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# 1.3 Seeing the bigger picture

Science encompasses a wide range of topics, theories and ideas. When developing subject knowledge in science, it is useful to think about such knowledge (yours and children’s) in terms of small and big ideas. As in other curriculum areas, children normally start by learning about specific events or features that have limited application (small ideas) so that they develop an understanding of big ideas over time.

## Activity 3 Big and small ideas

Allow about 10 minutes

From your own experience, whether as someone who works with children or has children, or just from your own scientific subject knowledge, can you think of a small idea that children might focus on in science and suggest how it relates to a bigger idea? You could think about small ideas that a four-year-old might learn about, and contrast them with what an eleven-year-old would learn.

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### Comment

There are many examples that you may have identified, including:

- Young children might plant stones and seeds in soil to see if they grow, to identify living and non-living things (small idea), while older children might learn about cellular structures that are unique to living things (big idea).
- Children may observe that the sun appears to ‘move’ during the day and that stars ‘appear’ at night (small idea). Later on, this will develop into an understanding of the fact that the Earth turns on its axis and that our planet is part of a wider solar system (big idea).
- Young children may play with parachutes and observe that they ‘slow down’ a falling object (small idea). Older children will learn about the gravitational and air resistance forces involved in this interaction (big idea).

Children can develop ‘small ideas’ as steps towards the bigger ones. Braund and Leigh (2013) argued that in this way, adults can make science accessible and meaningful for young children.

Figure 3 shows one representation of big ideas from the European Commission Go-Lab project, which aims to support school science learning. Harlen (2010) argued that:

- science teaching and learning should start with small ideas
- big ideas should not to be taught directly
- relevance to big ideas should be a reason for children spending time learning about scientific phenomena, and about science itself
- adults should know how the small ideas fit in with big or powerful ideas.

Figure 3 Go-Lab’s big ideas of science (Go-Lab, n.d.)

Right click on the following link to open the video Building the Science curriculum in Millersneuk primary in a new window. Listen to how school staff explain their approach to supporting progress in children’s conceptual knowledge and understanding. Note the emphasis on conceptual development throughout the primary years.

You can read a transcript of the video here: Millersneuk Primary transcript

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OpenLearn - Primary science: supporting children’s learning
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