Learning science

Raising students' achievement in science has been, and remains, one of the pre-occupations of educational systems the world over. In the UK, for example, the science curriculum has undergone a series of structural changes dating from the late 1980s to the present time. However, many science education practitioners would argue that whilst the structure and to some extent the content have undergone change during this period, far less attention has been paid to teaching and learning processes in science classrooms and laboratories. Others, too, would suggest that there are important questions about what we teach and why we teach it that need to be addressed.The 'Evidence-based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) Research Network', part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, has attempted to explore ways in which research on science education might make an impact on practice and policy. Researchers and teachers worked together to produce tools that helped teachers tackle problems relating to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. Specifically they focused on students' learning difficulties with some core science topics and on students' understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge, the procedures of scientific enquiry and the forms of reasoning used by scientists in interpreting evidence and proposing conclusions. The research is underpinned by the principle that students and teachers can work together to create meaning from scientific evidence.The researchers highlighted differences between the language students use to describe and explain scientific phenomena in their everyday lives and the more scientific language needed for a clearer understanding of science concepts and ideas. They also stressed the core role of the teacher in presenting the content in a way which addresses known learning difficulties for students and in creating and sustaining the open-ended classroom dialogue which prompts students to reflect more deeply on their understanding.We think that science teachers will find our summary of the work of the EPSE team helpful in reflecting on how they can build on their students' talk about science when planning approaches to teaching. This collaborative research involved the Universities of York, Leeds, Southampton and King's College London and a number of science teachers and their classes.The EPSE Network carried out the following four projects: Using diagnostic assessment to enhance learning (led by Robin Millar, University of York) Developing and evaluating evidence-informed teaching sequences (led by John Leach, University of Leeds) Teaching pupils 'Ideas-about-science' (led by Jonathan Osborne, King's College, London) Users' perceptions of research (led by Mary Ratcliffe, University of Southampton)  The common thread which links the projects is the idea that research into science teaching can inform practice and that research outcomes are most effective when they are translated into tools and resources teachers can put to use in their classrooms. There are also messages for policy-makers involved in curriculum review. In addition to summarising the work of the EPSE network, this TLA research contains web links to five case studies which were undertaken by other practitioners independently of the EPSE research.You may also be interested in reading a related summary on Rosalind Driver's (1983) work 'The Pupil as Scientist?', which explores how children's ideas about science influence their learning.