This funding supports the Association for Science Education’s (ASE) commitment to including Big Questions in Classrooms (BQiC) resources and the theme of "how knowledge works in science and Religious Education (RE)" in their programs for the science education sector.

For this project, Marianne Cutler, Director of Curriculum and Innovation at ASE, will dedicate part of her time to continually promote BQiC themes directly (e.g., by organizing BQiC-specific events) and indirectly (e.g., by drawing attention and speaking to how BQiC topics and themes connect with other priorities in the science education sector). In-kind contributions from ASE include time of the CEO, Lynn Ladbrooke, and time from advisory group members who indicated commitment to this project. 

The project will support:

1. A dedicated Big Questions in Classrooms event featuring BQiC resources and related content at every ASE Annual Conference, which typically draws more than 2,000 delegates.

2. Development and maintenance of a dedicated section on the ASE website for interdisciplinary and dialogic teaching in science education, featuring BQiC resources and materials.

3. Development and dissemination of “Scopes Monkey Trial 100 Years On,” a classroom resource for biology teachers that has already been positively received in trials. Marking the 2025 centennial of the Scopes Trial, these materials explore the historical, philosophical, and sociocultural implications of that event for understanding evolution and its relevance today.

4. A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for primary teachers, science leaders, and teacher educators on wider interdisciplinary dialogic teaching that is underpinned by ASE's own Key Moments in History: A Fossil Hunter’s Story, Philosophy for Children, York University's Science Beyond the Boundaries MOOC, and other evidence-informed effective strategies for interdisciplinary dialogic teaching and oracy.

Collectively, these activities aim to amplify awareness and engagement with “how knowledge works” in science and interdisciplinary learning while helping shape education policy and practice within the UK and beyond.