In this recorded professional learning session, Lyn Rogers and Angela Schipper explore how teachers can plan to engage students in science topics that they may perceive as difficult.
Good messages ladies, thank you.
Teacher
They model easily transferable planning skills and pedagogies and use climate change – a complex issue – as a context for this session.
Thank you for the interesting webinar, first time ever. Really useful and relevant.
Teacher
The planning skills and pedagogies modelled in this webinar will be easily transferable to other topics or contexts.
This will be of interest for both primary and secondary school teachers.
Nature of science
The nature of science underpins how science works. All aspects of the nature of science can be considered when planning in science, but it is easier to focus on one or two. This session explains how to choose what aspects may be relevant.
The article Climate change – a wicked problem for classroom inquiry provides additional information on how to tackle big issues in science. Like the recorded PLD session, the article recommends smaller bite-size inquiries and opportunities for cross-curricular and key competency learning.
For optimal viewing of this professional development session video and the PowerPoint, you may find it easier to download them.
We encourage you to join our discussion about planning and pedagogy in science by registering in our online forum on Slack. In this forum, we share and discuss ideas and share resources.
Related content
Planning
The SLH has a range of articles designed to support teachers to plan in science. These include Planning template for teaching science, Ethics in science planner, Harnessing the Sun – unit plan and Using concept cartoons.
Alternatively, you can explore our PLD section for more planning options.
The interactive inquiry and action learning process has pedagogical information to aid with planning and carrying out inquiry investigations.
Climate change
There is also a wide range of articles and activities relevant to different aspects of climate change, depending on the curriculum focus and students’ understandings about climate change. Examples include Ocean acidification and eggshells, Carbon dioxide emissions calculator, Temperature, salinity and water density, Farming and environmental issues, Greenhouse simulation, Melting glacial ice, Melting and freezing, Humans and the water cycle, Ocean temperature and Renewable energy sources.
To view all of our climate change resources, visit the climate change topic. Once there, you can use the filters to narrow your search options.
Index – SLH PD Tackling planning in science
| Topic | PowerPoint slide number(s) | Video timecode |
| Introducing the Science Learning Hub and presenters | 1 | 00:00 |
| Index | 2–3 | 00:10 |
| Introducing the learning outcomes | 4 | 00:20 |
| Why might we choose a context or topic? | 5–9 | 01:08 |
| Climate change – how or where do we start? | 10–13 | 05:58 |
| Deciding on the curriculum angle to take | 14–19 | 12:55 |
| How confident are we? | 20 | 22:05 |
| What approach will we take? | 21 | 24:56 |
| What activities will we choose? | 22 | 25:53 |
| Engagement through inquiry | 23 | 27:21 |
| What is climate change? What are the consequences? | 24–25 | 29:56 |
| Using thinking hats to generate questions | 26 | 32:36 |
| Exploring the science of sea-level rise | 27–28 | 36:23 |
| How do we know our students have learned? | 29–30 | 40:36 |
| Some more SLH resources | 31 | - |
| Thanks – links to keep in touch | 32 | 45:31 |
