Practical Work in School Science: Which Way Now?

by Wellington,Jerry

• ISBN13: 9780415174930
• ISBN10: 0415174937
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1998-10-20
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Practical work has been part of science education for just over 100 years and is accepted as an essential and exciting part of understanding this discipline. Although it can be costly and sometimes messy, it simply has to be done if students and teachers are to progress in their understanding. Schools and universities invest millions of pounds in it and the National Curriculum reveres it - but what exactly is going on in classrooms around the country and how are the leading practitioners moving with the times? This book attempts to reflect on the value and purpose of practical work as part of the scientific curriculum. Why are practical exercises so necessary and what do they contribute to the learning process? The chapters examine many issues such as:* how practical work is perceived by students and teachers* whether we will move on to the 'virtual lab'*the limitations of current 'hands-on' work and valuable alternatives to it* the connections between practical work in science education and 'authentic' science* what role experimentation plays in current educational practice. Jerry Wellington is Reader in Education at Sheffield University, and has taught science at all academic levels.

Author Biography

Jerry Wellington is Reader in Education at Sheffield University.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. viii
Contributors	p. x
Preface	p. xiv
Acknowledgements	p. xvi
Introduction	p. 1
Practical work in science: time for a reappraisal	p. 3
Rhetoric and reality: what practical work in science education is really for	p. 16
Perspectives on practical work in school science	p. 33
The schooling of laboratory science	p. 35
Teaching about the world of science in the laboratory: the influence of students' ideas	p. 52
'If this were played upon a stage ...': school laboratory work as a theatre of representation	p. 69
The search for authenticity	p. 91
Is this really what scientists do? Seeking a more authentic science in and beyond the school laboratory	p. 93
Authentic science in schools, to develop personal knowledge	p. 109
Learning about the dimensions of science through authentic tasks	p. 126
Language, images, ideas and practical work	p. 153
Science education without a laboratory?	p. 156
Science as conversation: come and see my air pump!	p. 174
'Imaging' or 'Envisionment' in practical work: developing the link between action, thought and image	p. 192
Further ideas on the future of practical work	p. 203
Implicit knowledge and science practical work in schools	p. 206
Experimentation and conceptual understanding in school science: can hypothesis testing play a role?	p. 220
It in practical work: assessing and increasing the value-added	p. 237
Multimedia simulation: a threat to or enhancement of practical work in science education?	p. 252
Virtual science: a practical alternative?	p. 271
Epilogue	p. 282
Further reading	p. 285
Index	p. 291
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