When you check whether pupils in your class can do something they either can or they can’t. Then you decide…
“Didn’t You Learn This Last Year?
A class of year 7 pupils stare blankly at a teacher who has asked a question they could all answer…
Entitled to Know
I’ve been arguing about the content of the primary science curriculum; not so much with primary teachers, but with secondary…
England’s Primary Science Performance (2018).
This post is my response to reading the STAs 2018 Key Stage Two science monitoring report (here). We were due…
The Problem Solving Methods Learners Use – and How to Develop Them
Solving problems, especially in physics, has been well studied (e.g. Larkin, McDermott, Simon and Simon 1980: here and Chi, Glaser…
How Much Enquiry In My Primary Science Curriculum?
I started writing a series of posts on inquiry learning vs explicit instruction earlier in the summer. Over this period…
What Science Enquiry Skills Should I Teach?
The problem with the word ‘enquiry’ is that it means so many different things. It can mean rich authentic science…
Three Questions to Ask about Your Science Enquiry Activity
I am an enquiry sceptic. Evidence shows that when inquiry-learning techniques are used in science, the outcomes are generally worse…
A Short Blog About the Quality of Short Written Responses.
A chemistry GCSE question CO(g) + 2 H2 ⇌ CH3OH(g) The reaction is carried out at a temperature of 250oC…
Bring Back Inquiry-Based Learning
Is there a place for inquiry based learning? The answer is “yes” but only under specific conditions. An analysis of…
Reading for Learning 