Effective practical work in science: A benchmarking exercise on behalf of SCORE Justin Dillon International Day, ASE Annual Conference 2011.

Effective practical work in science:

A benchmarking exercise on behalf of SCORE

Justin Dillon

International Day, ASE Annual Conference 2011

A benchmarking exercise – a scoping study to:

•identify key indicators for benchmarking practical work

•quantify what facilitates effective practical work in a sample of excellent schools 

Timeline

April/May: Consultation with stakeholder groups to identify schools

April 27: Invitational seminar, King’s College London

July: School visits

PersonnelJustin Dillon & Bob Fairbrother (King’s);Robin Millar (York)

What would it mean to claim that a specific example of practical work (a practical activity or task) is effective – and what kinds of evidence would you use to warrant this claim?

What would it mean to claim that the practical work used within a teaching unit or module (i.e. a set of lessons on a specific topic) is effective – and what kinds of evidence would you use to warrant this claim?

What would it mean to claim that the way a science teacher, or a school science department, uses practical work is effective – and what kinds of evidence would you use to warrant this claim?

Workshop

Invitational workshop, April 27 at King’s

Participants worked in three groups

Discussions taped and transcribed

Several individuals who could not attend sent in their comments by email.

“Practical work is effective when it contributes positively to the students’ understanding of and communication about the well-planned and articulated aims and objectives of the activity within the wider context of the topic.”

“I think the questions are extremely unhelpful, and serve only to move the discussion on practical work into a cul-de-sac. They take an atomistic view of practical work, and to examine each individual practical for some inner worth is counter-productive. ...

Instead, the approach implicit in these questions would lead to a league table of effective practicals, with the very real danger that some schools would only teach "the three most effective", as there wasn't time in their busy schedule of rote-learning for anything more.”

EvidenceBefore an activity

•There is a plan that states clear objectives for the activity that fit in to those for the module of work•The plan lists the apparatus, etc. that will be needed•The plan says something about expected student activity as well as teacher activity•The plan keeps in mind the tempo of the lesson and the different rates of progress of students•The plan provides opportunities for students to discuss and clarify what is to be done and why

During an activity•There are opportunities for students to discuss and comment on progress•The teacher moves round the class checking on, and keeping a record of, progress•The teacher reminds students about the objectives

After an activity•Students discuss their findings and make a record of what they have done•The teacher recaps on the objectives and recognises that different students will achieve different objectives

School visits

27 schools identified (Ofsted and the National Strategies Team)

9 schools contacted (4 in London; 2 in Newcastle, 1 in Cornwall, 1 in Essex and

1 in Leicestershire).

Visits took place from July 2-15.

A. ‘We should involve students in practical activities in science because it is a practical subject.’

B. ‘I would always do a practical if it was possible.’

C. ‘It is not important to have a specific aim for every practical activity – sometimes it’s important just to get the students involved in doing something practical’

1. What did you want the students to learn by doing each activity? (What did you want them to know, or be able to do, when they walked out of the door that they didn’t know, or couldn’t do, when they walked in?

2. What do you think the students would say they learned from carrying out each activity?

3. How successful on a scale of 5 would you say each activity was?

4. What is your evidence for reaching that judgment?

5. To what extent are decisions about science teaching, including the practical activities used, taken at department level rather than by individual teachers?

6. What is the role of technicians and how is technical support provided?

7. How is apparatus stored and packaged? Does this influence the practical work you do?

8. Is the use of specific practical activities ever discussed within the department? If so, what kinds of considerations are discussed and taken into account?

Science departments in which staff enjoy working collaboratively and students enjoy spending large tracts of their young lives, are more likely to teach the sciences well (including using effective practical work) and to offer more out of class activities. However, this association does not necessarily imply any obvious causality. Good practice in practical work, effective science teaching in general and the overall ‘quality’ of the school, as reflected in its ‘ethos’, are heavily intertwined.

Indicators of effective practical work include clear objectives for the activity that fit in to those for the module of work; The plan provides opportunities for students to discuss and clarify what is to be done and why; There are opportunities for students to discuss and comment on progress; The teacher reminds students about the objectives; The teacher moves round the class checking on, and keeping a record of, progress; Students discuss their findings and make a record of what they have done.

Factors promoting effective practical work include • a knowledgeable and enthusiastic head of department;• schemes of work that are sufficiently flexible to allow individual members of staff to try out ideas of their own;• practical work that gives the initiative for decision making to the students;• apparatus stored in such a manner that it facilitates student choice in carrying out practical work; knowledgeable and helpful technical and support staff;• a positive and collegial departmental ethos.

The major factors impeding effective practical work is the assessment system. In the context of practical work more research is needed into whether teachers understand the difference between validity and reliability. Schools need to be clear what it is that they would like students to know, understand and do and whether their assessment approaches are fit for purpose.

A knowledgeable and enthusiastic head of department

Outstanding schools usually had a head of department who could both lead and carry the members of the department with them. Formal departmental meetings and informal ‘coffee’ gatherings were scheduled at which ideas were discussed. Good ideas are accepted and incorporated into schemes of work.

Schemes of work

The best examples of schemes of work tended to guide rather than dictate. They covered the essentials but are sufficiently flexible to allow individual members of staff to try out ideas of their own subject to health and safety requirements that are monitored by the head of department and, usually, by the senior technician.

The schemes of work were usually available on the school intranet and, together with teaching notes, worksheets and other materials, could be accessed by students as well as by teachers. They schemes of work were working documents and continued to be developed by staff.

Practical work that gives the initiative for decision making to the students

In outstanding schools, practical work was of the sort that encourages students to think for themselves, understanding where the practical work fits into the science that is being studied and how it will advance their own understanding and/or skills. Students were encouraged to relate what they were doing to the outside world. Practical work was an integral part of the scheme(s) of work and was carried out to develop further knowledge, skills and understanding.

Apparatus storage

Basic apparatus was stored in cupboards in laboratories, and students were educated to get what they need and to put it away at the end of a lesson. Other apparatus was clearly labelled and stored either in preparation rooms or in laboratories and available through a comprehensive ordering system. Effective systems had apparatus records stored on computer showing the location and quantity of every item.

Knowledgeable and helpful technical and support staff

The best technicians are well-qualified, experts in their own field and are treated as such. They are responsible for the storage, supply and maintenance of apparatus. They are able to offer help and advice to teachers and students and contribute to schemes of work. They are enabled to keep up-to-date through CPD.

A good departmental ethos

Departmental ethos is a rather broad term and it can cover features such as displays of students’ work in laboratories and corridors as well as a clear code of behaviour. Staff are enthusiastic about their subject and keep up-to-date through a programme of CPD and by learning from each other.

“In KS3, because we’re all doing the same thing, I could comfortably say that we do 75% practical.

In KS4 with OCR, 75% (because they do a lot of practical because it’s applied); with the Doubles, 60%, and then with the Triples, unfortunately it’s 50% – probably less and they’re the group we should be doing the most with and that’s because of exam pressures because we’ve only got four lessons a week and ideally you’d need six or more to teach it and have enough time to fit practicals in as well.”

“I’d say that everyone uses PowerPoint every lesson. So I don’t know what we’d do if we had a power cut. Because I just rely on that completely. If I had to chalk and talk, I could do it but I’d find it quite difficult. And I think the students here are so used to having that visual aid on the board to look at they would think it was odd if you didn’t do a lesson with PowerPoint.” Head of Science, London school, July 2010

“We find it more difficult to find good practicals for biology. It’s easier to find things that work and work well in physics and chemistry whereas biology sometimes it works one day and doesn’t the next and they [pupils] find it less exciting because it’s more things that they see around them in everyday life anyway whereas some of the other practicals in physics and chemistry they get a different angle on some things they haven’t seen before.”Head of Science, London school, July 2010

Justin Dillon

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