Motivating pupils in Science at
Primary School
Motivation is the key to learning.
How can we motivate children to become enthusiastic
science learners?
We don’t need to MAKE them like Science! Science is fun!
Children have a natural curiosity about their world.
They love asking questions – especially ‘WHY?’
BUT we must encourage them to keep that curiosity alive –
through to adulthood.
How can we maintain that enthusiasm for learning ?
What steps have we taken at DESS?
•
Developed an evolving curriculum, based on the English
National Curriculum but adapted to suit our pupils
•
Teachers include Science studies as part of Thematic
Enquiry where possible – no text books
•
Designated Science Lab for Key Stage 2
•
Emphasis on developing enquiry skills through practical
activities, experimentation and investigations
•
Implemented Assessment for Learning policy
throughout the school
Thematic Enquiry
Planning - The Brainstorm
Literacy
Science
Numeracy
Lines of Enquiry
Lines of Enquiry
Lines of Enquiry
Art
Key Question
ICT
Lines of Enquiry
(Linked to Theme)
Lines of Enquiry
Humanities
DT
Lines of Enquiry
Lines of Enquiry
Early Years Foundation Stage
Understanding the World – Making sense of the world.
Science integrated with history, geography and technology.
Active kinesthetic learning
Animals, people, plants in their natural environment
Practical experiments
Real – life situations
Use a range of tools safely
Key Stage 1 – Years 1 and 2
Beginning of investigative activities.
Children ask questions
Group experiments
Finding things out for themselves
Investigation through Thematic Enquiry
Why? When I do this, what
happens …? How can I change this?
What if..?
L.O. To find out about the properties of a variety of materials and
how they are chosen for use on the basis of these
Lower Key Stage 2 – Years 3 and 4
Development of Thematic Enquiry - putting science into context.
Making it relevant to everyday experiences.
Year 3; Hello H20 Theme
‘
L.O. To understand the basic conditions for living
things to survive.
To know why water and a healthy diet are
important.
Linked to World Water Day 2012.
Fund-raising for safe, clean drinking water for African villages.
Understanding of the importance of water and its conservation.
H2O Activities
Going Green – Year 4
Habitats and Adaptation
Food chains
Classification
Caring for our environment
Visit to EMEG
Guest speakers
Parental involvement
Year 4 – Electric Circuits
Contextualising Science; making our own torches.
L.O. To construct electrical circuits to make devices work.
To learn how circuits may be changed to affect the brightness
or speed of components.
Asking questions - ‘What happens when..?’
Applying learning to a task.
Purpose to science and technology skills.
Upper Key Stage 2 – Years 5 and 6
Subject specialist system
Investigative science in Science Lab every week
• Active ‘Wow!’ lesson starters
• Use of costume – teacher/pupils
• Visits to local factories, facilities,
exhibitions and DESC
• Independent experiments
• Guest ‘expert’ speakers
Children ask their
own questions and plan
investigations to answer them
Why is the swimming
pool closed?
Can we make a switch to
light our tower?
How far does a sneeze
travel?
Scientific Studies at Dibba
Motivation through Assessment for Learning
Are exciting activities alone enough to motivate learners?
Children need to know where they are in their learning journey
Understand ways to improve
Two-way dialogue encourages reflection
• How am I doing?
• Do I really understand this?
• Can I explain my learning, using the new vocabulary I have
encountered?
• What do I need to do to improve?
• How can I move forward with this?
• What are the next steps in my learning?
Assessment for Learning
Reflection on performance
Pupils motivated to improve and further develop
Recognise that mistakes are helpful; we learn from our
mistakes!
Never make the same mistake twice.
There are so many new ones to make –
Try a new one each day!
Mistakes are the stepping stones
to success
Motivation – the bigger picture
Enriching the curriculum
Environmental studies trip, Cyprus
Green Club
EEG campaigns, pupil conferences
Competitions
Axum Africa
Science is all about asking questions
Now it is your turn!!
Sue Le Boutillier
Bede Higgins
Tony Clarkson
Dubai English Speaking School