- Tuesday 11 April 2017
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'Jack of all trades, master of none.' This term is often applied to most primary school teachers. Teachers have to work within a loaded curricula. This often means that teachers aren't able to teach all subjects as well as they would like. Most teachers aim to be masters of all subjects.
Science teaching in primary schools has a number of different issues:
- Low confidence teaching science because teachers do not have an in-depth understanding of the subject or how to implement it.
- Time! Subjects like science and the arts will be pushed into the background, or only taught superficially.
- Availability of resources.
- Hands-on science activities are still emphasised in schools. This means that science is taught as a stand-alone subject, and not connected to other learning areas or the student's experiences of life.
There are ways to combat these issues:
- Teach science across the curriculum—students can make connections and transfer knowledge and understanding.
- Effective science teaching should take place in supportive learning environments:
- that are engaging with visual displays,
- that create a desire for students to find out something,
- where students have a sense of belonging, and
- where talk is encouraged to help students clarify their scientific understanding.
- Science teaching must be relevant to the students i.e. how it connects to their daily lives.
- Finding out what prior knowledge students have plays a large part in helping students develop sound science learning. Assessment in all forms, therefore, is another key factor in ensuring students monitor their own learning.
There are a lot of issues to contend with but consider what learning experiences are already being provided for your students that may include science learning. The best advice is to 'have a go'. Your students will thank you for it!
Click on the titles below to view our amazing science resources.
