Co-funded by

the Seventh Framework Programme

of the European Union

Teaching skills to mastery

Introduction

FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403

Teach skills to mastery

The UK Curriculum says Insert your own statement

‘Working scientifically’ is described separately at the

beginning of the programme of study, but must always

be taught through and clearly related to substantive

science content in the programme of study.

The US Science Standards say:

Skills integrated with content in ‘learning performances’

“Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on

astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant

galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe”

What the UK inspectors say Insert your own statement:

Enquiry is mentioned 25 times in ‘Maintaining Curiosity’ (2013)

What psychologists say:

“inquiry-based instruction places a huge burden on

working memory. The onus should surely be on those

who support inquiry-based instruction to explain how

such a procedure circumvents the well-known limits of

working memory when dealing with novel information”(from ‘An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-

based, experiential and inquiry-based teaching)

What research says:

• break skills into components + teach one at a time

• use modelling and focussed practice

• help students integrate skills into the whole task

• give lots of practice across a range of topics

Teach skills to mastery

What happens in practice:

• Lack of explicit teaching

• Skills often marginalised in curriculum time

• ‘expert blind spot’

What TEMI offers

• Learning performances in curriculum materials

• Gradual Release of Responsibility model

• Content-and skills-first versions of lessons

• Cognitive strategies (Lifelines)