Introduction
Why Let’s Think through science! is useful in the classroom
Let’s Think through Science! is the latest addition to a family of materials that help teachers to promote pupils’ thinking abilities. Designed for use with seven- and eight-year-old pupils (Year 3 in England and Wales, P4 in Scotland), it has two main aims:
- to help pupils develop their general ability to think;
- to help them further to develop this thinking within the context of science.
Let’s Think through Science! combines the development of general thinking ability with attention to the particular types of thinking required to ‘reach inside’ the science topics typically included in curricula for seven- and eight-year-olds: this is a powerful approach. Science is as much a ‘way of thinking’ as it is a body of knowledge. Focusing on scientific ways of thinking will give pupils a deeper level of access to the content material.
Focus on science
At the time of publication, Let’s Think through Science! is unique amongst cognitive acceleration materials in the emphasis it places on subject matter. Science in the early years of primary education has had a rocky history. There have been many good intentions and much excellent material produced. However, the impact of such materials on the practice of science education in primary schools has, at best, been patchy. The prescription of science content in the form of national science curricula in England and elsewhere has probably done little to encourage high-quality constructive teaching of science. Teachers who have little background in the subject themselves may have come to see the content as merely a set of details to be learned, rather than as an opportunity for exploring scientific thinking. Let’s Think through Science! sets out to redress this balance, showing teachers a new way of working whilst at the same time meeting the requirements of the curriculum.
Components
Resource materials
The Let’s Think through Science! kit contains some of the materials that teachers will need for the activities, including ten photocopy masters (nine are in the Resource Section at the rear of this manual and one is stored separately in the kit), some pre-cut cards and a set of sticks. Most of the activities also use common materials that you will already have in school, or could obtain or make easily. In order to keep the cost of the kit down, these have not been supplied.
Teacher’s Guide Finding your way around the Teacher’s Guide2
The Teacher’s Guide gives full support and guidance to teachers using the Let’s Think through Science! programme.
Chapter 2 provides information about the theory of thinking.
Chapter 3 shows how Let’s Think through Science! translates theory into practice.
General guidelines as to how Let’s Think through Science! should be used in the classroom are provided in Chapter 4, which also provides a step-by-step guide on how to begin using the programme (see page 12). Chapter 5 describes how the programme was developed.
Full and detailed instructions for each individual activity are given in Chapter 6.
Now turn to Chapter 2 for essential background information on why it is important to teach thinking skills, how pupils’ thinking processes develop and how their development may be accelerated.