Gail makes important points with regard to lower
school science.

I can see that ther is a logic when teaching a subject
such as energy to link across the boundaries of all of
the sciences, but you have to be and feel competant to
do it.

As educators we have two main rolls. Our first is of
course to deliver the subject material and we do this
best when we can link our knowledge of our subject to
the outside world: it gives relevance, purpose and use
to the topic. I can do this well in physics, my
subject, less well in chemistry and not at all well in
biology.

Our second roll is that of enthusing students and this
links back to giving relevance etc.. I can do this
within my own subject but not so well outide of it. If
we fail to enthuse our students we stand in danger of
stopping being teachers and becoming national
curriculum officers.

Ian Taylor


--- Gail LYDFORD <gail@...> wrote:

> Regarding lower school science
>
> I have experience of both scenarios.
>
> For me, the advantages of 'separate science'
> teaching are in use of subject specialist teachers.
> ie chemists, biologists and physicists teaching
> their own disciplines.
>
> It is much easier to avoid introduction of
> misconceptions when teaching a subject that you also
> teach up to A level/18. As a chemistry teacher, I
> can avoid some of the crazy KS3 National Curriculum
> ideas (eg solubility always increases with
> temperature, chemical changes are irreversible,
> particles in a liquid have spaces inbetween them
> etc.) When I have taught physics and biology to KS3
> I am sure I have been less effective. I might have
> covered the curriculum, but not set the best
> foundation for GCSE, A level and beyond.
>
> So many KS3/NC curriculum resources - text books etc
> are packed with errors and misconceptions. When
> teaching out of your own subject area, the tendency
> is to rely much more on these resources and to be
> less discriminatory about what and how you teach.
>
> The challenge for all us science teachers is to
> simplify content without helping pupils build models
> based on misconceptions. Pupils hate it when GCSE
> and A level teachers subsequently tell them to
> 'unlearn' previously held ideas.
>
> For these reasons I would advocate 'subject
> specialists' teaching chem, Phys and Bio from Y7/age
> 11,.
>
> Gail Lydford
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: layhomer
> To: learning-science-concepts@...
> Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 12:16 PM
> Subject: LSC: lower school science
>
>
>
> Has any any views or research on the benefits of
> Lower school science
> compared to separatres science teacing.
>
> We currently teach sciences separately throughout
> the school. We
> will be discussing whether science should be
> taught lower down. But
> to help with this decision I would like to receive
>
> views/experiences/actual research.
>
>
> Many thanks
>
>
> andrew hammersley
>
>
>
>
>
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