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An Oxford Brookes University research project with 16 primary schools in 2002-04 found that the following approaches led to increased pupil engagement & achievement:
• More questioning • Deeper thinking • More discussion • Less writing • More practical activity
Mant, J., Wilson, H. & Coates, D. (2007) ‘The Effect of Increasing Conceptual Challenge
in Primary Science Lessons on Pupils' Achievement and Engagement’ in the
International Journal of Science Education 29(14), 5 November, 2007, pp. 1707-171
The TDTS project built on previous research:
The core aim was to enhance participating teachers’ skills to: • improve the level of conceptual challenge in primary
science by the encouragement of pupils’ higher order thinking
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science
The Efficacy Trial: 2013-15
Year 5 pupils (9-10 Years
old) 2013-14
Randomised control trial - fair
comparison
Phase 1 Phase 2
42 primary schools
21 primary schools 21 primary schools
Intervention Control
All Year 5 pupils in both groups completed a post intervention science
test & attitude questionnaire
The Efficacy Trial 2013-15
Announcing the results
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science appeared to have a
positive impact on the attainment of pupils in
science. Overall, Year 5 pupils in schools using the
approach made approximately three additional
months’ progress.
The approach had a positive impact on pupils’
attitudes to science, science lessons, and
practical work in particular.
The programme had a particularly positive effect on
girls and on pupils with low prior attainment.
“It’s fantastic when our evaluations produce solid evidence that a particular approach has a positive impact on attainment. It’s especially rewarding when they boost children’s attitudes towards learning too. But the reality of robust educational research is that these results are the exception and not the rule.”
Sir Kevan Collins, EEF
Teacher’s enjoyment increases
Pupils’ enjoyment increases
Pupils’ attainment increases
“It's been thought provoking, inspiring, challenging and a great deal of fun! I now enjoy teaching science more than anything else - Thank you!”
“It has just been a truly amazing project. I've been teaching 15 years and have never felt so inspired and motivated to get up and go to work in the morning.”
They find science a lot more fun, it's far more interactive, conversational and they say it's fun!
The pupils have more enthusiasm, deeper understanding and higher order
thinking.
The children have a 'buzz' about science - very confident to express opinions, speculate and give justifications as to why
they think as they do
The less able children are better engaged with their
science learning and able to explore
concepts practically.
Effectiveness Trial 2016- 2018
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science
Teesside
Manchester
Bath
Dorset Southampton
Lincolnshire
London
180 schools
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS) is a four day primary science teacher training programme developed for teachers of Year 5 pupils. The four training days are spread out across a school year. The training is interactive, practical and enjoyable and provides strategies and activity ideas that can translate immediately into classroom practice without the need for extra expense and excessive planning.
“Higher order thinking occurs when a person takes new information and information stored in memory and
interrelates and/or rearranges and extends this information to achieve a purpose or find
possible answers in perplexing situations.”
Lewis, A. and Smith, D. (1993) 'Defining Higher Order Thinking', Theory into Practice 32(3)
Higher order thinking
Bright Ideas Time
Practical Problem solving
Practical Investigations
Practical Prompts for Thinking
Questions - pupil & teacher
talking doing
Teachers’ personal science subject
knowledge
CPD
Repertoire of strategies
Questioning skills to extend pupils’ thinking about scientific ideas
Dedicated discussion slots in primary science
lessons
Understanding of appropriate and challenging science practical work,
including investigations and problem solving
Pupils’ focused and creative classroom
recording in science
Repertoire of strategies
Try out and evaluate
Share good practice
Think Pair Share
The Bright Ideas Time
Freeland Primary
Human is the only one not an animal
The bird is the only one that is not a mammal
Hippo because it lives in water
Cat because it is the only one that has 9
lives
Cumnor Primary
The ice skate as it is sharp
The scooter as you balance on one foot
The skateboard as it has 4 wheels
Cumnor Primary
The ice skate has less friction – you
can’t stop
The scooter as you need to apply more force with your foot
After some work on forces and friction
PMI: A world without electricity
Positive Statements: • You won`t waste so much energy • Instead of electrical toys you would have wind up radios – that would be fun!! • The world would be equal
Minus Statements: • It would be very scary walking home at night. • There wouldn't be a London underground. • You wouldn't be able to watch T.V!
Interesting Statements: • You would have to be inventive in your spare time. • Torches might become really fashionable. • People might be fitter – less T.V = more exercise.
PMI: People have their own plant-like green skin, so they
can create their own food in sunlight
St Andrew’s Primary
P: Poor people wouldn’t starve
M: You might not be able to lie still to sunbathe – you’d get a
sugar rush and have to run around!
I: Would diabetes be a problem or not?
I: Would you not need sleep?
St Andrew’s Primary
The Big Question: What causes gravity? ‘Pencils produce gravity but not enough to attract anything.’
‘If you push the two books out in a space craft, in a few days they would gradually pull together…where there’s no friction.’
‘The core is like a big magnet.’
‘Is it because the world is spinning?’
‘It’s a force that pulls things to the centre of the earth.’ ‘It makes things fall’
‘It causes the tide to come in.’
‘I think it’s a force that grows in outer space and it picks up rubble and pulls it together.’
The Big Question Where did the mass of the
grown tree come from?
Rush Common Primary School
It has grown because of photocymthasice!
It has come from the branches
The roots drink the water and eats the nutrients to keep it
alive and helps it grow
The tree weighs more because of the food and water it has eaten in the past 4 years. The tree doesn't have a mouth so the grass collects all of the
food and water then it goes down to the roots also the tree likes rain better than house pipe water.
Rush Common Primary School
A tree breathes in carbon dioxide then breathes out
oxygen
The leaves suck in sunlight and convert into energy, using the
chemical, chlorophyll. This process is called 'photosynthesis'
Practical Prompts for Thinking
What will happen if I hold a match under a balloon with some water inside?
Why do you think that?
How should I
get the lid off?
What could be the learning objective?
How would you assess the LO?
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science
So what did
you do?
All participating teachers felt that they had changed the way they taught science, and
were more positive about their pupils’ science ability and engagement than
teachers in comparison schools.
I have included discussion times, using Odd One Out, PMI or Big Questions to most of my science lessons. Have made sure we do one or more full investigations within every science topic. A lot of exploration - minimal recording. Using partner work and group work for most sessions.
More focus on investigations rather than written recording. Using Practical Prompts for Thinking as ways into some topics.
Using more bright ideas in the classroom. More skills focus in learning objective, rather than topic
focus. Increased focus on practical science . Trying to maximise learning from each lesson -
questioning and higher order thinking.
My science planning and teaching has been led by the children's interests and ideas more. If they have asked questions/shown enthusiasm about a certain area we have followed this through and created our own learning objectives instead of moving through a pre written unit of work.
