Category Archives: 3.1 Teaching & Learning

Approaches to a good science lesson.

Approaches

  • Active learning and planned, purposeful play
  • development of problem-solving skills and analytical thinking skills
  • Emphasis on children explaining their understanding of concepts, informed discussion and communication.
  • development of scientific practical investigation and inquiry.
  • use of relevant contexts, familiar to young people’s experiences.
  • appropriate and effective use of technology, real materials and living things.
  • building on the principles of Assessment is for Learning.
  • collaborative learning and independent thinking.
  • assessing risk and benefit of science applications.
  • demonstrate progress through their skills in planning and carrying out practical investigations, inquiries and challenges, working individually and collaboratively, promote thinking skills, provide opportunities to consolidate and apply learning and describing and explaining their understanding of scientific ideas and concepts.
  • The key concepts have been clearly identified using five organisers:
    • Planet Earth
    • Forces, electricity and waves
    • Biological systems
    • Materials
    • Topical science.
  • While every child and young person needs to develop a secure understanding of important scientific concepts, their experience of the sciences in school must develop a lifelong interest in science and its applications.
  • stimulate the interest and motivation of children.
  • use questioning very well to recall and consolidate learners’ knowledge through peer and self-assessment.
  • move away from low level tasks such as copying notes, cutting out sections from handouts, pasting into jotters and colouring in .
  • working independently as well as collaboratively giving opportunity to discuss
  • learning out-of-doors, field trips, visits to science centres, local, national and sometimes international facilities .
  • develop scientific literacy and investigative work.
  • scientific communication through slideshows, scientific information posters, photographs, film clips or role play and other types of performances.
  • Learning outcomes and success criteria are often shared with children and young people in order to focus their learning and to allow them to understand what learning will look like and allow them to evaluate their learning.
  • Good Practice Example 30 In a pre-school nature kindergarten, the children spend almost all of their time outdoors. This provides them with a rich natural environment which is used very effectively to promote early science skills and develop children’s interests in living things. Children are developing their powers of observation and investigation very well. They are well aware of change and its effects on them, for example, their own growth, changes in weather, trees, flowers and plants. Children enjoy observing living things, for example, they know where to find the ‘toad’ outdoors in the garden. They are learning about planting and growing and know that you need sunshine and rain to make some things grow for example, carrots, peas, onions, strawberries, tomatoes, planting trees. Through their daily walks into the wild wood, children explore their natural environment and fulfil their inquiry, creativity and problem-solving skills.

 

Reflection, why is it important to reflect?

Reflection is one of the most important ways in developing as a future primary school teacher. Reflecting on my work makes me aware of my own strengths and weaknesses. Highlighting your weaknesses allows you to react quickly and improve and progress as a practitioner.

Within the first semester at university, when completely tasks or being involved within discussions I came to the realisation that I had very low confidence. I did not have the confidence in myself to speak out within workshops or lectures or even have the confidence to complete work as I did not think it was good enough. As the semester went on I didn’t gain full confidence but I realised that everyone is different and everyone learns in different ways. If I didn’t speak up then I wasn’t engaging with everyone in my group and this held me back as I wasn’t learning from my peers and my peers didn’t get my view point.

Now I look back on this and I am so glad that I reflected on my confidence when I did because now I am a much more confident person and will now speak out in front of larger groups of people. I have gained the confidence to ask questions to my peers and lecturers if I don’t understand something as no question is a silly question. Reflection within the teaching profession is key for instances like this when it may be one of your weaknesses but reflecting back on it you can make it into a strength by working on it. Within this profession you will have to do a lot of reflection as you will be progressing and learning throughout the whole time of being a teacher, there may be some things you struggling more with but its all about improving.

Dance Workshop

My first input within the module Teaching Across the Curriculum was a dance workshop. The workshop opened my eyes to realise that it not only is an aspect which keeps the children active it also allows them to develop many other aspects of their learning. It allows the children to have fun whilst developing themselves.

Dance as an area within the curriculum is a very important aspect as I realised more after the workshop. Dance can increase the child’s confidence majorly. I feel dance brings out a creative side in everyone and allows the children to be open minded and express themselves. It allows the children to come up with new creative ideas to show everyone. By showing their new ideas to their classmates this allows the children to gain the confidence to stand in front of people and perform. Due to the children being able to be themselves they see this as an opportunity to have fun and its a new exciting way to learn instead of being in the classroom.

I am a dancer myself and the workshop made me realise its not all about making a routine or learning a routine. Dance can be so much more and can actually relate to many areas of the curriculum if you plan the lesson correctly and effectively. For example Numeracy is incorporated within dance as you are always counting to the music. An example which was given at the workshop was R.M.E incorporated into dance, learning about religion on the move. Drama could be incorporated by using movement instead of language to be dramatic. I feel dance can be taught in many ways and can develop many aspects of the curriculum.

Dance also is a very social aspect. It allows the children to get to know each other by working together. This was proven at the workshop when I met more people on my course that I had not spoke to before.  Meeting new people will bring out different characteristics from everyone. It will develop each child’s confidence by seeing all the different characteristics within the group. For example if one child is more confident at performing in front of people than another child, the child can encourage the other child to not be scared to perform and this will be developing the child to be able to do this in the future.

The workshop for me was the perfect insight to see how dance can be taught in many different ways and can meet the curriculum in many other aspects too. I look forward to putting this knowledge into practice when out on placement.