Merseyside Police and their horses have visited Further Additional Sciences students in Years 10 and 11.
The visit was part of their biology behaviour unit and they were looking at how the horses are trained using different methods of learned behaviour, such as the role of habituation and operant conditioning.
Students received talks from the horse handlers and then asked questions about the horses’ training. It was a practical, hands on experience of understanding biology and how it is in action in the real world. They were particularly interested to relate seeing the horses at football matches and around the city centre with the subject they are learning.
Ms Condell, teacher of Science at the Academy said “We are really appreciative to PC Bain and his colleagues at Merseyside Police for supporting the students in this way. It was an amazing, practical experience for the students and an opportunity for them to see their studies in Biology in action so clearly.”
Students agreed, adding “It was interesting to understand how the police have to remain even more calm than usual when they are on horseback as otherwise the horses will get scared. This must be hard during crowds and riots.” Another student also commented “I liked the demonstration the police officers gave us of how they would arrest someone from horseback. It was really interesting.”
Staff and students to continue their learning in Further Additional Sciences – and look forward to more opportunities to connect their learning with real-life experiences.
