About

My particular expertise is in primary science education. I am passionate about science teaching and hope to inspire students to feel the same. In particular I enjoy helping students to observe and ask questions about their environment and to think of exciting and creative ways in which they can help young children develop positive attitudes towards science. As well as teaching on the primary science modules, I also teach on other modules relating to professional practice and international developments.

I am involved in developing links between student teachers in Australia, America, Africa and Europe so that students in the second year of their course have an opportunity to visit international educational settings. I now line-manage a group of staff and help lead developments within Teacher Education.

My research interests include the development of investigative science work in support of learners' questioning, exploration and explanatory skills and students' attitudes towards learning science. My publications include curriculum development materials.

I joined Sheffield Hallam in 1991 having been a teacher of Y1 to Y7 pupils. Before that I spent a year in Sweden teaching English to adults.

Teaching

Department of Teacher Education

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Research

1996- present Research into student teachers’ attitudes to Science
1995 Writing materials for KS2 for Unilever
1996 Study of primary teachers’ minimum science knowledge in order to teach effectively
Writing materials for Junior Focus
Extent to which ‘supply teaching’ whilst a full-time student affects students’ grades
Member of steering committee for PPARC exhibition at Kelham Island Industrial Museum
2001/2 Evaluator of EAZ science activities
2003 Committee member for Yorkshire STEM Project
2003 Reviewer for Fultons educational publishing
Perceptions of student feedback (small grant funding by SHU)
2006 HEARTS funded project

Publications

2000 Belair Active Science Book 5 Folens

2000 Belair Active Science Book 6 Folens

2000 Young Weather and Climate: Hodder and Stoughton

2000 Young My Body : Hodder and Stoughton

2004 SATattack Revision materials for Key Stage 2: Ginn

Young P (1996) Sound 'Junior Focus' July 96

Young P (1998) Student teachers’ Attitudes Towards Science (STATS) Evaluation and Research in Education Vol.12:2

Burnett, C. , O'Hara, M. & Young P. (2008) Learning Goups in Practice: Students' experience of learning groups in supporting academic and professional learning within a primary Masters level PGCE Innovations and Developments in Initial Teacher Education: Escalate