What is scientific enquiry?
Allowing children to learn using a variety of approaches, including observing, identifying, classifying, pattern seeking, and fair testing.
Allows children to collect, analyse and present data.
A descriptive account of what scientists do and therefore does not provide the substantive knowledge that children need.
What type of understanding does scientific enquiry and concepts of evidence provide?
Substantive understanding
Conceptual understanding
What does working scientifically provide children with?
An understanding of the processes and methods of science
An understanding of concepts of science before they engage in scientific enquiry which is what scientists do.
What is substantive knowledge?
What scientists know
What scientists do
An understanding of the concepts of science
What is the process view of scientific enquiry?
Gives ideas about the quality of data and its validity, therefore giving reasoning behind the actions of science.
Evaluating and planning experiments
It gives a descriptive account of what scientists do
Which scientific enquiry allows for a substantive understanding
Process view
Concepts of evidence
What are the features of the process view?
Develops routine in primary schools.
Involves evaluating and planning
Involves practical and non practical activities
Involves doing science practically
What is concepts of evidence?
A descriptive account of what scientists do
Allows children to be aware of the quality of evidence which informs the claims that they make
Gives an understanding of how control variables affect the dependant variable
Which is consistent with a constructivist view of knowledge?
What does teaching the process view look like?
Keeping everything the same
Doing a set number of repeats and no trials
Testing trials
Being focused on validity
Being focused on getting the right answer
Constant routine
What does concepts of evidence look like in the classroom?
Children making informed decisions on number of repeats and trials
Just practical work
Practical and non practical ideas
What practical activities teach substantive and concepts of evidence?
Observations
Illustrative practicals
Didactic teaching
Basic skills practicals
Whole and part of investigations
Which non practical activities teach substantive ideas and concepts of evidence?
Using text
Discussion and presentations
Use of models
Using second hand data and evaluating investigations
Which is not clear in the national curriculum?
Which allows for a deeper understanding through constructivism and transmits the importance of scientific processes?
What should children understand?
That measurement has an inbuilt uncertainty
That measurements are exact
Repeat readings may be needed
There is a margin of error
