Practical Work for Learning

Practical work is an essential part of science education, but to make it effective, we need to decide what we want students to learn from any particular lesson, and to consider the best approach for achieving that.

We have developed a new set of resources that provide exemplification of three different approaches to practical work: argumentation, model-based inquiry, and science in the workplace.

A comprehensive introduction is provided for each approach, along with five standalone lessons comprising all necessary teacher and student materials.

The resources cover topics from physics, chemistry, and biology, and are suitable for Key Stages 3-5. Research summaries are also provided, for those who want to delve further into the evidence underpinning the development of the resources.

The project, Practical Work for Learning, was undertaken in partnership with the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Biology. All resources are available to download free of charge from www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practicalscience.