More specifically, in biology at Key stage 3 (KS3) pupils are expected after three years of study to understand ‘the fundamentals of the structure and function of living things, material cycles and energy, interactions and interdependencies and genetics and evolution’. In chemistry it is expected that pupils be taught about ‘the nature of matter, about the atom, chemical reactions, the periodic table and the Earth and the atmosphere’. In physics, the basics of physics should be taught, including; ‘energy, motion and forces, waves, electricity and electromagnetism, matter and space physics’. (DFE, 2013)
KS4 content is a continuation and build-up of the principles and ideas that are introduced in KS3. At this level, more insight and analytical …show more content…
This advocates that learning is based on pupils’ experiences and that pupils build upon what they already know and that learning is not a process of regurgitating information, rather pupils will learn better if they have had an experience with it prior to that lesson. It proposes that the learning process is not one that takes place in isolation but something that is personal to every pupil, and rather than teaching traditionally in which the teacher imparts knowledge to the pupils, pupils are lead to ‘discover’ knowledge themselves. This learning theory places great importance on learning as a social activity. This in the context of science is important, as scientific research is a collective achievement as well as pupils understanding the development of scientific research presentation in reality as a social process. (O’Donnell & King, …show more content…
This statement by Lemke demonstrates that science is not something, that a child has not encountered before and that their only connection to it is in a classroom; rather it is an extension of the child’s prior knowledge (Sizmur & Ashby, 1997).
This, from the constructivists point of view is ‘detrimental’ to the pupils learning as this may cause misconceptions to occur in their mind and therefore science teachers are placed in the classroom only to guide and lead pupils out of misconceptions. (Sizmur & Ashby, 1997) This shows how teaching practice has evolved and how this is the norm in most classrooms, as I have also observed.
The traditional structure of lessons as being taught from textbooks is becoming increasingly uncommon. The advancements in technology have allowed the use of more elaborate and less time consuming techniques to be deployed in classrooms to teach pupils with the technology they use. Teachers are using a variety of learning tools based on technology as seen in classrooms not only with the use of smart boards but also using the Internet. For example, explaining the concept of diffusion is an abstract concept however if pupils are able to visualise what is meant by diffusion the concept it is easier to comprehend, thus teachers are increasingly using videos. (Beetham & Sharpe,
KS4 content is a continuation and build-up of the principles and ideas that are introduced in KS3. At this level, more insight and analytical …show more content…
This advocates that learning is based on pupils’ experiences and that pupils build upon what they already know and that learning is not a process of regurgitating information, rather pupils will learn better if they have had an experience with it prior to that lesson. It proposes that the learning process is not one that takes place in isolation but something that is personal to every pupil, and rather than teaching traditionally in which the teacher imparts knowledge to the pupils, pupils are lead to ‘discover’ knowledge themselves. This learning theory places great importance on learning as a social activity. This in the context of science is important, as scientific research is a collective achievement as well as pupils understanding the development of scientific research presentation in reality as a social process. (O’Donnell & King, …show more content…
This statement by Lemke demonstrates that science is not something, that a child has not encountered before and that their only connection to it is in a classroom; rather it is an extension of the child’s prior knowledge (Sizmur & Ashby, 1997).
This, from the constructivists point of view is ‘detrimental’ to the pupils learning as this may cause misconceptions to occur in their mind and therefore science teachers are placed in the classroom only to guide and lead pupils out of misconceptions. (Sizmur & Ashby, 1997) This shows how teaching practice has evolved and how this is the norm in most classrooms, as I have also observed.
The traditional structure of lessons as being taught from textbooks is becoming increasingly uncommon. The advancements in technology have allowed the use of more elaborate and less time consuming techniques to be deployed in classrooms to teach pupils with the technology they use. Teachers are using a variety of learning tools based on technology as seen in classrooms not only with the use of smart boards but also using the Internet. For example, explaining the concept of diffusion is an abstract concept however if pupils are able to visualise what is meant by diffusion the concept it is easier to comprehend, thus teachers are increasingly using videos. (Beetham & Sharpe,