Why this approach is important

Science is a practical subject that is relevant to all our lives. As well as understanding scientific concepts, students need to learn practical skills and be able to make connections between the science that they learn in school and their everyday lives. In order to encourage your students to become active participants in lessons, you need to find ways of engaging and motivating them, and relating the body of science knowledge in the textbook to their lives. If students are motivated and interested then they will learn more effectively.

Doing practical work is one way to help your students become actively involved, and one of the activities in this unit will help you to think about how to improvise practical equipment. However, you can also think about how to enhance the learning environment and how to draw on expertise within your school, or in the local community.