How do you go beyond ‘recipe following’ and use practical work to support explanation of theory?
It is essential that students studying science are given the opportunity to practice and embed understanding of practical skills in preparation for the assessment of their learning.
However, with all the logistical and safety considerations around practical work, it is all too easy for our goal as a teacher to focus solely on all students completing the practical and clearing up by the end of the lesson. Time spent both before the practical work is carried out and follow up work is crucial for students to be able to see a point to what they are doing in the practical lesson. Whilst sets of instructions can be useful to gain an understanding of how to set up a practical, students need to move away from this to be able to apply their learning. As well as improving practical skills and demonstrating the scientific method, practical work should also help students to understand the theory and link to their prior knowledge.
The importance of purpose in practical work
The thing that differentiates science teachers from scientists is their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), the ability to make the content comprehensible to others using analogies, examples, explanations and demonstrations. Making effective use of PCK requires us to understand the purpose of what we are doing in order to identify the most suitable analogies and examples. The importance of purpose is not limited to the learning outcomes for scientific knowledge, it also applies to procedural knowledge and practical work.
As teachers we are familiar with identifying learning outcomes for scientific knowledge, indeed our recent focus has been very much on the sequencing of knowledge. Are we thinking about procedural knowledge and practical skills in the same way?
As far back as 2009, Robin Millar raised concerns that practical work had become over reliant on ‘cookbook’ or ‘recipe-following’ tasks. That although teachers believed that practical work led to better learning, the students did not necessarily learn what was initially intended.
‘Is the kind of practical work we use, and the way we use it, effective in developing students?’
(Millar, 2009)
So how do we make sure practical work is effective, that students learn what we expect them to? Students need to know why they are carrying out an activity as well as the success criteria for completing it. By understanding the purpose of what we are doing we can make effective use of our PCK, predict potential issues and misconceptions, and deal with them effectively.
The Gatsby Good Practical science Guide identifies 5 purposes of practical work:
A – To teach the principles of scientific enquiry
B – To Improve understanding of theory through practical experience
C – To teach specific practical skills that may be useful in future study or employment
D – To motivate and engage students
E – To develop higher level skills and attributes, for example communication or teamwork.
Why do you include practical work in your lessons? What is its purpose?
Further resources
Flexible online learning:
Secondary:
Leading practical work
Teaching practical science: chemistry
Teaching practical science: physics
Teaching practical science: biology
Primary:
Teaching primary science: Getting started
Teaching primary science: Chemistry
Teaching primary science: Electricity, forces, light and sound
Teaching primary science: evolution
Face to face courses:
Effective GCSE practical work: Biology
Effective GCSE practical work: Chemistry
Effective GCSE practical work: Physics
Millar, R. (2009) Analysing practical activities to assess and improve effectiveness: The Practical Activity Analysis Inventory (PAAI). York: Centre for Innovation and Research in Science Education, University of York.