1. Salters Horners Advanced Physics
The context-led approach for
Edexcel GCE Physics

2. SHAP and Edexcel
Since 2008 Edexcel has offered a single AS/A-level specification.
Students can prepare for assessment via
a context-led approach (SHAP);
a concept-led (‘traditional’) approach;
a pick-and-mix combination of approaches.
Prior to 2008 Edexcel had 2 specifications – SHAP and ‘traditional’ – each with its own assessment.

3. 1 SHAP philosophy and rationale
2 Overview of the SHAP course
3 SHAP in practice

4. Variety of practical and ICT activities
Key features of SHAP
Context led
Variety of practical and ICT activities
Integral scientific, mathematical and key skills
Addresses ‘how science works’
Developed by teachers, academics and industrialists
Resources for teachers, students and technicians
Extension and revision materials
Flexible resources enable differentiation
On-going support from University of York
SHAP development began in the late 1990s, led from the University of York Science Education Group. 4

5. Why ‘Salters Horners’? City Livery Companies
origins in mediaeval salt and horn trades
now charitable organisations
support science education
funded initial SHAP development
(along with industrial sponsors)
continue to support SHAP

6. Why use contexts?
To increase student interest and motivation
To generate a ‘spiral curriculum’
To develop practical and other activities
To illustrate possible career opportunities
To address ‘how science works’

7. Why use contexts?
To increase student interest and motivation
Students often want to know ‘why are we doing this?’
Putting the context/application up-front provides a clear rationale.
For many students, the application also helps them to understand the physics.

8. To generate a ‘spiral curriculum’
Why use contexts?
To generate a ‘spiral curriculum’
The course is structured around contexts (e.g. music, transport) rather than concepts (e.g. mechanics, dc circuits).
Students revisit key areas of physics on several occasions, applying and extending their knowledge and understanding in a variety of contexts .

9. Why use contexts?
To develop practical and other activities
SHAP includes many practical and ICT activities that are related to contexts and applications.
Many of these activities were developed specifically for SHAP.

10. Why use contexts?
To illustrate possible career opportunities
Students sometimes have a limited idea of possible physics-related careers. Setting the physics in context opens students’ eyes to the wide variety of careers available to those who study the subject.

11. Why use contexts?
To address ‘how science works’
Issues such as peer review, ethical considerations and so on arise naturally from the context rather than being seen as an add-on to the content.

12. The EPPI (Evidence, Policy and Practice Initiative) Review
What evidence is there that teaching approaches that emphasise placing science in context and promote links between science, technology and society improve the understanding of science ideas and the attitudes to science of year-old pupils?
Bennett, J., Lubben, F. and Hogarth, S. (2007) Bringing science to life: a synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching. Science Education, 91 (3),
This was a systematic review, bringing together research findings from many studies carried out in the UK and overseas. Studies were included only if they met various selection criteria e.g. clear rigorous methodology; minimum sample size, etc.

13. most students enjoy their science lessons more
The EPPI Review
The review indicates that using contexts as starting points in science teaching has benefits over conventional approaches:
most students enjoy their science lessons more
students understand the science at least as well as they would on conventional courses
some students feel more positively disposed towards studying science in the future.
The eppi website contains details of this and several other reviews relating to science education.

14. Contexts used in SHAP were selected using several criteria e.g.
potential to interest young people
appropriate level of physics
focus on no more than 3 major areas of physics
availability of expert advice and information
potential to develop student activities
variety (e.g. personal, industrial, frontier research, cultural)
Within each context students need to make noticeable progress in at least one area of physics. This is hard to achieve if too many different content areas need to be considered within a given context.

15. Contexts used in SHAP Sport Food industry Surgery Rail transport
Space technology
Music
Archaeology
Rail transport
Telecommunications
Particle physics
Building design
Astronomy
Several other contexts were researched and considered before the developers made this final selection.

16. Example of a context-led teaching/learning activity: bungee jumping
This comes part way through the sport-based chapter, where students have previously done some work on motion graphs and equations, elastic properties of cords, and energy conservation. The section on bungee-jumping is introduced by a short first-hand account of doing a bungee jump.
Images: SHAP AS book Figures 1.46 and 1.47

17. Bungee challenge Set up a model bungee jump using a piece of elastic.
By calculating elastic energy from a force-extension graph, you can work out the height from which an object of given mass can ‘jump’ with a given piece of elastic, so that it will just miss the floor.

18. Bungee challenge
Students are given a graph of energy vs extension for a thin elastic cord
They are told the mass of the model jumper (e.g. a Lego person).
Without access to the apparatus, they predict the launch height .
We suggest 50 cm knitting elastic for the cord, and a Lego person.
Students could generate their own energy graph from a force-extension graph (though this is time-consuming).
The launch prediction works well as a homework exercise.

19. Bungee challenge Self evaluation
I/we predicted the correct height and achieved a drop that was both safe and exciting.
I/we predicted too high. The jumper complained that s/he had not been scared enough.
I/we would not be hired as bungee operators.
Students really want to know whether they have predicted correctly. The context helps motivate them to get to grips with some physics that is quite challenging at AS level.

20. 1 SHAP philosophy and rationale
2 Overview of the SHAP course
3 SHAP in practice

21. Edexcel GCE Physics AS Physics A2 Physics Unit 1 Written paper Unit 2
HFS EAT SUR
Written paper
Unit 2
MUS SPC DIG
Unit 3
Internal
assessment
Unit 4
TRA MDM PRO
Unit 5
BLD STA
Unit 6
The Edexcel specification is presented both under SHAP context-based chapter headings and under concept headings (e.g. DC electricity) 21

22. SHAP AS
Unit 1 Higher, Faster, Stronger
Good Enough to Eat
Spare Part Surgery
Unit 2 The Sound of Music
Technology in Space
Digging up the Past
Unit 3 Internal assessment

23. Higher, Faster, Stronger (HFS)
How can athletes and coaches monitor and improve technique?
How does sports equipment and clothing affect performance?
How can sporting activities be made both exciting and safe?
The picture shows a ‘Tyrolean traverse’. Rock-climbing is used to introduce triangles of forces and static equilibrium.
SHAP AS book Figure 1.17

24. equations and graphs of motion vectors projectiles Newton’s laws
Sports:
sprinting, tennis, weightlifting, high-jump, climbing, bungee jumping, skiing
equations and graphs of motion
vectors
projectiles
Newton’s laws
kinetic and potential energy
use of ICT, datalogging
The picture shows a model ski-jump, developed for SHAP and used to introduce projectile motion.

25. Good Enough to Eat (EAT) What part does physics play
in making biscuits and sweets?
In SHAP, sweets and biscuits are used to help students appreciate the technical meaning of terms such as ‘hard’ and ‘brittle’, and to introduce quantitative work on material properties.
How is food manufacture monitored and controlled?

26. Chocolate confectionery fluid flow viscosity Sweets and biscuits
mechanical properties
of materials
laboratory practical skills
Food distribution
packaging
food miles
In this picture a SHAP teacher demonstrates using an ‘optical lever’ to measure the deflection of a wafer biscuit in a three-point bend test.

27. Spare Part Surgery (SUR)
What factors are important when designing replacement joints and prosthetics?
How can the properties of a
material be measured and
controlled?
The image shows an X-ray image of a replacement hip joint.
SHAP AS book Figure 3.1(a)

28. Replacement joints and prosthetics stress, strain, Young modulus
Designer materials
polymers
structure and properties
Ethical issues relating to surgery
In the activity pictured, SHAP students measure the Young modulus of a sample of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and compare its properties to medical-grade UHMWPE for use in replacement hip joints.

29. The Sound of Music (MUS)
What determines the pitch and loudness of a sound?
What affects the quality of
sound from a musical
instrument?
How does a CD player work?
A SHAP students is seen here using software to explore the sound of a trombone

30. Musical instruments travelling waves superposition standing waves
use of ICT
e.g. Audacity
Image: testing the sound board of a violin.
SHAP AS book Figure 4.30

31. photons and energy levels reflection and refraction polarisation
CD player
superposition
photons and energy levels
reflection and refraction
polarisation
This picture shows a rotating model CD, developed for SHAP, which uses 3 cm waves to demonstrate how digital information is stored on, and read from, a CD or DVD.

32. Technology in Space (SPC)
What is the best way to
provide electrical power
for instruments on a space
craft?
How do extremes of
temperature affect
electrical components?
How can position and speed be measured remotely?
Image: the International Space Station obtains its electrical power using solar panels.
SHAP AS book Figure 5.6

33. current, emf, power, resistance internal resistance
Power supply
dc circuits
current, emf, power, resistance
internal resistance
maximum power transfer
Solar cells
photoelectric effect
radiation flux
efficiency
The picture shows apparatus developed for SHAP which uses off-cuts of photovoltaic panel as the power source in a simple circuit. Students use the apparatus to review and extend their GCSE knowledge, and to explore internal resistance. 33

34. temperature and resistance Remote sensing pulse-echo Doppler effect
Space environment
temperature and resistance
Remote sensing
pulse-echo
Doppler effect
Space research
ethical questions
environmental issues
Image: Corral de Piedra, Argentina, mapped by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.
SHAP AS book Figure 5.53 34

35. Digging up the Past (DIG) How do archaeologists decide where to dig?
How can specimens be
examined and analysed?
In the SHAP activity pictured, students measure the resistance between two probes in order to locate regions of low and high resistivity (conductive and non-conductive paper). This models a resistive survey used by archaeologists to locate buried structures.

36. X-ray analysis of artefacts electromagnetic spectrum
Site surveying
dc circuits
resistivity
X-ray analysis of artefacts
electromagnetic spectrum
diffraction and superposition
X-ray image of an Egyptian mummy
SHAP AS book Figure 6.22

37. Archaeologists at work detecting fakes and hoaxes
Microscopic analysis
resolution
electron diffraction
Archaeologists at work
detecting fakes and hoaxes
digging sensitive sites
Image: electron micrographs of pollen grains, used in archaeological analysis
SHAP AS book Figure 6.40

38. AS Unit 3 Exploring Physics
EITHER a record of a
physics-based visit
OR a case study report
Visits have been made to cinemas,
aero-engineering labs, university
departments, hospitals, swimming
pools, heating plants, opticians,
particle accelerators, supermarkets …
AND one related laboratory practical assessment
The picture shows SHAP students in the projection room while on a visit to a cinema.

39. SHAP A2
Unit 4 Transport on Track
The Medium is the Message
Probing the Heart of Matter
Unit 5 Build or Bust?
Reach for the Stars
Unit 6 Internal assessment

40. Transport on Track (TRA) How can a rail transport
system be designed to
operate safely
and efficiently?
Eurostar locomotive
SHAP A2 book Figure 1.1

41. DC circuits and switching Force and momentum Work and energy
Rail transportation
DC circuits and switching
Force and momentum
Work and energy
Magnetic fields
Electromagnetic force
Capacitors: discharge
Planning a rail route
This illustration shows two SHAP activities. In the foreground, a magnet attached to a model engine induces an emf in coils of wire (displayed on the screen), enabling the engine’s position, speed and acceleration to be monitored.
In the background, the speed of a ‘runaway train’ is deduced using capacitor discharge, and a force sensor in the buffer produces a graph of impact force against time.

42. The Medium is the Message (MDM)
How is information sent,
received and displayed?
Display screens
SHAP A2 book Figure 2.1(b)

43. Telecommunication and display Uniform electric field
Capacitors: energy
Charged particles in magnetic field
LED and LCD displays
Power demands
– environmental issues
Fibre optics: exponential attenuation
Here SHAP students are exploring attenuation of a signal in an optical fibre. The fibre is modelled by a strip of gelatine and the signal is the output from an infrared diode.

44. Probing the Heart of Matter (PRO)
How do particle physicists
explore matter?
What are the fundamental
particles of matter?
What forces govern
their interactions?
The ATLAS experiment, part of the LHC at CERN
SHAP A2 book Figure 3.58

45. Particle physics research nuclear atom Coulomb’s law
momentum and energy
circular motion
mass-energy
particles in E and B fields
quark-lepton model
funding
peer review
Particle tacks from a quark-gluon plasma
SHAP A2 book Figure 3.1(b)

46. Build or bust? (BLD)
How can buildings be designed to withstand earthquakes?
How can buildings be
sound-proofed?
heated and cooled?
Here a student is using a model earthquake table, designed for SHAP, to explore SHM and resonance.

47. Building design to withstand earthquakes SHM resonance and damping
mechanical properties
Heating and cooling
specific heat capacity
In this SHAP activity students use a car heater matrix to explore heat transfer by a ‘radiator’.

48. Reach for the Stars (STA) How can we study distant stars and galaxies?
How do stars form?
How do they die?
How old is the universe?
How will it change in the future?
Image: long-exposure photograph of the night sky
SHAP A2 book Figure 5.29

49. Astrophysics and cosmology standard candles Stefan’s and Wien’s laws
gravitation
motion in a circle
radioactivity
and decay
fission and fusion
molecular kinetic theory
Image: some of the most distant galaxies yet observed
SHAP A2 book Figure 5.1(c)

50. A2 Unit 6 Experimental Physics
A ‘long experiment’ (2 hours)
planned and undertaken
by individual students
Here a SHAP student is investigating how momentum and energy are transferred from golf-club to golf-ball. 50

51. 1 SHAP philosophy and rationale
2 Overview of the SHAP course
3 SHAP in practice

52. SHAP students
“I do a lot of bungee jumping myself ... So when you actually do the physics of it and it is presented in a less than formal manner when the teaching starts off, then it can be quite entertaining. It was just interesting to calculate.”
“I liked the Secrets of Resistance, because the topic would mean nothing without being able to apply it to something. It made sense with this application.”
“The compact disc player, that is obviously something we use quite a lot as teenagers. You just take it out and just assume it plays. It was interesting to learn about how.”
Like the second student quoted, many SHAP students find that the contexts and applications help them get to grips with the physics.

53. Destinations of SHAP students Engineering 20% Physics 12 %
Computer science 10%
Maths 10%
These figures are from a survey carried out over two years. Nearly all of the remaining SHAP students studied other STEM subjects e.g. chemistry, medicine.
Nationally, the vast majority of A-level physics students to on to study STEM subjects at degree level, and about 10% of them enrol on physics degrees.

54. SHAP teachers and technicians
are supported by the SHAP project office at the
University of York
receive regular newsletters
join support groups
can attend CPD courses.
The picture shows participants at a SHAP residential course at the University of York

55. SHAP teachers
“In all of our contacts with outside companies ... there has been a tremendous response in terms of wanting to help students understand physics and engineering in the real world, and to encourage students into careers in these areas.”
“Everything they have learnt so far has fallen into place and they can now explain new material for themselves.”
“This is physics in the real world, the world my students live in. It is physics which is so obviously useful and interesting.”

56. “I’ve enjoyed SHAP so much, as have my students and the
SHAP teacher
“I’ve enjoyed SHAP so much, as have my students and the
other teachers. We have had fantastic results – usually Physics is the students’ best subject, equalling or beating Maths. Our ALIS data shows a 3% above the normal ranges.
I think it is the context which keeps the students’ interest.
Students usually carry on to A2 after AS – usually the only ones who drop it are those who leave the school having failed everything else. We have more students
going on to physics at University, too, than ever before.”
This comment was made by a teacher in an to the SHAP office just before she retired.

57. SHAP publications AS Student Book ISBN 978 1 4058 9602 3
AS Teacher and Technician Resource Pack
ISBN
A2 Student Book
ISBN
A2 Teacher and Technician Resource Pack
ISBN

58. Contextual information Explanation of physics concepts and principles
SHAP publications
Student books contain
Contextual information
Explanation of physics concepts and principles
Worked examples
Brief details of activities
Maths notes
Questions
Answers to some questions
Summaries of expected learning outcomes
There is one full-colour student book for each year of the course

59. SHAP publications Teacher and Technician Resource Packs contain
Additional student sheets
reviews of earlier work
extension work
further details of activities
end of chapter tests
lists of data and formulae
Chapter overviews
Summaries of expected learning outcomes
Advice and suggestions for teaching
Answers to questions from the book
Mark schemes for tests
Addresses of apparatus and software suppliers
Instructions for making and assembling apparatus
The resource packs run in parallel with the student books ie one for each year of the course.

60. SHAP project website at University of York
Contacts
SHAP project website at University of York
SHAP Director
SHAP Administrator
Awarding body Edexcel
Course materials distributed by Pearson Education

61. Other Salters Advanced Science projects
Salters Advanced Chemistry (SAC)
Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology (SNAB)
Administrator for SHAP, SAC and SNAB