Improving Science Education 5-14 (html)

Improving Science Education 5-14

6 Agenda for Action

6.1 Over the last 25 years there has been a steady increase in the number of pupils studying and achieving success in national examinations in the sciences. Given the crucial importance of science to Scotland's future economic well-being, this situation has to be sustained and further improved. However, national and international studies have highlighted concerns about the quality of pupils' science education, including their attainment, at the upper stages of primary school and, more particularly, at S1/S2. It is, therefore, imperative that the quality of teaching and learning improves at these stages and that this is reflected in increased motivation and higher standards of attainment by pupils. This report recognises that successful implementation of the 5-14 guidelines for science across primary and secondary schools offers the greatest potential for making further significant national improvements in science education and achievement.

6.2 The report aims to build on the good practice evident in many primary and secondary schools throughout the country, particularly in regard to course and programme structure, direct teaching, questioning and discussion and practical work. It recognises the difficulties that many teachers have faced in implementing the national guidelines for Environmental Studies and recognises the improvements which will accompany the production of the revised guidelines for science. The report also makes recommendations about ways of providing further support for teachers. These include (i) producing national assessment materials to help teachers plan pupils' learning and report on their attainment in knowledge and understanding and practical investigative skills and (ii) providing staff development to build primary teachers' confidence and competence in teaching science.

6.3 Many of the recommendations made in this report have implications for classroom practice and it will be important for promoted staff in primary and secondary schools to monitor and evaluate science teaching closely in order to provide support for staff and ensure that recommendations are being followed. Where appropriate, similar recommendations have been made for science teaching as were made for mathematics in the Improving Mathematics 5-14 report. These consistent messages about teaching and learning should be particularly helpful, not only to primary teachers but also to teachers of other secondary subjects. Education authorities should also consider carefully the implications of the recommendations and, in particular, how they can best ensure that staff in primary and secondary schools work together to agree coverage of science content at each stage. They should also consider how more flexible use might be made of the specialist skills of teachers in both primary and secondary sectors to improve pupils' attainment in science. Teacher education institutions should review their courses to ensure that the advice being given to students is consistent with this report.

Key Recommendations

6.4 This Agenda for Action makes a number of important recommendations for science teaching in primary and secondary schools. Implementation of these recommendations should lead to improvements in teaching and learning which, in turn, should improve the attainment of pupils in science in primary schools and at S1/S2. In broad terms, these recommendations aim to:

improve the quality of science courses and programmes;
improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning, including making more effective use of direct teaching, questioning and discussion, practical work and assessment;
raise expectations of what pupils can achieve in science, particularly at the upper stages of primary and at S1/S2;
provide clearer advice and better support for teachers, particularly primary teachers who may lack confidence in their understanding of science; and
improve the organisation and management of science in primary and secondary schools.

All teachers of science in primary and secondary schools, school managers, parents, education authorities, teacher education institutions and national bodies with an interest in improving standards in science education should work together to ensure that the following key recommendations are successfully implemented.

6.5 In primary schools, teachers should:

focus their teaching of science-based topics or separate science studies on the knowledge, understanding and skills of science (2.10 _ 2.12);
make better use of assessment to plan pupils' learning and to report on their attainment in knowledge and understanding and practical investigative skills (3.19 _ 3.23);
employ whole-class teaching for introducing and consolidating work (5.5, 5.6); and
use direct teaching to attainment groups where appropriate. In particular, group-teaching arrangements should be used to provide higher attaining pupils with additional challenge and lower attaining pupils with necessary support (5.5-5.7).

6.6 In primary schools, headteachers should:

ensure that science is taught systematically throughout the school and that good quality and challenging science programmes provide suitable breadth, balance, continuity and progression (2.2, 2.3);
ensure that the science programme is adequately resourced with books, equipment and other necessary materials to allow class lessons to take place (3.17);
make arrangements to ensure that pupils, parents and other teachers, as appropriate, receive summative reports of pupils' progress and attainment in science (3.19);
monitor pupils' progress to ensure they are achieving suitable standards in science in line with national targets, and allocate additional time to science when required (5.2, 5.3, 5.12);
adopt a consistent approach to the science content being covered at each stage before pupils move into S1. Staff from all associated primary schools and the receiving secondary should work together to agree content coverage at each stage (5.12); and
make use of specialist staff qualifications, interest or expertise in science to develop the 5-14 science curriculum. This might include, for example: devising a balanced science programme for use throughout the school; supporting the teaching of less experienced or less confident colleagues, for example through co-operative teaching or exchanging classes; leading staff development sessions; or liaising with secondary science colleagues (5.13).

6.7 In secondary schools, science departments should:

improve the quality of the S1/S2 science course to take account of 5-14 content, skills and levels of attainment, including Level F. (2.2, 2.3, 2.7 );
reduce significantly the use of individualised or resource-based learning approaches and adopt an approach which allows teachers to give more structured lessons to attainment groups or to whole classes (3.3, 5.9);
take account of pupils' levels of attainment, not only in science but also in English language and mathematics when planning tasks for pupils (5.8);
generally set more demanding work, including homework, for S1/S2 classes (5.8-5.11);
reject a "fresh start" approach and build on pupils' prior attainment. Check pupils' prior knowledge, understanding and skills, including any misconceptions, at the start of each new topic (5.8);
follow the advice of Achievement for All and move to broad band setting when sufficient evidence about pupils' attainment has been accumulated (5.10);
work with staff from all associated primary schools to agree content coverage at each stage (5.14);
discuss as a whole department ways of improving courses, teaching and learning approaches, including assessment, and raising pupils' attainment at S1/S2 (3.11, 5.17);
follow the advice offered in Achieving Success in S1/S2 where it recommends that secondary schools should 'minimise the occasions upon which classes are taught by more than one teacher in a given subject' (5.18); and
ensure that principal teachers of science systematically monitor and evaluate the quality of work of each member of staff through sampling pupils' coursework and attainment and working alongside teachers. Where necessary, the remits of promoted staff should be reviewed to make clear that all principal teachers of the sciences have responsibility for the implementation of 5-14 science, although responsibility for certain aspects may be delegated to other staff. All science staff should share in the development and successful implementation of 5-14 science (5.19)

6.8 In secondary schools, senior management teams should:

ensure that 5-14 guidelines for environmental studies are implemented;
use the points outlined in 6.7 as a means of evaluating effectiveness of science departments in relation to learning and teaching and standards of attainment; and
find innovative ways of supporting their primary colleagues so that the quality of pupils' learning and attainment in science can be enhanced (5.14, 5.15).

6.9 Appropriate bodies at national level (including SEED, SQA, Scottish CCC), working as necessary with education authorities, should:

ensure that the review of the science component of the 5-14 Guidelines addresses the concerns of teachers by:
providing better and simpler specification of the attainment targets;
providing clearer exemplification of learning and teaching in science; and
making the planning and assessment of science more manageable. (2.4 - 2.7);
produce assessment materials in science to support teachers' judgements in measuring pupils' progress and attainment against more clearly defined attainment targets for teaching and learning (3.23);
consider how more flexible use might be made of the specialist skills of teachers in both primary and secondary sectors to improve pupils' attainment in science (5.13, 5.15);
ensure that staff from primary and secondary schools work together to agree content coverage at each stage (5.12);
consider what further forms of support, including staff development, would be most effective in helping to address primary teachers' lack of confidence and competence in teaching science (4.4 - 4.10);
provide examples of good quality 5-14 science courses, including practical kits for primary schools. These courses should be based on the revised 5-14 guidelines for environmental studies and should take account of the advice offered in this report about effective learning and teaching. Scottish CCC should explore the possibility of working co-operatively with a commercial publisher and scientific supplier (2.9); and
review initial teacher education courses to ensure that the advice being given to students is consistent with this report (6.3).

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