Teach-Primary-Issue-19.4

46 | www.teachwire.net PROFESSOR SARAH EARLE for teddy’s coat, the focus of the lesson might be on the planning phase, with discussions around how we could test how waterproof the various materials are, and the children drawing diagrams to explain the best method once they have done some trialing. If the focus is on concluding, when investigating whether longer legs jump further, this might be planned as a class, carried out in groups with the children recording their own conclusions. Full write-ups of method, results, and conclusion are not needed; pupils should only be recording on the focus of the lesson. Focused recording is a key feature of two Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) trialled programmes, which have found a positive impact on children’s science learning outcomes. Thinking Doing Talking Science promotes the importance of talk in science and was the inspiration for many of the activities that are freely available on the Explorify website ( explorify. uk ). Focus4TAPS, the professional development programme emerging from the Teacher T here are cars zooming down ramps, markers on the floor, metre rulers and tape measures, different surfaces being tested as ‘run-off lanes’… it’s a lot. Primary science enquiry lessons are hectic, and with 30 children and stuff everywhere, it can feel impossible to even consider assessing what learning is going on. But thinking about assessment can actually make the lesson more manageable, as you appraise what you’re really trying to teach. Teaching and assessing children’s ability to work scientifically is challenging because it is often happening in the moment; observing the woodlouse hide, measuring the temperature of the drink, counting the number of stirs until the sugar has dissolved, changing one thing about the parachute and keeping everything else the same… learning events that happen, and are then gone. Classroom management considerations take over and any sort of write-up doesn’t seem to capture what happened, making it feel like we need to look at everything, everywhere, all at once. Pull focus The solution is to ask yourself ‘so what?’. What matters? What do you want to focus on? Pick one part of the plan-do-review enquiry cycle to be the focus for the lesson. For example, if testing how waterproof different materials are Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project, supports the teaching and assessment of working scientifically ( tinyurl. com/tp-Focus4TAPS ). A wide range of lesson plans and pupil work examples can be found on the TAPS section of the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) website ( tinyurl. com/tp-PSTTtaps ). Focused recording means that there is more time within the lesson for discussion and investigation, as well as making it easier to judge where the children are in their learning. WAGOLL Making age-appropriate judgements about children’s learning in science is also more manageable when you have a tight focus, because it is easier to see ‘what a good one looks like’. For example, if you are running cars down ramps with a focus on recording results, then you would be looking to see if the children’s tables make sense: are they clear and labelled, with units for measurement? Whereas, if you are investigating string telephones and focusing on drawing conclusions, then you are looking to see if they can describe patterns and use SO WHAT? Is your assessment getting lost in the chaos of primary science enquiry? One simple question might set you on the right track... “Responsive and adaptive teaching will make the most difference to the children’s learning”