ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses two of the signature and related features of primary science: practical work and group work. A commonly agreed value of practical work is that it enables pupils to develop skills needed to engage in scientific inquiry. Evidence collected by Mant et al. in a study of cognitively challenging practical work showed that children enjoyed science lessons where the activities are challenging and encourage higher order thinking. A project funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council as part of its Teaching Learning Research Programme studied large numbers of children in Scotland as their teachers implemented increased amounts of group work. Feasey. R suggests that in a group of four, the children can be assigned roles of: science resource manager; science fair tester; science measurer; science recorder. In some countries, including Sweden, France and Demark, there are equipment centres which prepare boxes of equipment linked to modules in a national primary science teaching scheme.
