What exactly is the point of practical work in school science?

1. Practical – What’s the point?
Glen Gilchrist | gpg342@gmail.com

2. Science practical – What’s the point?
Name Glen Gilchrist
who writes at glengilchrist.co.uk
email me gpg342@gmail.com
Tweet me @mrgpg
Currently:
• CSCJES – Area lead: Mathematics and Science
Previously:
• Welsh Government education content adviser
• Head of Science / Science Teacher (12 years)
• Polymer research scientist (ancient history)

3. Science is a practical subject… discuss
• 40% of their time – researching and applying for grants (reading / writing)
• 20% of their time – evaluating impact of grants (data / writing)
• 20% of their time – evaluating secondary research (reading / interpreting others data)
• 10% of their time – writing up previous research (writing / evaluating your own data)
• 10% of their time – undertaking primary research (hands on practical science)
Sources (not well researched really):
Ioannidis, J.P., 2011. More time for research: fund people not projects. Nature, 477(7366), p.529
Stephan, P.E., 2012. How economics shapes science (Vol. 1). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=dr-no-money&page=2 (retrieved 6/5/17)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scientists-Guide-Writing-Effectively-throughout-ebook/dp/B01C4V8RFW (retrieved 11/10/18)

4. Science is a practical subject… discuss
• Science is a literary subject
• Science is a financial subject
• Science is a data subject
• Science is a hands on, practical subject

5. Science is a practical subject, isn’t it?
“The error is in assuming that the learning experience is identical
with the syntactical structure of the discipline being studied.”
“Teaching practical science is not the same as “doing” practical science as a scientist”
Gardner (1975)

6. Science is a practical subject, isn’t it? (EEF)
Why teachers utilise practical science:
• To teach the principles of scientific enquiry
• To improve understanding of theory through practical experience
• To teach specific practical skills, such as measurement and observation, that may be
useful in future study or employment
• To develop higher level skills and attributes such as communication, teamwork and
perseverance
• To motivate and engage pupils.

7. Science is a practical subject, isn’t it? (EEF)
• Engages pupils
• Enhances the development of specific practical skills
• Develops scientific reasoning skills
• Can impact on pupil attainment
Sources:
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/tools/guidance-reports/improving-secondary-science
Practical science:

8. Science is a practical subject, isn’t it? (Primary research)
Sources:
1. Alsop, S. ed., 2005. Beyond Cartesian Dualism: Encountering Affect in the Teaching and Learning of Science (Vol. 29). Springer Science & Business Media.
2. Annemarie Hattingh, Colleen Aldous & John Rogan (2007) Some factors influencing the quality of practical work in science classrooms, African Journal of Research in
Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 11:1, 75-90
3. Isobel J. Robertson (1987) Girls and boys and practical science, International Journal of Science Education, 9:5, 505-518, DOI: 10.1080/0950069870090501
4. Ian Abrahams & Robin Millar (2008): Does Practical Work Really Work? A study of the effectiveness of practical work as a teaching and learning method in school science,
International Journal of Science Education, 30:14, 1945-1969
5. Ian Abrahams (2009): Does Practical Work Really Motivate? A study of the affective value of practical work in secondary school science, International Journal of Science
Education, 31:17, 2335-2353
6. J.W. Beatty & B.E. Woolnough (1982) Practical Work in 11‐13 Science: the context, type and aims of current practice, British Educational Research Journal, 8:1, 23-30,
DOI: 10.1080/0141192820080103
7. Martin Braund & Mike Driver (2005) Pupils' perceptions of practical science in primary and secondary school: implications for improving progression and continuity of
learning, Educational Research, 47:1, 77-91
8. T. G.K. Bryce & I. J. Robertson (1985) What can they do? A review of practical assessment in Science, Studies in Science Education, 12:1, 1-24,
9. R. M. Garrett & I. F. Roberts (1982) Demonstration versus Small Group Practical Work in Science Education. A critical review of studies since 1900, Studies in Science
Education, 9:1, 109-146
10. Jenifer V. Helms (1998) Science and/in the community: context and goals in practical work, International Journal of Science Education, 20:6, 643-653
11. Gardner, P. L.: 1975, ‘Science and the Structure of Knowledge,’ in P. L. Gardner (ed.), The Structure of Science Education, Longman Australia, Hawthorn.
12. Pekmez, E.S., Johnson, P. and Gott, R., 2005. Teachers’ understanding of the nature and purpose of practical work. Research in Science & Technological Education, 23(1),
pp.3-23.
13. Dillon, J., 2008. A review of the research on practical work in school science. King’s College, London, pp.1-9.
14. Sandoval, W.A., 2005. Understanding students' practical epistemologies and their influence on learning through inquiry. Science Education, 89(4), pp.634-656.
15. Eileen Scanlon , Erica Morris , Terry di Paolo & Martyn Cooper (2002) Contemporary approaches to learning science: technologically-mediated practical work, Studies in
Science Education
16. Junqing Zhai , Jennifer Ann Jocz & Aik-Ling Tan (2013): ‘Am I Like a Scientist?’: Primary children's images of doing science in school, International Journal of Science
Education

9. Practical science…
• Very good in developing instruction following (in general)
• Motivates and engages learners – however this effect lessens from KS2 to KS4 and ends after GCSE and no evidence that it
recruits to post-16 (and beyond)
• Pupils and teachers consistently believe that it increases understanding of abstract concepts
• Correlations between practical science and student attainment are generally low to negative
• Little evidence linking practical work to a deeper understanding of abstract concepts
• Inquiry based practical does not develop understanding of abstract scientific concepts (some evidence of negative link)
• Teacher led demonstrations are more effective in promoting understanding of abstract concepts than group practical work
(especially for lower ability learners). Some evidence for impact of individual “extended” projects.
• Teachers (and students) over assess student practical abilities
• Little difference between boy/girl ability (in fact girls slightly favoured)
• More time spent on practical work does not increase attainment / effectiveness, in fact some evidence than beyond 40% of lesson
allocation time that standards begin to fall (via PISA & TIMMS)
• There is little correlation between a students ability to write about practical work and their ability to carry out practical work (and
the opposite)
What the evidence says:

10. Practical – What’s the Point?
• Practical develops instruction following
• Motivates (younger) students
• Teachers (and students) aren’t very good at evaluating student abilities
• More practical is not (always) better (and does not link to attainment)
• Practical is not very good for teaching / developing abstract concepts (only
exemplifying)
• Inquiry based practical only develops inquiry skills, not science knowledge
• Girls tend to be “better” at practical science than boys

11. Practical – What can we do?
Fun, engaging practicals work (to engage and motivate) – embrace it
• Develop boys practical skills (literacy??)
• Develop our (and students) ability to assess science practical skills (PAAI)
• Use the Practical Activities Analysis Inventory (PAAI) toolkit
• Use direct instruction if we are developing students knowledge
Sources:
1. Analysing practical activities to assess and improve effectiveness: The Practical Activity Analysis Inventory (PAAI), Robin Millar, Centre for
Innovation and Research in Science Education, Department of Educational Studies, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD

12. Get practical
Station #A Chocolate chips
Station #B Copper coins
Station #C Length of pendulum
Station #D Body correlations

13. Station #A Chocolate chips
Starter for 10
Each cookie represents your “chocolate mine”. Use the toothpick to (carefully) remove the
chocolate chips.
Q’s
1. How many chocolate chips in each cookie? How could you improve the accuracy /
reliability of the experiment?
2. How could you improve the experiment?
3. What predictions could you make (think size of cookie / brand)?
4. How could you link this to the curriculum and/or abstract science?
5. How could you link this to AOLE work (think mining and economics?)

14. Station #B Copper coins
Starter for 10
Copper coins aren’t all the same. Suggest some ways that they are different / similar
Q’s
1. Sort the coins into different piles and justify your selection
2. What can we measure / count about the coins?
3. How can we best display our findings?
4. Use the magnet provided – how are the coins different? (thinking scientifically)
5. Copper currently costs £3.90 per kg. Steel costs £0.14 per kilo. A 2p coin weights 7.12g -
Calculate the true cost of 2p coins.
6. What could you use the copper for in class? (think other experiments / data)

15. Station #C Length of pendulum
Starter for 10
Make a pendulum with a small weight at the end
Q’s
1. Do students know what a pendulum is? Where might they have seen one before?
Teach the etymology: mid 17th century: from Latin, from pendulus ‘hanging down’
2. Without any experiment – what would you expect to happen if you made the pendulum with
different lengths – make a prediction.
3. Undertake a simple experiment to prove / disprove your prediction
4. Undertake a systematic experiment to find a relationship between length and swing time
5. How long a pendulum is needed to make one that swings with a time of 1 second?

16. Station #D Body correlations
Starter for 10
Are people with bigger hands taller?
Q’s
1. Without experiment make a prediction and explain with science
2. Thinking about hand height (wrist fold to top of middle finger) – gather data linking hand size to heigh
3. Draw a graph to show your data
4. Are people with bigger hands taller?
5. What other body correlations can you measure? What other predictions can you make? Can you suggest
some science?
6. How are you going to work scientifically (think about gender, age, accuracy, reliability)

17. Science - ideas
Biology
• Body parts / correlations
• Compare human body parts to animal equivalents (size, shape, heart rates)
• Compare heart rate to size of animal
• Look at “bits” under a microscope (hair, nails, skin). Look at “meat” chicken / beef as an example
of muscle tissue.
Collaborative document

18. Resources
Presentation / papers: https://tinyurl.com/y76o4mry
Practical list: https://tinyurl.com/yd27678g
Science is a practical subject, isn’t it?