Science - Exemplification in subjects - A Coherent Pedagogy for Secondary Schools

Science
A Science Lesson in Key Stage 3

Pupils line up outside the science lab door. The class teacher moves out of the lab to meet the pupils and supervise them entering the lab.

As pupils enter the room they remove their equipment for the lesson, store their bags and move to their designated seat.

Each child is sat so they have a clear view of their classmates’ faces and also the class teacher. The teacher moves to stand in the space from where they usually begin the lesson and where they can also easily make eye contact with each class member.

The teacher greets the class and indicates the start of the lesson.

The lesson begins by using a starter (in the example given it is a concept cartoon). The focus of the starter clues each pupil into the area of science the teacher wishes them to use, explore, or extend.

It generally includes use of old and new science vocabulary/ideas and or processes and may offer a bridging to the previous lesson.

The strategies used by the class teacher allow each pupil to respond and therefore provide opportunities to gauge the level of response and use questioning to probe for misconceptions.

They also to allow pupils to explain their thinking, and comment on another pupil's response. Pupils feel secure in sharing their responses and their thinking without worrying whether it is right or wrong and accept that others may disagree with their responses or thinking.

However, they must also say why they disagree. The starter leads into the main part of the lesson in which the teacher introduces and unpacks the learning objectives. They seldom have more than two to share.

Key vocabulary/processes/ideas in the learning objectives are highlighted.

The teacher states what the pupils can expect to achieve by the end of the lesson and then clarifies the role of the activities they will engage in and what purposes they serve in relation to the learning objectives and learning outcomes.

The teacher uses a range of activities to support the pupil’s learning. On occasion this involves the teacher leading an activity such as a demonstration experiment or the use of a model.

At other times pupils carry out a procedure, collect data, make observations, identify patterns or make links between ideas and use models.

When the teacher is sure the class knows what they are going to do and why, the activities are undertaken. Where pupils carry out the activities they move into agreed working groups, usually pairs, and work within a given time frame.

While pupils engage and work through a given activity the teacher moves around the room (class scan) to assess, through listening, observation and questioning, what learning is taking place.

They note any key points they want to draw on in the concluding plenary.

The teacher indicates the beginning of a plenary phase by asking pupils to conclude their activity and ensuring they are seated to enable whole class discussion.

The teacher moves back to the class position from which the pupils know they usually conduct a class discussion/plenary.

In the plenary the teacher asks pupils to remind the class as to the purpose of a given activity and chooses pupils to contribute to show the learning that has taken place.

The pupils state what it is they have learnt. They state what they found easy, what they found difficult and how their thinking has changed or been confirmed.

The class revisit the learning objectives and state what evidence they have to show learning has taken place.

The teacher summarises what has been secured overall and what needs to be developed next lesson.