ABSTRACT
It is vital for the all-round development of the whole child that skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes are identified, planned, monitored and assessesed. Planning will be a crucial dimension of your work as a teacher. It is also just one step in a cyclical process which involves assessment and reflection. You should appreciate by now that having a good knowledge and understanding of science is not enough to teach it successfully. You also need to have a good knowledge and understanding of the teaching and learning processes that will help the children develop skills and construct their knowledge and understandings. In this chapter, we will look at planning for effective teaching and learning in science, bearing in mind the needs of all pupils. Earlier, the ten criteria for good practice in primary science were introduced (DES, 1985). In this chapter, we will begin to look in detail at some of these criteria, since they relate directly to effective planning.
