Science

This term as a school, we have focused on oral language in science.

I think what has been presented and suggested so far has been great.  There have been plenty of ideas put forward and resources to look at.

For me, teaching in a play based classroom, I think science has the potential to be everywhere.  It is my job to see the potential in what children experience each day, in terms of learning about aspects of science.  I don't specifically think ‘oh I'm teaching science’, more often than not it is an emergent experience because we have butterflies hatching out of chrysalis, or we are in the kitchen garden looking at growing, or we are investigating the sunflowers and we talk about how seeds reproduce.  It might be that we look at velocity and speed when making ramps for cars, or how colours mix together when we are painting. As a teacher, I am keeping my eye out for these potential learning opportunities. The more our curriculum is integrated and holistic the less we can resist the need to ‘do science’.

Children are natural investigators, especially about the natural world, and are naturally curious and wonder. There are opportunites to develop working theories here - these are the evolving ideas and understandings that children develop as they use their existing knowledge to try to make sense of new experiences.

Children are most likely to generate and refine working theories in learning environments where uncertainty is valued, inquiry is modelled, and making meaning is the goal.