ERIC Number: ED652247
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Nov-28
Pages: 39
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Improving Primary Science. Guidance Report
Katie Luxton; Bob Pritchard
Education Endowment Foundation
High quality science teaching builds pupils' curiosity and critical thinking, helping them to develop a coherent understanding of the world around them. Primary science teaching plays a crucial role in shaping pupils' attitudes toward the subject, nurturing participation that can support future pathways into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Much like the other core subject areas of the national curriculum, in science, there is a stubborn gap in attainment between socio-economically disadvantaged pupils and their classmates. This gap is also reflected in pupils' participation in science, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds far less likely to progress to further study in science subjects when it is no longer compulsory. This guidance report focuses on primary science teaching of pupils between the ages of five to eleven and provides six practical recommendations, underpinned by high quality evidence, about how to make meaningful improvements to primary science teaching. It is designed to help practitioners, science subject leads, class teachers, and headteachers build on their existing expertise with a view to supporting them to close the attainment gap and cultivate positive pupil attitudes towards science.
Descriptors: Science Education, Elementary School Science, Vocabulary, Cognitive Processes, Thinking Skills, Science Process Skills, Relevance (Education), Faculty Development, Student Evaluation, Formative Evaluation
Education Endowment Foundation. 9th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, UK. Tel: +44-207-802-1676; e-mail: info@eefoundation.org.uk; Web site: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Practitioners; Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (United Kingdom)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A