Science Hunters is a UK outreach project that uses "Minecraft" (a computer game that allows children to build with a wide range of blocks) to engage children with science. Sessions are based on a range of science topics and include practical activities. A new topic, on bioluminescence, was designed in collaboration with staff and…

Some teachers are confident in teaching science and some feel that they are less so. The author sees her role as Science Leader as being to support, engage and inspire staff to deliver an exciting curriculum that gets children to ask questions, build confidence to have a go…and have a go again. In this article, the author talks about using…

Following a learning experience with one of her Year 2 students, whose extreme and challenging behavior required extra support from a teaching assistant (TA) but who loved practical hands-on science days and investigations, it occurred to the author that there must be hundreds of children and TAs all over the UK facing challenging dilemmas every…

Carol Bostrom describes how she used frogs as a starting point for learning to leap forward as curiosity spread beyond the classroom. She believed that this would take the children's engagement with learning a step further, arouse their curiosity and enable them to appreciate the need to be respectful and considerate of other living things. She…

As the Science Co-ordinator at St Paul's RC Primary School, the author has been involved in producing and trialling resources for the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project over the last four years. This article explains how St Paul's has used the Focused Assessments (FAs). The author has always tried to promote enquiry-based…

Learning outdoors can be a powerful pedagogical tool in a teachers science arsenal and one that can be exploited throughout the year to teach a variety of science topics. In his first article on outdoor learning in science, the author considered which areas of science could be taught outdoors and the resources that can be used; in this follow-up…

What is the future for school science and in particular for practical work? This article explores the question from four perspectives and seeks solutions for different age groups in the UK and beyond.

In this article, Helen Spring explains how a 'wow' activity is a great place to start learning outside the classroom. It will enthuse both children and staff. Teachers new to outdoor learning can start with something simple like having students use double-sided sticky tape to collect as many colours as they can from the school grounds. Then look…

This chapter investigates the impact and relative advantages of two engagement models for delivering science-specific PD: school-led partnerships and external-led PD delivered by STEM experts. Traditionally professional development (PD) led by professional education experts has been used to improve the quality of science teaching and learning in…

Terry Russell and Linda McGuigan of the University of Liverpool draw on their classroom research to offer their thoughts on argumentation, an aspect of "working scientifically," with contributions from two recent research collaborators: Janet Hamilton teaching 4-6 year-olds and Joanne Geldard teaching science to 10-11 year-olds. Between…

Changes in society can, on occasion, lead to new demands on schooling, and on science education in particular. A major such demand in the 1960s led to a conceptual form of science that has dominated school science education ever since. Subsequent major societal demands have usually not been nearly as successful in redefining school science…

In this article, Jane Winter describes a pilot project that uses a simple and engaging science activity to raise children's science capital, as well as increasing understanding of the potential of science to combat world problems. "Potatoes to plastics" is a Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) project, aimed at key stage 2…

A constructivist philosophy underpinning science teaching and learning for over 100 years in United Kingdom (UK) classrooms places "conceptual change" at the heart of classroom work in which children's scientific ideas form, strengthen and change. In this article, the author explains how the simple, effective method of "eyes…

Julie Wiskow's fascination with space started in 2013-2014 when her year 5 (age 9-10 year) class took part in the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) Primary Space project and they were one of the first primary schools in the UK to achieve a Gold "Space Education Quality Mark". The experience was a huge success, with…

Having just completed his newly qualified teacher certification (NQT), David Church was grateful to be given the role of science subject leader at his school. As it was his first subject leader role, he was unsure about how to proceed with improving the teaching and learning of science. Aware of the Primary Science Quality Mark award (PSQM) and…