Misconceptions In Primary Science

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There are now some studies showing the success of this approach in science classrooms. [footnote 210] They show that young children benefit from guided retrieval practice. [footnote 211] For example, adding knowledge to partially completed concept maps was more effective than free recall. With the enormous potential for misconceptions across the curriculum in science, there are a number of approaches we should adopt around science misconceptions in our day-to-day teaching: Pupils are not expected to learn disciplinary knowledge only through taking part in practical work – disciplinary knowledge should be taught using the most effective methods. A solution to these problems is to organise the school curriculum so that disciplinary knowledge is embedded within the substantive content of biology, chemistry and physics. This enables pupils to see the important interplay between both categories of knowledge, allowing pupils to:

Overuse of external assessment items, such as GCSE or A-level questions, is avoided because this narrows the curriculum and leads to superficial progress that does not prepare pupils for further study. Assessment as learning draws on the cognitive principle that pupils are more likely to remember knowledge if they practise retrieving that knowledge over extended periods of time. This is known as the testing effect. It involves pupils recalling information successfully from long-term memory into their working memory. Once disciplinary knowledge is introduced, it is used and developed in a range of different substantive contexts. Since there are a variety of ways that schools can construct and teach a high-quality science curriculum, it is important to recognise that there is no singular way of achieving high-quality science education. There are at least 2 important implications of this research for establishing our understanding of a high-quality science education.To navigate these tensions successfully, teachers and subject leaders require in-depth knowledge of science and how to teach it, as well as an understanding of how pupils learn. Building teachers’ knowledge is therefore a central plank of high-quality science education. The evidence in this review suggests that this knowledge should be developed in relation to the curriculum that is taught. Print or save to PDF Similar findings about the importance of teachers’ questioning and quality talk, during or after practical work, have been reported elsewhere. [footnote 157] These further support Millar’s view that effective practical work must form part of a wider instructional strategy. [footnote 158] Practical work and objects of study Science education also provides the foundation for a range of diverse and valuable careers that are crucial for economic, environmental and social development. [footnote 9] National context Primary and the early years foundation stage Together, these 3 principles show that a high-quality science education carefully balances several competing priorities/tensions. For example:

Analysis of pupil responses and outcome data from PISA 2015 reveals that teacher-directed science instruction is positively associated with science performance in almost all countries. [footnote 167] Teacher-directed instruction (as defined by PISA) involves the following: This review explores the literature relating to the field of science education. Its purpose is to identify factors that can contribute to high-quality school science curriculums, assessment, pedagogy and systems. We will use this understanding of subject quality to examine how science is taught in England’s schools. We will then publish a subject report to share what we have learned. In 2019, 26.6% of pupils were entered for triple science and just over 95% of pupils were entered for English Baccalaureate ( EBacc) science. [footnote 24] This is an increase of over 30 percentage points since the EBacc science measure was first introduced in 2010. This has coincided with a large decrease in the number of pupils being entered for BTEC applied science at key stage 4. [footnote 25] The number of pupils studying A levels in biology, chemistry and physics is also encouraging, being at its highest level for 10 years in 2019. [footnote 26] There is a risk that by categorising knowledge as either disciplinary or substantive in the curriculum, it is taught separately. For example, pupils may be taught disciplinary knowledge only in standalone ‘skills’ units. This should be avoided. [footnote 74] A curriculum focusing on either substantive or disciplinary knowledge leads to at least 2 problematic models of curriculum design that misrepresent the discipline of science.The review draws on a range of sources, including our ‘Education inspection framework: overview of research’ and our 3 phases of curriculum research. [footnote 2] Consolidation of knowledge takes time. The curriculum therefore needs to not just take account of when new component knowledge is introduced, but also ensure that there is sufficient time for this knowledge to be practised and securely remembered in long-term memory. As well as seeking coherence within and between the scientific disciplines, pupils need to make relevant connections between knowledge from other subject disciplines, for example between mathematics and physics. Millar outlines 5 related, but distinct, purposes of practical work in helping pupils learn substantive knowledge. [footnote 147] These are set out below in table 2, along with our own examples. Early-stage teachers in particular have timetables that allow them to develop expertise in one science and that do not give them too many key stages to teach.

Substantive knowledge in science is organised according to the 3 subject disciplines: biology, chemistry and physics. Earth science is frequently considered to be a fourth but is typically taught through the other 3 disciplines in England’s schools. Each discipline has its own ontological, methodological and epistemic rules. [footnote 50] But they all belong to ‘science’ because they are disciplines that explain the material world. Within each discipline, there are subdisciplines [footnote 51] such as cell biology, electromagnetics and organic chemistry. These are characterised by the methods and scientific theories they use.Neither should these encounters be restricted to just making science relevant. They should also reveal phenomena that pupils have never encountered before. This includes meeting the national curriculum requirement that science must be taught in the laboratory, in the field and in other environments. [footnote 161] By doing so, pupils learn a more authentic perspective of science [footnote 162] – that science is not just done in laboratories. Challenges of practical work Acquiring disciplinary knowledge is an important goal of the national curriculum. [footnote 59] This goes beyond simply doing practical work or collecting data. [footnote 60] It includes learning about the concepts and procedures that scientists use to develop scientific explanations which, in turn, have implications for the status and nature of the scientific knowledge produced. [footnote 61] There is strong correlational evidence to show that reading achievement is associated with science achievement generally. [footnote 194] Research suggests that any school approach that improves pupils’ reading will, in turn, help pupils to learn science and vice versa. [footnote 195] Reading well-written scientific texts helps pupils familiarise themselves with key vocabulary and the conceptual relations between these words that form explanations. [footnote 196] Younger pupils who cannot yet read will learn vocabulary when teachers discuss it and present it to them. [footnote 197] This might be through listening to storybooks and non-fiction texts, as well as rhymes and poems. This is made even more effective when key vocabulary and meanings are introduced through explicit teaching approaches alongside shared book reading. [footnote 198] For example, teachers may focus on specific words before, during and after reading a storybook. This sequence is then repeated during a second reading of the book. Picture books can also help young pupils learn accurate scientific information. A study involving 4- and 5-year-olds showed that picture books were effective in teaching them about falling objects. Pupils learned that heavier objects do not fall faster than lighter objects, despite many pupils starting with this misconception. [footnote 199] It is research based, but written in a practical way and focuses on the use of models, analogies, CASE, interviewing and other strategies.