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TEACHERS FAIL THEIR OWN SCIENCE LESSONS

18/09/2003

"primary school children should not be taught aspects of science that are too difficult for their teachers."

The report says that, if not taught properly, children can enter secondary school more confused than if they had never been introduced to the subjects in the first place.

The findings come in one of two far-reaching studies, commissioned by NESTA Futurelab, in which outstanding academic researchers highlight the way forward to make the best use of technology for learning.

The other study, into the role of ICT in secondary education, says lessons should educate pupils as citizens living with science, rather than aiming at the minority who will go on to choose scientific careers.

Primary Years

Author Colette Murphy looks at ways to sustain youngsters' interest in science in the face of research showing that children as young as 10 are already being put off the subject.

Top of the hate-list is the need to remember the names of the various parts of flowers, with youngsters also struggling to grasp technical terms, such as evaporation and condensation.

Yet pupils say they do enjoy more hands-on experiments, particularly using ICT. The report advocates changing the curriculum to stimulate children's interest and curiosity in science, while saving more in-depth explanation for later years.

It "strongly recommends that primary school children should not be taught aspects of science that are too difficult for their teachers."

The report laments the "huge dearth of research into which types of application might enhance different aspects of science learning. Children's books, desks, microscopes are specifically designed to enhance their learning environment - why not computers?"

Secondary Schools

The second study says well-integrated and effective classroom use of ICT is rare in secondary schools, and is confined to a minority of enthusiastic teachers or departments.

The heavy content of the National Curriculum and various assessment measures are blamed for stifling the development of ICT in the classroom.

But the report concludes: "Science education in the UK stands poised to make the second fundamental change in its nature. Having won the battle that science education should be a compulsory element of all children's education, it is now attempting to develop a curriculum which is appropriate for all."

This new direction is "eminently well-suited to the supportive use of interactive digital technology. As the school curriculum begins to forge links with the external scientific and social communities, opportunities arise for ICT use to play a central role."

The way ahead

Launching publication of the two reviews, NESTA Futurelab's newly-appointed Managing Director Annika Small said: "These reports highlight the most important questions that need to be addressed in learning with technologies in a jargon-free way. Every educator, policy maker and software designer with an interest in the role of ICT in learning and teaching science should read them."

And the reviews have been welcomed by Teacher Training Agency Chief Executive Ralph Tabberer, who said: "Futurelab has made an important statement about what it wants to bring to ICT in education: the message that, at the very heart of innovation and ICT development, educational quality should be the driver."

To download the reviews, visit www.nestafuturelab.org or for a hard copy, contact Stephen Sayers on 0117 915 8200 or email stephen.sayers@nestafuturelab.org.

These are the latest publications in the NESTA Futurelab series, offering a route map through the vast body of research into education and technology. Reports 1 - 4, published in January 2003, addressed the areas of Creativity, Languages, Thinking Skills and Citizenship.

Based in Bristol, NESTA Futurelab is a blue skies laboratory aiming to transform the way people learn by using new and emerging technologies to create rich education resources that are involving, interactive and imaginative.