Learning and teaching

The overall quality of learning and teaching continued to be a strength with significant improvements being made in a number of areas, particularly in aspects of teaching in primary schools and in the separate sciences at S3 to S6. The quality of teaching was good or better in almost all secondary science departments. It was very good in 26% of departments compared with 15% over the period 1995 to 2000. The quality of pupils' learning was good or better in around 79% of departments which is about the same as the period between 1995 and 2000. However, departments exhibiting very good learning had increased from 15% to 22%. Overall, the quality of pupils' learning was poorer in S1-S4 Science courses where around 30% of departments showed important weaknesses.

Features of effective learning and teaching

Pupils learned most effectively when the learning environment was stimulating and when teaching was lively, interesting and relevant to pupils' prior knowledge and experience of the world around them. Increasingly, effective teachers were finding innovative ways of introducing topics. These helped to capture pupils' interests, to ascertain their prior knowledge, including misconceptions, and to provide a purposeful context for the associated tasks which followed. Such introductory activities, all set in appropriate scientific contexts, involved pupils in tasks such as:

• completing concept maps;
• reading and analysing newspaper articles;
• hypothesising about the outcome of investigations; and
• commenting critically on demonstrations carried out by their teacher.

All these activities helped pupils understand the importance of the science they were learning to their future role as citizens, living and working in an ever more complex scientific and technological environment.

Over recent years, the quality of teaching had improved in a number of ways. Teachers were making more effective use of interactive teaching, both to explain new ideas and procedures and to consolidate pupils' understanding. This involved teachers in engaging pupils in effective questioning and discussion which helped gauge prior knowledge and understanding and allowed the teacher to set tasks which challenged pupils at an appropriate level. Discussion was best when the teacher asked open-ended questions, designed to make pupils think about scientific concepts and to allow them to acquire and practise the vocabulary and language of science. In the most effective situations, teachers interspersed short pulses of direct teaching with tasks which extended or consolidated pupils' understanding. This helped increase the pace of progress where pupils' interest was flagging or introduced fresh challenge where pupils had completed tasks. Although opportunities existed for pupils to discuss and debate social, moral and ethical implications of the sciences, as yet this had not become a regular feature of many classes.

At all stages, pupils learned best when they were clear about the purpose of lessons and knew what was expected of them, including the standards to be attained. Teachers achieved this in a variety of ways. For example, they shared with pupils both written course objectives and, at the start of lessons, objectives and agreed timelines for completion of specific tasks. These factors helped pupils take responsibility for aspects of their learning, appropriate to their age and stage.

Learning activities were most stimulating when they engaged pupils actively, whether in carrying out practical investigations or in developing thinking skills associated with problem solving, reasoning, drawing conclusions, analysing and evaluating evidence and hypothesising. Pupils at all stages were able to work in small teams to plan, carry out, analyse and report the results of open-ended investigations which helped them develop a better understanding of the scientific process. The teaching of thinking skills, particularly at S1/S2, had become firmly established practice in many schools across the country. This gave pupils opportunities to work independently and to apply critical thinking in a range of unfamiliar contexts.

In the most effective schools and science departments, staff had agreed policies and procedures for learning and teaching which they applied consistently with all their classes. This was the case, for example, in situations where:

• lessons had a clear, beginning, middle and end;
• all pupils used the same format to record the detail of scientific investigations they had carried out;
• teachers had clear expectations about standards of written work, including homework, and how it should be checked and commented upon; and
• teachers used praise to reward success and build confidence.

This was most successful where pupils were engaged in evaluating course delivery and where teachers responded positively to their comments.

Teachers and pupils were increasingly using information and communications technology (ICT) to improve learning and teaching at all stages. Teachers were using data projectors and electronic whiteboards to enhance the quality of their presentations and to involve pupils more actively in their learning. The use of such interactive approaches had improved the dynamics of the classroom through sharing information more directly with the whole class. This stimulated and engaged pupils, and the high quality of the images and situations encouraged them to ask thoughtful and perceptive questions which sometimes challenged their teachers. At all stages, pupils also used computers for a wide range of purposes, including accessing the Internet, word-processing, graph-drawing, interfacing and giving presentations.

Main areas for improvement in learning and teaching

• In many schools, teachers did not share course and lesson objectives with pupils or indicate the amount of time that should be devoted to particular tasks. As a consequence, pupils were often unclear about what they were expected to achieve and worked at a relatively slow pace.
• Some teachers spent too little time carrying out direct teaching, interacting with pupils as they worked, and questioning them to check and develop their understanding of key ideas.
• Pupils were given too few opportunities to discuss science issues, including those which had social, moral and ethical implications. They would have benefited from being encouraged to talk about science in order to improve their use and understanding of scientific vocabulary.

The use of assessment to support learning

In most primary schools, approaches to assessment in science had some important weaknesses, and were sometimes unsatisfactory. However, many primary schools were making good use of the advice offered by the Assessment is for Learning programme and were beginning to adopt more systematic approaches to assessment generally. In S1/S2, assessment practices were not well developed and there were important weaknesses in about a third of schools.

When compared with standards reported by HMI during the period 1995 to 2000, approaches to assessment at the 5-14 stages showed little overall improvement. Many schools had still to find effective ways to relate pupils' performance to national 5-14 levels of attainment, although the situation was gradually improving at S1/S2. Schools as a whole often made insufficient use of assessment information to set appropriate targets for pupils. Teachers usually kept clear records of pupils' attainment at S1 to S4, but many overlooked the important messages they contained about pupils' progress. Thus, they continued to present some pupils with coursework that was either too difficult or too easy for them. In secondary schools, approaches to assessment in SQA courses at S3 to S6 were usually good or very good.

Features of effective assessment in supporting learning

The following good practice was noted in some primary schools.

• Teachers set down succinctly the key knowledge, understanding and skills they expected different groups of pupils to learn, and how this learning would be assessed.
• Pupils were told what criteria would be used in assessing their work.
• Teachers used a variety of approaches to assess pupils' progress, including questioning, observing skills, examining written and other examples of pupils' work, and end-of-topic tests.

The success of different groups in achieving particular learning targets was recorded systematically, along with any individual pupil aptitudes or development needs.

The following good practice was noted in a number of secondary schools.

• In S1, teachers used information provided on pupils' attainment in English language and mathematics in primary school to help inform their expectations of pupils' achievement in science.
• In S1/S2, teachers used end-of-topic tests and practical investigations to assess pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills and related performance to different 5-14 levels of attainment.
• Teachers regularly discussed pupils' progress and liaised with guidance staff and others to help support those who were under-performing.
• Pupils' grade point averages (GPAs) from Standard Grade examinations in S4 were used in setting appropriate minimum targets for pupils in S5/S6.

• To ensure consistent standards, teachers moderated samples of colleagues' assessments of pupils.
• There was a clear policy on the correction of pupils' classwork and homework which was monitored in practice by the head of department.

Heads of departments maintained up to date records of pupils' attainment in each class and analysed this information to help evaluate the quality of learning and teaching, and to identify patterns or trends in attainment.

Main areas for improvement in assessment

• Most primary schools required more rigorous and systematic approaches to assessing pupils' learning in science.
• At P1 to S2, many schools required to develop their assessment practices in order to match pupils' performance to national 5-14 levels of attainment.
• At P1 to S4, many schools required to make better use of assessment information to ensure realistic but challenging targets for all pupils.
• Heads of departments and senior managers in secondary schools needed to give greater importance to monitoring pupils' attainment in S1/S2 science.

Meeting pupils' needs

At the primary stages, only a little over half the schools inspected were effective in meeting the needs of pupils through their science programmes. This represents no improvement in the position in 1995 to 2000. In secondary schools, almost all departments inspected were effective in meeting the needs of pupils from S3 to S6 through the courses offered in biology, chemistry and physics.
The introduction of NQ courses had helped departments to cater more effectively for a wider range of pupils' needs at these stages. However, just under half the departments had important weaknesses in how they met the needs of S1/S2 pupils through their science courses. This is an improvement on the position in 1995 to 2000 where 65% of departments had significant weaknesses.

Features of meeting pupils' needs effectively to support learning

In the best primary schools, teachers ensured that tasks and activities were well matched to pupils' needs and intellectual maturity. They planned practical work to ensure the progressive development of investigative skills and linked new science concepts to pupils' everyday knowledge and experience. They gave pupils hands-on experience of real artefacts and materials and made regular and purposeful use of the immediate environment of the school to provide a meaningful context for pupils' learning. They deployed classrooms assistants effectively to support pupils' learning. Teachers also took care to strike an appropriate balance between whole class teaching to introduce tasks, and group work, where tasks were flexibly designed to ensure a close match with pupils' prior attainment.

At S1/S2, some departments had made good progress in adapting science courses to provide better differentiation of learning objectives, activities and resources. They had also modified assessments and homework in order to meet pupils' varying needs more effectively. In general, most science teachers provided good support in class to help pupils experiencing difficulties in their learning.

Learning support staff sometimes provided invaluable help for pupils, both through working alongside teachers in class and offering suggestions about how best to adapt course materials to support and challenge pupils. Some schools had introduced setting, mainly at S2, to help staff match the pace and challenge of learning to pupils' needs and prior attainment. These arrangements were most effective where staff kept pupils' progress closely under review and provided opportunities for movement within groups as pupils' attainment levels changed. They also worked best where teachers adapted their approaches and where course materials were used selectively to meet pupils' needs.

In the most effective science departments, staff set consistently high expectations for presentation of written work and provided regular, helpful feedback to pupils on ways of improving their work. A few departments had involved pupils in setting individual targets, sometimes making suggestions about how best to improve their performance.

In the separate sciences at S3/S4, almost all departments provided good or very good support for pupils. They achieved this through direct interaction with individuals or groups and through the provision of good quality course materials, including print and ICT resources. Many teachers also provided additional support through after-school or lunchtime study clubs. Increasingly, schools had adopted some form of setting or grouping within classes to address the wide range of learning needs. This worked best where higher attaining sets were suitably challenged, sometimes by tackling more advanced problems or more demanding investigations.

At S5/S6, almost all departments offered a suitably wide range of NQ courses to allow pupils to make progress from their prior levels of attainment. The inclusion of more vocational courses such as human biology, biotechnology, geology and MER gave pupils further opportunities to meet their needs and interests. In the most effective departments, staff devoted considerable time to ensuring that pupils were following courses which would allow them to achieve success and to meet their career aspirations. Induction procedures were used to set expectations for the year and to share information about course structure, assessment procedures and targets to be achieved. Such sharing of responsibility for learning was a vital element of successful departments. Where pupils were suitably challenged, tasks gave them opportunities to achieve success and to develop a wider range of core skills, including using ICT for a variety of purposes. This was particularly true at Advanced Higher where investigative work allowed pupils to be more creative and to work with a degree of independence.

Main areas for improvement in how pupils' needs are met

At P1 to S2, the following key areas required improvement.

• In many schools, even where courses were planned to allow for differentiation, all pupils undertook the same tasks at broadly the same pace, so that some found the work undemanding while others struggled to cope.
• In some cases, too little use was made of learning support staff to provide advice on how best to modify course materials and to provide direct assistance for lower-attaining pupils.

At S3 to S6, the following key areas required improvement.

• In NQ courses, too many pupils were attempting and failing to achieve success, mainly because course objectives were too demanding for them based on their prior attainment. They would have been better advised to follow a course at a more appropriate level.