Martin Braund
Martin Braund is Adjunct Professor at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Education at the University of York. After graduating in Zoology and Geology from Exeter University he taught science in secondary schools in Cardiff, York and Boroughbridge for 18 years. In 1989-1991 he completed a Masters in Science Education while working as a Research Fellow for the Assessment of Performance Unit in Science at the University of Leeds. He holds a PhD from the University of York focused on research in transition from primary to secondary school. Much of his work is connected with innovative approaches to teaching science and biology. His wife is an actress and he has a great interest in the history and philosophy of the theatre. Martin has published over seventy journal articles and his books and chapters in books are internationally known in the fields of transition, informal learning outside the classroom (with Michael Reiss), argumentation, teacher education and drama in science. His most recent book, Performing Science (Bloomsbury, 2012), was shortlisted for education resource of the year. Martin is a member of several international research organisations and editorial boards of leading journals and is editor of Science Teacher Education. He has worked as consultant, adviser and keynote speaker in over 20 countries of Europe, Australasia and Africa.
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This book provides busy teachers with ready-made lesson plans for teaching many abstract scientific principles in a fun and novel way that really engages students. Drawing on and combining the knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics education specialists with drama education experts, this book covers topics taught widely in the sciences with pupils aged 11-16.
The editors and contributors give a broad background to the value of drama and role play in the teaching of science, including a section summarising, for the non-drama specialist, the main techniques that will be used throughout the book. They also provide guidance on how teachers who have enjoyed using the lesson plans within the book can design their own drama and role play activities. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/performing-science-9781441160713/#sthash.PqfvLOs9.dpuf
Why do pupils' learning and motivation slow down markedly as they move from primary to secondary school? Why is this situation worse in science than in any other curriculum subject?
This book combines reports of and reflection on best practice in improving progression and continuity of teaching and learning in science - particularly at that transition stage between primary and secondary school. Presenting the views of teachers and pupils on progression, learning and application of science, the book suggests practical ways of improving teaching and learning in science. Each chapter includes examples of learning materials with notes on how these might be used or adapted by teachers in their own classroom settings.
Science teaching in secondary schools is often based on assumptions that children know or can do very little, so the job in the secondary school becomes one of showing pupils how to start 'doing science properly', as if from scratch. The damage that this false view can do to pupils' learning, motivation and confidence is clear. This book will help teachers to assess children's prior knowledge effectively and build meaningful and enjoyable science lessons.
at museums, science centres and planetaria
from newspapers, magazines and through ICT
at industrial sites and through science trails
at zoos, farms, botanic gardens, residential centres and freshwater habitats
in school grounds.
With contributions from well known and respected practitioners in all fields of science education and through using case studies, Learning Science Outside the Classroom offers practical guidance for teachers, assistant teaching staff and student teachers involved in primary and secondary education. It will help enable them to widen the scientific experience and understanding of pupils.
The advice in this book has been checked for safety by CLEAPSS.
Primary science in the UK has a long history. But where is Primary Science today and what lessons have we learned from that history? The big question is what makes quality in primary science and how do we recognise it?
One of the key messages in this talk is about components of quality science taught to young children. In England, science is taught in schools from the age of 5 up to age 11, when most children transfer to a secondary school. But, science experiences (and some teaching) can take place from a much earlier age, in pre-school nursery classes and at home. The inquiring human mind begins immediately. When a baby drops a rattle and sees the same pattern in behaviour for objects dropped over and over again, the pattern of gravity are being identified and internalised – inquiry has begun! The Human brain begins to build these connections through observing and rationalising simple cause and effect relationships, using these as the basis for more sophisticated connections as experience and learning proceed.
I want to start with a quick journey through some of the key influences on the development of primary science in England to what it is today. I deliberately say in England because, increasingly in the last 50 years, the home nations have diverged in terms of the ways in which their education systems are governed, regulated and assessed.
I want to use the journey of primary science to arrive at what learning science involves and what actions and decisions by the teacher might be best to facilitate learning of young children – in Europe the term ‘Pedagogy’ is often used to describe this quite complex set of teacher behaviours. Some politicians think ‘Pedagogy’ is just the same as learning ‘the skills of teaching’ but a real understanding of pedagogy is much more than this.
I will finish by thinking through some of the recent challenges for Primary Science in the UK/England – so we can see if any of these are shared in your countries.
To address these problems the STAY project at the University of York designed and researched bridging units started in the primary school and completed in the secondary school. Teaching was inquiry-based and context-led. Lessons were carefully designed with progression and interactive learning in mind.
A three year research programme, the largest in England, was used to uncover pupils’ and teachers’ reactions to bridging work and its impact on pupils’ attitudes and performance in science.
Key findings were:
• Pupils and teachers were very positive about bridging work. Pupils felt it gave them a good start to secondary science.
• Pupils taught bridging work did better on tests of science processes.
• Pupils taught bridging work did better on planning investigations but not as well on recognising patterns and relationships in data.
• Bridging works best when combined with a programme of co-observation of lessons by teachers from both primary and secondary schools.
• Some secondary teachers failed to appreciate the progression in inquiry-based learning built into the bridging work design implying that thorough INSET is required.