‘I’m sad that it is gone’: teachers’ views on teaching the nature of science at Key Stage 4
One of my publications is:
Brock, R., & Taber, K. S. (2019). ‘I’m sad that it is gone’: teachers’ views on teaching the nature of science at Key Stage 4. School Science Review, 100(373), 69-74.
Link to the journal website
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Abstract:
The current climate, in which some politicians reject widely accepted scientific claims, suggests that teaching the nature of science should be a significant aspect of science education. This case study, of six English secondary teachers in a single science department, reports their
concerns about the marginalised role of the nature of science in the English key stage 4 curriculum (ages 14–16). The teachers’ comments suggest that curriculum statements related to the nature of science can be interpreted in different ways and, therefore, more guidance is required to support teachers’ understanding of areas of consensus and controversy in the nature of science.
Contents:
- The value and challenges of teaching about the nature of science
- Teachers’ enactment of curriculum statements related to the nature of science
- The case study
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- Data collection
- Teachers report the value of teaching about the nature of science
- The current GCSE curriculum offers limited opportunities to teach about the nature of science
- Students find learning about the nature of science challenging
- Teaching and assessing the nature of science is challenging
- Teachers interpret curriculum statements and teach about the nature of science in a variety of ways
- Teachers need additional support for teaching about the nature of science
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- Supporting the teaching of the nature of science
