The Association For Science Education's "schoolscience.co.uk Great Bug Hunt 2011," in association with Martin Rapley and Gatekeeper Educational, has been a resounding success--not only because it fits into the science curriculum so neatly, but also because of the passion it evoked in the children who took part. This year's entries were truly…

Many scientists have been fascinated by how the brain works, but much of what is known about the brain has been discovered within the last twenty years. In this article, the author explores how thinking and using one's mind are essential to understanding. She contends that children need to be in control of their learning; the adult's role is to…

Most teachers often pass themselves off as "just" teachers, when in truth they are so much more. Teacher, adviser, consultant, confidante, manager, leader, partner, collaborator, role model, councillor, researcher, learner, friend. Of course, in the 21st-century education system teachers are expected to carry out roles well beyond "just"…

Primary-aged children's decreasing enthusiasm for science is worrying. The author explores why children are often not as excited by science as one would expect. She found that the best way to counter this is to be enthusiastic about the subject herself, have interesting activities for the children to carry out, and give them a choice about what to…

The concept of TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context) was created by Belle Wallace (Wallace et al., 1993) as a model that can be used to nurture and develop thinking skills. As children work through the TASC wheel, the teacher has a very good opportunity to facilitate explicit conversations about thinking. This allows the children to grow in…

Members of the Primary Science Editorial Board put their heads together and did some thinking about some of the activities they use to encourage children (and adults) to think. This article presents the outcome.

Taking on a primary school that was placed in special measures in 2001 for the author's first headship in 2003 was a risky venture. During the intervening two years, the local authority support had focused on behaviour management and "the basics", but attainment had not improved and termly official inspections noted stubbornly "satisfactory"…

Technology plays a crucial role in pupils' and primary teachers' lives nowadays and its use can facilitate change towards an innovative school environment. The internet, for example, can act as a platform to foster science teaching and offers a variety of opportunities for effective science learning and engaging and motivating children. But…

What are children trying to tell when they can't find the words that they need? Children's gestures are valuable in informing teaching practice and how one goes about assessing children's work in science. These children's gestures may have more meaning attached to it than is at first apparent. Use such gesturing to learn what children know and can…

Why do people so often view science and art as polar opposites? Is it a view that is relatively new, or has it always been the case? Why is it a good idea to combine the two subjects and teach them in cross-curricular ways and what impact does it have on the learning of primary-aged children? These were some of the questions posted by science and…

Increased energy efficiency and reduced reliance on fossil fuels are both essential if people are to have any chance of avoiding escalating energy prices and the grim reality of catastrophic climate change. By increasing the diversity of energy sources people can also achieve increased security, reducing their dependence on imports. As…

Assessment for learning (AfL) is different from other forms of assessment because it has the specific purpose of promoting children's learning, rather than summarising or measuring what has been learnt. A key aspect of this is recognising that it is only "formative" when the information gleaned is actually used to move learning forward. It is not…

The author takes a look into the benefits that dinosaurs may bring to the classroom. He discusses how he used dinosaurs as a cross-curricular theme to improve children's understanding and knowledge of science concepts. To investigate what a child might learn from dinosaurs, he started by comparing the many non-fiction dinosaur books using the…

In this digital age, is primary science being left behind? Computer microscopes provide opportunities to transform science lessons into highly exciting learning experiences and to shift enquiry and discovery back into the hands of the children. A class of 5- and 6-year-olds was just one group of children involved in the Digitally Resourced…

How many children entering a classroom already have a day/night explanation that employs a turning Earth? This question ought to be of interest to most teachers, along with questions such as "What are children thinking after one's teaching of this topic?" The author has used a simple diagram and tick-box response sheet to help him assess the range…