ABSTRACT
Despite the squeeze on practical work reported in, for example, the report on primary science in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales by the Wellcome Trust (2005) and teachers’ concerns that it takes up too much time, arguments from a range of authorities in science education are
Introduction For many years primary science has been seen as essentially a practical, hands on, endeavour where children learn by doing, feeling, touching and finding out ‘what happens if …?’ However, in recent years our understanding of the role of practical, first-hand experience has become more sophisticated. The relationship between doing science and learning science is conceived as more complex than simply ‘seeing is believing’. Clearly young children do need to experience the world, to see where apples grow, or where milk comes from or how rivers flow to the sea, or to know what size a butterfly is, or to feel for themselves the effect of spinning on a roundabout. But learning science means going further than observing and in this chapter we begin by addressing two of the signature and related features of primary science: practical work and group work. In each case we consider two broad questions: ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ Having considered these key elements of pedagogy we move on to the ways in which practical work is supported, first by looking at resources, their selection, storage and maintenance, and then at matters relating to safety.
