Oliver Cockroft Biology 2016

Head of Environmental Science (Teacher)

Ask LOTS of question! You are there to get as much as you can from education, and the start of that journey of learning relies on you asking questions. Take as many opportunities as you can; this will broaden the skills and relationships, which may both be useful in the future.

Tell us about your time at Southampton

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Southampton. I was able to fully immerse myself in biology, having the opportunity to discover the areas within the discipline that I wanted to further research. I found that my interests lied in evolution and ecology, which I was able to explore with my module choices in my second and third year. Additionally, I was able to choose modules outside of biology, one in anthropology and one in philosophy, expanding my learning and skills across subjects. The range and expertise of the lectures and teaching fellows was obvious when interacting with them, with many providing support and advise whenever asked. The course was enhanced by the chance to take part in field research abroad, which helped ground theory in reality and provide opportunities to build friendships.

For my dissertation, I was able to grow my interest in teaching by doing a teaching based project, which included the delivery of a lesson on a current topic in biology.

The skills and knowledge I gained fully prepared me for the jobs and further learning I did after my degree. This was all accompanied by the vast facilities and societies; I was a frequent visitor to Hartley Library, the Union spaces and Stags!

Tell us about your life and career since leaving Southampton

After finishing my undergraduate degree, I worked for the university as part of the Bioblitz team. This was a fantastic opportunity to engage the public in the appreciation and care for local biodiversity; creating events and activities for families over the summer. From that I went onto do a PGCE in Further education at Southampton. This was perfect for me as I had already decided that I wanted to teach at college level. I originally was planning on teaching A Level Biology, but the course gave me the opportunity to see and teach other subjects as well, including A Level Environmental Science. A Level Environmental Science was a much better fit for me in terms of both content and philosophy. I was fortunate enough to get a position in an outstanding college teaching Environmental Science, which I have since thoroughly enjoyed teaching.

My dedication and enthusiasm for the subject has led me to continue my personal development as a teacher. I am now the head of the Environmental Science department at Peter Symonds College, as well as a question writer for the A Level qualification’s exam board. The job continues to bring new challenges, as well as allowing me to investigate the current developments in ecology and sustainability.

Pass it on! What’s your advice to current students?