Is science teaching going backwards?

Time does not matter in this story, but I think it was the 1970s. I was a young impressionable chemistry teacher still trying to search out my potential on the promotion ladder. One way of doing this was to keep in with the county sciences advisers, because they often were called to advise or even be present at the interview panel for the higher jobs.

So, I was delighted when he offered me a secondment (even for just one day) to act within one of our county schools with the A.P.U. The Assessment of Performance Unit). This was a government scheme acting within each county to follow the development and success of science teaching within the Nation’s schools.

I was given brief training. My task was a ‘ recording of observation ’ trial following pupils having been given a simple scientific task. I had the space of a small laboratory with no other activities to disturb the trial. School technicians had already placed the equipment available to the pupil randomly on the bench. These were, as you would expect from the exercise in solving the following particular problem. The rubric (only instruction and information) was “This is just a heavy metal object (an obscure piece of laboratory equipment). I want you to assemble the equipment on the bench so that you can give me some idea of the weight this object.”
Then I had to record how they tackled it, and what degree of success they achieved in giving any idea of the weight. Some eighteen pupils tracked back and forth from their normal classes throughout the day.
The equipment included Burets / retort clamps and stands (bases), metal rods, meter rules, set of tradesman weights, goggles, Bunsen, tripod, test tubes in stand, measuring tape, pestle and mortar, Means of attaching or joining things together I.e. a ball of string, some different shaped hooks, Measuring tape Wood blocks of various shapes including knife edge, Etc.

The average time spent was not limited in the task, but it must have had a ranged from 7 mins to 15 mins. It was obvious that some pupils had the required skills and some just floundered.

The range of approaches was quite marked. What they actually touched was in some cases quite surprising. Some sped through as if they had just come from a lesson that covered the necessary principles, some actually scratched their heads, others had a distinct frown, but it was one particular girl aged about 12 that made me think about the moral nature of my own profession. It highlights for me now looking back at my career, the great differences between the various styles and demands of education.

The girl after about 1O mins looking glum and nervous just broke down with tears and made it very clear that she did not want to stay in that room. I had been told not to interfere at all for 10 mins, so at that stage I had to quickly find another teacher who restored some calm and put her back in her original lesson. This was a case of testing to destruction.

Subsequently my thoughts have included comparing the girl to a similar aged orphan girl of several centuries ago. Having very little education being thrown out into the world and finding herself at a market and forever humble but lucky enough being shown in 2 minutes how to weigh some vegetable or fish. There upon, if she was to be any use at all just carrying on and hopefully giving a lifetime of help to the family who had adopted her.

I have taught at four grammar schools, two private (none state) girls schools and one comprehensive (all ability and mixed ability) schools. If the education our poor test case APU girl had received in science left her unable to emotionally stay in a room with a science test of behavior in it, then we are doing something wrong. She has perhaps gone backwards from the orphan market - Girl.

In my final (comprehensive) school, as H.o.D., I concentrated on mixed ability and integration so that the less able could learn from the able. In a previous grammar school also, I was lucky enough to be involved in training and introduction of the Nuffield Chemistry and O level and A level courses. [Now defunct] The main feature of these were the narrowing of the gap between teacher and learner. Involving the learner as much as possible in the full learning processes including evaluation and repeating experiments to improve conclusions.

This though, is what we have to do to the general public. Re-educate in such a way that they are doing science without realising. Boosting their own confidence that will eventually lead to working things out themselves and increasing their creativity.