As science teachers, I’m sure your top priority is the safety of the students. Science education and science practicals go hand in hand - one cannot exist without the other.
Students who can at times be a handful will add to your stress, and may make you afraid about what dangerous thing they may do in your science practicals. How will you keep an eye on the whole class and especially these challenging students? Won’t it be easier to skip the practical entirely? That may seem like the easy or safe way out - but you would be potentially causing long-term damage to both the student’s education and missing opportunities to develop understanding of challenging concepts. Your patience may even suffer without the added opportunity of using practicals to explain abstract concepts to them.
Much of science is, at its core, made up of abstract, non-tangible concepts. Try and explain a theoretical concept to someone and you may receive blank stares in return, and hear “I don’t get science”. Science practicals are a way to make the non-tangible concepts become tangible. Imagine a year later when students stare back blankly as you explain a concept like titration or distillation to them and they don’t understand a word. Denying these challenging students access to science practicals will come back to haunt you later on.
One of the most demoralising questions for a class to hear is "Why am I learning this?" and the best way to combat this is to show how the practical skills are relevant to their daily lives. When teaching about insulation and energy efficiency in Physics, why not connect it to how warm their PS5s and laptops get and how much energy is being wasted? When teaching about bacteria in Biology, try demonstrating how much bacteria their leftover food contains. When teaching Chemistry, why not use electrolysis to show them why gold-plated jewellery is less expensive than pure gold jewellery? Even the most challenging and disinterested student will show interest and fascination when you show them how science plays a direct role in their daily lives.
Being aware of your examination board’s exact requirements and level of flexibility is crucial - they are usually much less rigid than you think. Being clear about the apparatus and techniques skills the core practical aims to develop and using creativity to help the student understand the core concepts while minimising risk are all ways you can make practical work possible for even the most challenging of your students.
Do you have to use a Bunsen burner? When was the last time a question about Bunsen burners came up in the exam? Why not provide them with a tealight candle instead. There are many solutions to these issues. Don’t deny students a chance to utilise their scientific knowledge in a real-world context.
Our world is becoming increasingly reliant on science and technology. In order to ensure that our students are prepared to meet the challenges of the future, even if they are not planning to follow a career in science, it is important they receive a strong foundation in science education with practical experience.
Three reasons why science practicals are more important than ever before
They teach critical thinking skills
One of the most important skills that students can learn from science practicals is how to think critically. In order to understand complex scientific concepts, students need to be able to ask questions, analyse data, evaluate outcomes, and form hypotheses. These are skills that will serve them well in any field that they choose to pursue - and in everyday life too.
They help students understand the world around them
Practical work can allow students to observe unusual and intriguing phenomena, which in turn will lead to them talking and thinking about the science behind what they see. This can then lead to them becoming better informed citizens who have engaged with and developed understanding of how the world works. Handled skilfully, practical work can be linked to current news and to students’ everyday lives, allowing them to make sense of the events that they see. By understanding the scientific principles behind natural phenomena, students will be better equipped to make informed decisions about the world around them.
They could encourage students to pursue a rewarding STEM career
There is an ever-growing demand for STEM skills. By providing students with a strong foundation in science education, including an opportunity to develop practical skills, you are giving them the platform for a STEM career. Whether that practical experience is hands-on or wider skills, such as critical evaluation or processing of data students have generated, we can give students insights into their aptitudes and interests and encourage them to pursue careers in a variety of in-demand fields. Ultimately, science practicals can help students develop the knowledge and confidence necessary to succeed in STEM careers.
Science education is more important than ever before. It helps students develop critical thinking skills, understand the world around them, and encourage them to pursue a STEM career pathway. By providing them with a strong foundation in science education with science practicals, we can help them meet the challenges of the future head-on!
Francis will be hosting a live STEM Spotlight session on this subject at 4pm on Wednesday 10 May – keep an eye on the STEM Spotlight group on Community to join in for free, and watch previous sessions too.
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