2. REWARDS OF TEACHING
1. Enthusiasm of pupils learning how
their world works
2. Fun of problem solving
3. Satisfaction o hearing pupils argue
enthusiastically
3. 4. Pupils’ fascination with hearing the
stories of scientific discoveries
5. Enjoyment of a wide variety of
practical and project work
4. The effective teacher needs a
toolbox of imaginative and
effective strategies, needs to take
risks and be prepared to fail, and
must be prepared to change.
5. Some of the many aspects of
teaching and learning for all
teachers
6. Every Child Matters
Exam board specifications
Personal Development Curriculum (PDC)
Learning styles
Literacy
Active Learning
Building Learning Power
National Curriculum
Assessment for Learning
Classroom Climate
7. Higher order thinking
Health and Safety
Misconceptions
Learning Skills
SEND
Behavior for Learning
Differentiation
Numeracy
Questioning
Independent Learning
Pedagogy
9. 1. First, the issue of the range of
subjects; science teachers are most
likely to have a degree-level
qualification in one science(often
biology based, chemistry based or
physics/engineering based.)
10. 2. Consider the issue of pupils’ prior
knowledge and understanding from a
very early stage, children have been
making sense of their world using their
common sense and ideas from parents
and teachers.
11. 3. Many scientific ideas, theories
and models are complex and
require the pupils to sustain their
concentration at a high level for
prolonged periods
12. The “Eureka” Moment
To illustrate, here are three different versions
of the same junior secondary lessons. As you
read them, reflect on how you want your
own lessons to be received by the pupils.
21. ‘How to measure density’
This is a very traditional, teacher-directed
lesson with lots of explaining and instructions;
the practical work is guided by use of a recipe.
Pupils will learn but won’t feel any sense of
their own control or independence. Disruptive
pupils will find other ways of taking control!
22. ‘Density and Archimedes’
This is a more stimulating teacher-planned lesson
with lots of activities but insufficient explaining so
pupils don’t end up with clear understanding.
Pupils will become more engaged by the variety of
activities and enjoy the fun ones. They may leave
having enjoyed the lesson but not having a deep
understanding of the scientific issues due to lack
of appropriate intervention.
23. ‘The gold standard’
This is a teacher-facilitated lesson with lots of
drama and stimulating episodes, a
sophisticated range of discussion, pupil
problem solving and purposeful practical
activities, plenty of time to think and discuss
with adequate intervention from the teacher
and other thoughtful resources.
24. A safe learning environment
Finally, we need to consider other
facets of successful teaching: the
atmosphere in the classroom, often
referred to as classroom climate, and
pupils’ attitude to learning.
25. Nine facets of classroom climate
identified by Hay McBer (2000) are
clarity, order, standards, fairness,
participation, support, safety, interest
and environment.
