The importance of science in the primary curriculum
I’ve always loved Gary Larson cartoons since I first came across them during my student days and spent what was left of my overdraft on a couple of the anthologies. (For those of you who don’t know who Gary Larson is… He drew the famous ‘Far Side’ Cartoons).
The other day, I found these books in the loft and showed them to my daughters. One of the ongoing themes they noticed was that Gary Larson cartoons frequently involve scientists. And the scientists are behaving… well, childishly, for want of a better word. And they are behaving childishly in the best possible sense. They are investigating enthusiastically; challenging the orthodoxy; and through their actions and reactions (very appropriately for scientists) pointing out the absurdity of common practice and norms. And that is what makes the cartoons so funny and astute.
But these cartoons also got me thinking about science in our schools and the opportunities the subject can provide to build on the innate positive ‘childishness’ of the pupils.
Science had generally taken a bit of a hit in many settings since the introduction of the original National Curriculum and its lofty position as one of the initial core subjects. The national focus moved away quickly to spotlight English and maths. However, recent reports of science outcomes in RAISEonline and the Inspection Dashboard indicate a return to the limelight for science as far as the DfE and Ofsted are concerned.
This shouldn’t be the main reason we consider the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of science in our settings, but we need to consider the bigger picture and national priorities.
And science can be the wonderful, exciting subject that is the best part of the week for some of our children.
Now that we have had the ‘new’ National Curriculum for a few years, it may be worth stepping back and reviewing the effectiveness of science in our schools.
- Is it still a core subject, or have some aspects fallen off the end of the timetable and lack clarity in terms of progression?
- How does the work in pupils’ science books compare to that in their English and maths books? Is it of a comparable standard, or is there the ‘twelve o’clock drop-off’ in standards and expectations that occurs in some settings?
- How do our outcomes at the end of each key stage compare to national? And how do they compare to other subjects in our own school? Are there any differences in the performance of groups of pupils?
Science is based on effective questioning, which can support children in their learning across all subjects. I refer back to effective questioning in much of the training I’m involved in throughout the country. It is, of course, fundamental to learning. Science is an excellent example of how this can be modelled and taught to great effect. So, if you know that questioning is effective in maths and English lessons, perhaps consider the effectiveness of adults' and pupils' questioning in science as well. If there is best practice in school, spread the word.
And maybe remember to keep science as it appears in the world of Gary Larson: thought-provoking, stimulating and fun.
Continue the Conversation on the importance of science.
For more information on the importance of science in the primary curriculum, keep an eye on the Focus Education blog, find me on twitter @Focustn or please contact us by email at customerservice@focus-education.co.uk.
Related products:
