Is a "fair test" the only way to carry out science investigations? Many children (and primary teachers) following the National Curriculum in England and Wales would answer "yes" to this question. This is because fair test investigations have historically been promoted in national assessment, published curricula, schemes of work…

An innovative collaboration between the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education encourages new questions to be asked of ancient objects. In the museum galleries children work directly from ancient Egyptian objects through activities designed to encourage questioning that unpicks the technologies of the…

The benefits of using investigation for promoting scientific skills and enhanced conceptual understanding within primary science are well documented. ISE (2000) defines investigations in primary science as "the means of carrying out a fair test to explore some of the children's own ideas on how the natural or man made world works". However, a…