ABSTRACT
The content of primary science is left almost entirely to chance, a state of affairs which puts a considerable strain on conscientious teachers who lack sufficient background and experience of science. If science should continue to be taught in primary schools, an adjustment of policy is desirable. The fact that learning depends on the learner successfully relating new experience to what is already known is crucial to all theories of cognitive development, and is an idea familiar to teachers. Many teachers would agree, and some science educators suggests that there is a need to look more fundamentally and in detail at pupils' own understandings and ways of thinking about scientific ideas, and to use this information in planning teaching strategies. The preparation of primary teachers to cover all the areas of the curriculum has been a major problem for decades. It would be an extreme and totally retrograde step to finish up with a prescribed science course for primary schools.
