examined over a two-year period. The concept of the "turning point" as a betwixt state is adopted to help identify significant experiences which result in a developing sense of belonging (or not) to academic and scholarly life. Four different categories are also deployed to highlight the case studies' understanding of being a university researcher. All the newcomers saw research as a route to developing themselves personally. Over time there was a shift for some toward establishing oneself in the field, with an indication of the institutional and national pull towards fulfilling academic requirements.

We present interview data from the early stages of a longitudinal study on the emerging professional, academic identities of five beginning teacher educators. We identify the main facilitators and barriers which support different types of professional learning. Barriers in the early stages include: a reliance on trial and error learning, inappropriate induction courses, poor mentoring and support structures and relatively few opportunities for collaborative work. Facilitators include: flexible induction programmes, learning conversations with key colleagues and personal experience of learning at Masters' level. The data are discussed in relation to the described experiences of formal and situated (informal) learning. The positive impact of formal learning, as well as the capacity to "fit in", show us that "learning by participation" alone is an insufficient model to account for the complexities of becoming a teacher educator in new settings. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)

The National Primary Strategy (DfES, 2004) is encouraging schools to design "broad and rich curricula" which make the most of links between different areas, building on literacy and numeracy and developing speaking and listening skills. Primary teachers' confidence with, and understanding of, science will be crucial to the effectiveness of the incorporation of science.

Uses a test to assess teachers' science knowledge and understanding and monitors change over two years of a primary science in-service program in 31 schools. Despite moves to improve primary science teachers' subject knowledge, many still held typical misconceptions. Concludes that teachers need a thorough understanding of interrelated concepts and that in-service education should be sustained over time. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/NB)

Presents ideas for introducing the nature of scientists' work to students. Focuses on clothing to discuss the uses and properties of materials and features scientists visiting classrooms and interviewing with students to develop children's sense of science and scientists. (YDS)

Describes a project in which student teachers chose science exhibits and created webpages to communicate some aspect of the underlying science in the exhibit. Student teachers participating in the project developed personal understanding of some difficult areas in science. (DDR)

Reports on the procedure and results of the trial of support materials that were developed for primary teacher mentors to help trainee teachers improve their medium-term and individual lesson plans. Concludes that trainees' practice in science improved in subsequent unmentored lessons, but good practice was not transferred to other subjects. (Contains 43 references.) (Author/YDS)

Provides an insight into the scope and practice of Literacy Strategy which encourages primary children in England to read and write non-fiction more effectively, the way it is being used to complement primary science, and how it provides secondary science teachers with an exciting opportunity to improve pupil achievement in science. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/ASK)

Fifty student teachers who were planning to teach primary school visited the Science Museum in London, England and developed web sites based around certain exhibits. Developing web sites about science museums can allow a teacher to take students on virtual field-trips or to plan and prepare students for real visits.

Issues concerning the implications of the National Literacy Strategy in primary schools for the teaching of science in secondary schools are discussed. Primary children are now reading and writing more non-fiction.

This article describes how energy issues and education for sustainable development (ESD) are part of the agenda for two current European projects, CoDeS and SUSTAIN. The latter is mainly concerned with the development of inquiry-based primary and lower secondary science education while the former is a network that aims to learn more about collaborations within schools and communities that foster sustainable development. Even though the words 'sustainability' and 'global warming' are not mentioned in the 2014 key stage 3 (ages 11-14) science and geography National Curriculum in England, it is suggested that teaching the difficult concept of energy within the framework of sustainability will increase the engagement and curiosity of pupils and their motivation to study science using different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]