Science is a wonderfully rich subject - but for many students with SEND, it can also be a maze of abstract ideas, unfamiliar equipment, and sensory overload. This year at STEM Learning, we’ve been exploring how to make that maze easier to navigate.
We started our thinking by reflecting on how science is different as a subject and what it is that makes it challenging to all students, but especially challenging in some areas for some students.
Practical work? Yes, sometimes with smelly, noisy sensory challenges built in! But it is not only practical work that can cause barriers to appear. Building up to a complex understanding of abstract concepts is difficult and there are several areas we need to consider investing time and thought in if we are to make it a success for all-
Build a coherent, navigable curriculum- this needs to be carefully structured and communicated to students. When students understand how today’s lesson connects to yesterday’s and tomorrow’s, the abstract becomes manageable and working memory limitations become less of a challenge.
Consider strengthening your curriculum journey further, possibly using newer teachers to try and pick out questions they do not know the answer to - why are we doing this topic and how does it fit in? What links are there between what you have been studying and other learning, even between science subjects? How are they being taught in that subject- e.g. are you just looking at one example of something in biology but the wider understanding is in physics (such as teaching of energy)?
Structure the best possible explanations - Use multiple representations (practical, diagrammatic, verbal, 3D models) and different examples- practical work alternatives, different questions and a variety of assessment. Linking these different representations and examples together very clearly is crucial here- What does this equation look like when you make a model of the molecules, what might I see if we do the reaction, what are the particles doing when they move?
Context built in, but maybe not too soon?- We know context can be important to introduce ‘What’s the point?’ but also motivate students to carry on when the going gets tough. Too much too soon, however, can confuse understanding and dilute what is to be learnt. I have often seen lessons where students have been really clear about the very exciting scenario, but decidedly less clear about the topic itself (did the technician leave a note when they stole your lunch?! Yes! But what exactly is chromatography?). Students need to be able to see the pure explanation first and embed understanding and then be supported in that first transition to a new context, modelling the clues you use as an expert learner to decode and make sense of something new! ‘So, because that black ink is soluble in water we could use that to separate out the different soluble substances in it’. Idea-then supported context- then richer context is probably a sensible progression to factor in.
If you’re looking to dig deeper, the Best Evidence in Science Teaching resources offer research‑informed strategies you can use tomorrow.
For a broader leadership perspective, our Science Leadership benchmark on Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil provides a structured way to reflect on your department’s approach to SEND.
Or browse our CPD offer for courses to delve into the topics and detail-
Supporting students with SEND in Mainstream settings