Starting Science...Again?: Making Progress in Science Learning

185 Pages·2008·2.25 MB·English

by  Mr Martin Braund

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Starting Science …
Again?
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Starting Science …
again?
Making Progress in Science
Learning
Martin Braund
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©MartinBraund2008;Chapter5©CeliaMoore;
Chapter9©MartinBraundandCeliaMoore.
Firstpublished2008
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To Stephen and Hannah.
May the transitions in your lives be smooth and trouble free.
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Contents
Preface: a tale of two entrants ix
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction 1
1 Progression and continuity in learning science 5
Continuity and progression explained. Progression
in conceptual and procedural understanding. Mapping
progression using from → to statements. Integrated model of
progression in learning science
2 Moving up – but why don’t they always move on? 22
Evidence of post-transfer regression. Explaining
post-transfer regression and what can be done to
deal with it
3 Moving to the big school: Part 1 – children’s voices 35
Pupils’ attitudes to science and practical work at school
and in work. Pupils’ aspirations and fears about transfer.
Differences and similarities between science at primary
and secondary school. Implications for pupils’ scientific
literacy and bridging work
4 Moving to the big school: Part 2 – teachers’ voices 52
Assessment differences. Differences in teaching.
Teachers’ explanations for post-transfer regression
5 Bridging the divide: Part 1 63
Celia Moore
Every Child Matters (especially at transfers). The
administrative bridge. Building social bridges – open
evenings, induction days and peer mentoring. Building
curriculum and pedagogic bridges. Learning to learn
6 Bridging the divide: Part 2 – science bridging units 79
Design and teaching of STAY bridging units. Teaching
to improve continuity and progression. Criticisms of
bridging. Pupils’ and teachers’ reactions to bridging.
The true worth of bridging
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viii STARTINGSCIENCE…AGAIN?
7 Beyond bridging 99
Using Scientific Enquiry Progression Tasks (SEPTs).
‘Mouldy Old Dough’ – an example of a SEPT. Teachers’
reactions to using SEPTs
8 In the know: using assessment and recording to
improve transfer in science 113
A user-friendly transfer and assessment system. Building
in formative and diagnostic assessment. Evaluation of the
assessment scheme. The ASE pupils’ passport. Comparing
standards of pupils’ work
9 Sharing practice 126
with Celia Moore
Co-planning and co-teaching of lessons. Best practice in
the co-observation of teaching. Teachers’ reflections from
co-observation and co-teaching
10 Better progression and continuity in science:
implications for practice 137
External drivers and policies affecting transfer initiatives.
Converging and diverging pedagogy in primary and
secondary schools. Institutional conditions that allow
initiatives to work
Glossary 148
References 153
Useful websites 161
Index 162
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Preface: A Tale of Two Entrants
Amin and Lisa went to different primary schools but in September they
bothwentuptothesamehighschool,WoodtownComprehensive.Amin’s
primary school was in a small village. There were only 30 children in the
school so his Year 6 (Y6) classmates (aged 10 or 11) were mixed with chil-
drenfromtwootheryeargroups;Year4(Y4aged8or9)andYear5(Y5aged
9or10).Lisa’sprimaryschoolwasmuchlargerhaving350childrenandwas
located in a housing estate on the edge of a large town. In Lisa’s school,
there were two classes containing just Y6 children.
Like most children of their age, Amin and Lisa were looking forward to the
move to secondary school. It was not that they did not like their primary
schoolsortheirteachersthere;itwasmoreasenseofgrowingup–asortofgrad-
uationpoint,ifyoulike.Ofcourse,theyhadworriesandfearstoo.BothAmin
and Lisa were worried about being lost in such a big place and they thought
they might get picked on or bullied by older children. Some children in their
schoolshadolderbrothersandsistersatWoodtownandtheytoldthemhorror
storiesabouthowstricttheteacherswereandhowifyoudidnotdoyourhome-
workallsortsofhorriblepunishmentswouldresult.Thereweresomestoriestoo
about the science laboratories and the fiendish things that were kept in jars
thereanddangerousexplosionsthatweretheresultsoffirstyearsgettingchem-
istryexperimentswrong.BothLisaandAminwereparticularlylookingforward
todoingscienceatWoodtownandgettingtheirhandsontheBunsenburners
theyhadheardsomuchabout,andsothesetalesmadethemabitnervous.
Before the end of their final term at primary school, some teachers from
Woodtown came over to Amin and Lisa’s classes to talk to them about their
new school. One of them was a science teacher and she said that all the sto-
riestheyhadheardwererubbishandthattheywouldhaveagreattimeinsci-
ence lessons, so they were not to be scared. Two weeks later Amin and Lisa
met each other for the first time at a special induction day laid on at
Woodtownfornewentrants.Partofthedaywasaseriesofworkshopsinthe
sciencedepartment.Lisadesignedandmadearocketwhichshetestedonthe
schoolfield.Itwentover200feet(60metres)intotheair–shewassoexcited.
Aminputhishandontoasortofsilverballandallhishairstoodonendwhen
theteacherturnedthemachineon.Helaughedwhenhesawthesamething
happentootherchildren.
In the final week of term Amin and Lisa’s teachers asked them if they
wouldkeepintouchbysendingemailstoletthemknowhowtheyareget-
tingonintheirnewschool.AminandLisabothagreedthattheirteachers
could share their emails with the new Y6 classes starting in September so
that the children might not be worried about the move to the ‘big school’
whenitwastheirturnlaterintheschoolyear.AminandLisa’steacherssaid
theywouldbeparticularlyinterestedtoknowhowtheygotoninscienceas
thatwasthesubjecttheyweremostexcitedabout.