Conclusion

Achieving and maintaining confidence in relation to personal subject knowledge is a challenge for all primary education practitioners. In science, the challenges include:

• rapid advances in knowledge, understanding and technology
• shifting views in science and attitudes to science
• the breadth of ‘content’ across the main sub-disciplines.

No matter how good your science subject knowledge, to effectively support children’s learning, you must understand the ways children think about science, and you need to ‘be able to evaluate the thinking behind students’ own methods, and identify students’ common misconceptions’ (Coe et al., 2014, p. 2). You will also need to challenge stereotypes about science, and make science learning experiences engaging and relevant to children.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course E209 Developing subject knowledge for the primary years [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , relevant to anyone interested in the education of 3 to 11 year old children.