2 Prof. Knowledge & Understanding | Megan Blakeman's ePortfolio

After reading “The Sciences: 3-18”, page 25-33, I feel there are a number of key factors in planning an effective science lesson.

Firstly, as the teacher, you must create a positive learning environment to engage the children in the lesson. It is important for children to be actively involved in their learning which can involve practical activities, for example experiments or outdoor activities. It can also involve independently analysing data from research in a variety of ways such as using ICT. By giving children responsibility in their learning, they will enjoy the lesson and also be challenged. This will develop their skills in science.

Furthermore, there are several opportunities to develop skills in science. Literacy and numeracy are combined in science as numbers are used regularly and results can often be recorded as a report. There is also a wide opportunity for children to develop skills in problem solving, organisation and teamwork, along with several more. An effective science lesson will contribute to the development of these skills which will be beneficial in all areas of the curriculum.

Lastly, a science lesson will be more effective if it relates to real life or personal experiences. This allows children to understand the topic and put it in context of their own life which creates relevance in the teaching. By teaching in this way, children are instantly interested in finding out more and enjoy the lesson. This will make an effective lesson as they are more likely to be focused and work to the best of their ability.

Last week’s maths input opened my mind to many reasons why our maths ability really is more important than we think. As we become aware of the growing number of people who suffer from maths anxiety, we must look at ways to overcome it but most importantly, prevent it. We must firstly disregard the myths we are told around maths; “you are either good or bad at maths” or “maths is for geeks”. As teachers we have a responsibility and the opportunity to change these stereotypical views.

Maths and numeracy are used in our everyday lives and it is important for each child to have the ability to work with numbers. They are categorised as the ‘Responsibility of All’ and are used throughout the curriculum. For example, measurements and graphs in Science, distance in Physical Education and sequence and pattern in Art. By making children aware maths is in everything we do, it will be less scary to them when it comes to a stand alone maths lesson. As teachers, we can also make children more confident in maths by talking about it more often. This will allow children to make sense of mathematical situations and understand different approaches to reaching the correct answers.

Finally, it is important to step away from the standard textbook approach in maths and make it more interesting and memorable for children. By using, for example, ICT or outdoor activities, the children will become more intrigued in the lesson and therefore more focused on the learning.

The Key to an effective Science lesson

Why do we need Maths?