In many scientific contexts, students need to be able to use mathematical knowledge in order to engage in scientific reasoning and problem-solving, and their understanding of scientific concepts relies heavily on their ability to understand and use mathematics in often new or unfamiliar contexts. Not only do science students need high levels of…

An invitation to be part of a small research project with science teacher educators focusing on the Australian Curriculum--Science as a Human Endeavour strand provided an opportunity for professional learning in science for an early career teacher working with Year 1-2 students. This article explores how the use of students' photography of local…

In teaching science, small group work is often recommended and frequently used. In this study, we asked 130 students about their personal goals and views (appraisals) of small group work in science. We found significant relationships between students' personal goals and their views of doing science in small groups. We discuss the practical…

It is often claimed, by science teachers at least, that whatever else science teaching in the future will consist of, it will certainly be representative of all science in mood and temper even if not in data presented. It will be taught to all students at the primary and secondary levels, be they girls or boys, be they intelligent or…

Managing classroom discussions that maximise learning through the phases of inquiry in primary science requires a rich repertoire of teacher knowledge and skills. Twelve teachers participated in a professional learning program focussed on building teachers' knowledge, confidence and self-efficacy for managing classroom discourse and using puppets…

A technique has previously been described for secondary school-aged children to make ultraviolet (UV) dosimeters from highlighter pen ink drawn onto strips of paper. This technique required digital comparison of exposed ink paper strips with unexposed ink paper strips to determine a simple calibration function relating the degree of ink fading to…

By the age of seven, many children would have eaten jelly and many would have experienced its preparation by watching adults. This small scale study explores the use of different levels of thinking skills and language in discussing the process of jelly making among Grade 2 students. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews with fifteen students were…

A key principle of inquiry-based science education is that the process of inquiry must include opportunities for the exploration of questions and ideas, as well as reasoning with ideas and evidence. Teaching and learning Science therefore involves teachers managing a discourse that supports inquiry and students engaging in talk that facilitates…

Seventeen Grade Six students were divided into small groups to study the concept of forces in the context of magnets and their properties. The researcher, a pre-service primary school teacher, encouraged the students into conversation about magnets and it was found that, without hesitation, they talked about their prior experience of magnets. The…

Capitalising on areas in which teachers feel most comfortable, the teaching of Biology, environmental education or nature to young children can be an alternative way of introducing and understanding Science. A "Citizen Science" program currently being run by the University of South Australia (UniSA) may be an appropriate starting point.…

Australia has one of the highest rates of incidence and mortality due to skin cancer in the world. Exposure to the sun also has a beneficial side. The beneficial effects are relatively few, but they are essential to a person's well being. It is well known that exposure to small amounts of UV radiation are beneficial for the human body and…

This paper reports on exploratory research that examined how students learn Science with an interactive whiteboard. In this study, the IWB was found to support a range of multimodal representation types including verbal, graphic, tabular, mathematical, pictorial and kinaesthetic. The affordances offered by the technology are discussed in this…

It is often assumed that teachers in rural and remote schools are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing professional development. But is there sufficient evidence to support this assumption? This paper reports findings from two national surveys comparing the professional development priorities of primary and secondary science teachers from…

Developing scientific literacy drove the teaching and learning experiences provided to pre-service primary education teachers. Interactive whiteboard (IWB) pedagogy was used to engage and motivate these students' to explore science's role in making sense of our world and to understand key scientific concepts. Active science learning connected to…