A Guide for Primary Science Teachers Just like the citizens of a city built in an earthquake zone, scientists carry…
Progression of Ideas in Physics from EYFS to Y6 – booklet
I put this together in the summer of 2021 and published it on this site (here). I’m using it next…
How do we manage our working memories?
According to Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), we solve problems using our working memories. Once our working memories are confronted with…
How We Think about Energy
We talk about energy all of the time. We all have an idea of what energy is, sometimes several conflicting…
Bad Baselines
At the start of a school year, it is common for class teachers to set a baseline task. These serve…
Inhibitory Control: how the brain supports working memory
Further Reading Diamond, A (2013) Executive Functions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084861/ EEF review: Stop and Think: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/learning-counterintuitive-concepts
What’s The Point of Practical in Primary Science?
We spend quite a lot of science time in primary getting practical, but is this a good use of time?…
How to ‘Rosenshine’ Your Primary Science Lessons
I have created a mini-workbook to go with this post in case it is helpful: here. If you haven’t heard…
What Does Explicit Instruction Look Like in Key Stage 2 Science?
Explicit instruction has a negative reputation in primary science. I often hear or read about explicit instruction described as ‘drill…
Where Does Enquiry Belong?
Short answer: in science lessons, use enquiry once pupils already know the content. You might ask: Why use a pedagogical…
Reading for Learning 