In my last post, I tried to prove that science practicals were not the best way for students to learn new scientific content. I want to try and look at the generalised skills of enquiry and analysis that they supposedly... Continue Reading →
In part 1, I offered a number of justifications for the near universal practice in the UK of teaching science through the use of investigations and experiments. In this section, I will focus on the first justification which related to the fact... Continue Reading →
Practicals and experiments have been a mainstay of science education for many years. Their use has become an orthopraxy - the "correct" way for science to be taught. But why do we do them? What is the orthodoxy - or "thing that... Continue Reading →
At a recent department meeting, I once again kicked up a bit of a stink. Unfortunately, I didn't articulate myself particularly well and my point was obscured beneath my habitual layer of bluster carefully draped upon an educational self-righteousness. So... Continue Reading →
A Chemical Orthodoxy 