Science practical – Ensuring yours goes without a hitch
As any science teacher knows, practical lessons are often challenging, but can also be hugely rewarding…
- by Kit Betts-Masters
- Science educator, physics specialist and content creator Visit website
In all honesty, many students think science practicals are an easy ride compared to sitting and writing. If you were to ask some of our science students ‘Why do you enjoy the experiment lessons?’ they’d probably tell you, ‘Well – it’s more fun, isn’t it?’
Tell them they’re doing a science practical, and many students will look forward to a bit of downtime whilst something heats up, or some plant starts bubbling.
As the teacher, however, you of course know that it won’t be an easy lesson at all. Because experiments are very hard to do well. It’s hard to keep students engaged while ensuring that they’re actually learning something useful.
And alongside that are all the usual worries you’ll have around there not being enough time to complete the method, plot the graph, or even pack away in a calm and orderly manner at the end of the lesson.
And yet, as my Association of Science Education trainer once memorably put it, “Science is as much a verb as it is a noun. In science, experimentation is the process of making new knowledge.”
So how do we get students to understand that? How do we get them to feel like they’re part of that process, and to maybe one day love it?
Purpose of science practicals
Ask students what science is, and the most common answer you get will be some variation of ‘Science tries to explain how things work.’ That’s not incorrect per se, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
A useful rephrasing might be, “Science lets you explain how things work.” By performing science practicals, we’re helping them to model their universe; to make sense of the evidence in front of them.
I recommend having a discussion with your classes about what science is, the purpose it serves and the potential science careers they could pursue.
When I get that discussion right, the atmosphere of that and future lessons changes. The kids henceforth arrive at the door expecting a lesson that will fascinate them. This makes it a joy to guide them through the material.
Pick a time for this discussion when you think they’re ready for it – maybe after completing a science practical that they really enjoyed, or as preparation for an important upcoming experiment.
Engage them with the interplay between the process and theory of science. Explain how science isn’t ‘fixed’, but rather seeks evidence, and then uses that evidence to develop models.
Explain how, if we obtain new evidence, then we change our model – and how they can play a part in that process.
7 ways to make your science practical a success
1 BE ORGANISED
Carefully plan and collaborate with your technicians. Providing clear, detailed requisitions in advance helps avoid any surprises!
2 USE YOUR TIME WISELY
Estimate how long tasks will realistically take, and get students collecting data as quickly as possible. Spread your planning or analysis tasks across other lessons, if needed.
3 CALIBRATE THE CHALLENGE
Assess your students’ existing experience and skills, and anticipate which parts of the method will be most challenging for them.
4 WATCH YOUR DELIVERY
Use clear, step-by-step instructions at all times; assign specific roles in pairs, so that everyone stays engaged.
5 KEEP THE CLASS OCCUPIED
Avoid forming groups larger than two to minimise distractions. Plan productive activities for any unavoidable ‘wait times’, like forming hypotheses or packing the equipment away.
6 FORMULATE A PLAN B
Test practicals yourself and review all safety rules beforehand. Have a backup plan in place, like a demo or example data, to ensure the lesson stays on track in the event of any problems.
7 STAY FOCUSED
Focus on the core learning objectives and simplify the outcome, if this will have greater impact.
Committing to more science practicals
In 2021, I was a head of science. The department was navigating pandemic arrangements, determining students’ GCSE and A Level grades while simultaneously managing their wellbeing (and our own).
For the practical elements of the course, we’d come to rely heavily on incorporating simulations and video demonstrations into our online lessons. Part of me wonders if we developed habits at that time that we haven’t yet managed to shift.
I took the time to read Ofsted’s ‘Science’ entry in its ongoing subject report series and would recommend that all science teachers do the same.
What I found most meaningful was its recognition of the need to explicitly teach both disciplinary knowledge (the processes of science) and substantive knowledge (the conclusions science has reached).
I’m certainly not against science teachers spending large portions of time giving skilled expositions, using repeated and spaced retrieval practice to speed up recall and practising the application of powerful knowledge to exam questions.
Yet to my mind, we still have work to do if we want to make our teaching of science practicals as good as our teaching of theory.
And that will only happen if we talk about it more, and commit to doing more practical science in the classroom.
Ofsted recommendations
In February 2023, Ofsted released a report on science education titled ‘Finding the Optimum’. I’ll paraphrase here two of its key recommendations:
- Clearly outline the essential knowledge students need to work scientifically, covering all aspects of inquiry, like pattern seeking, evidence and accuracy – not just techniques or fair testing.
- Provide every student with purposeful, high quality practical work – including labs, fieldwork and teacher demonstrations – at secondary level
Consider what percentage of your time involves teaching the process of science. How often are you telling stories about how scientific knowledge progressed, while weaving in demonstrations and quick, low-stakes science practicals?
These can link pieces of substantive knowledge and make them more memorable. Even if students aren’t discovering something entirely new, involving them in the practical process brings the story of science to life.
And as an old friend once said to me (albeit using more choice language) – unlike a textbook, booklet or exercise book, you can’t doodle on experience.
Falling rates of science practicals
The current exam specifications do include mandatory science practicals, due to worries among curriculum designers that we’d otherwise see a gradual decline in practical school science.
They were right to be concerned. According to the Royal Society’s Science Education Tracker, only 26% of GCSE students completed hands-on practical work at least fortnightly in 2023, compared to 44% in 2016.
This decline was prompted not just by exam pressures, but also by budget constraints and reduced technician time.
Benefits
Remember – including practical science in your lessons isn’t just a net benefit to the fullness of your students’ education. It will also be useful for their exams.
Consider one of the topics you’re due to teach. List the science practicals and demonstrations that you love (or add to them via a quick online search). Revisit those that you see illustrated in the textbooks. Most of these can be performed using the resources you already have in your cupboard.
Personally, I’m thinking about the famous tale of how Archimedes left his bath. It’s always good for a laugh, and helps ensure that the subsequent practical proceeds with a smile.
Both you and your students will come to enjoy your science lessons more. They’ll get more out of the time they spend in your classroom, and start to see how science is so very different from other subjects. Because none of us fell in love with science for the rote learning of facts
Kit Betts-Masters is a lead practitioner for science and produces physics, education and technology videos for YouTube. For more information, visit evaluateeverything.co.uk
