Trust Projects
Dramatic Science: Supporting children becoming more dramatic in learning science.
This project was allocated funding in the innovative category.
The need for more active, engaging, participatory and exciting science learning
Although science is the third core subject it is diminishing in importance and stature in the primary curriculum. Numeracy and literacy are given much more credence, time, effort, continued professional development (CPD) focus and funding. The Dramatic Science approach provides a first hand opportunity for the children to engage directly with scientific processes and concepts and enact, explore, examine and question in various ways appropriate to scientific objects, ideas and perspectives. Encouraging the development of curiosity and confidence in acting and talking about science at KS 1 should lay significant foundations that will not be easily eroded, and help impede the declining interest at the end of KS 2. It is hoped that if the results are positive from this project it will continue to be developed at KS 2 next year (and thus ensure a more sustained positive attitude to science as well as consolidate firmer understandings about science.
Drama is seen as an active, none traditional way, to appeal and involve more inclusively all children in a classroom. This kind of interventional approach (not used to teach science all the time, intermittently, regularly, probably once a week) can fulfill many of the concerns outlined above to provide an active, engaging, participatory and exciting way to learn science. A dramatic approach to teaching science can offer:
• An artistic form by which to represent ideas and understandings (with appeal to those learners not strongly drawn to science and mathematics)
• A means of contexualising language and activating thinking (creative, critical and metacognitive)
• Assistance with the learning process through active engagement (the child becomes its agency in learning)
• A valid (but none-traditional) medium for expressing and communicating ideas (in varied forms)
• A drama approach to teaching science fits the current emphasis on practical work and provides numerous opportunities for varied forms of group work
The developmental involvement of teachers in designing engaging and dramatic science activities
The activities that will be produced will include all the 45 statements (in Sc 1 [scientific enquiry]; Sc2 [life processes and Living Things]; Sc3 [Materials and their properties] and Sc 4 [Physical processes]) in the current KS 1 programme of study (POS). The materials designed will however, emphasize the scientific concepts, ideas or processes we know children find difficult. (The intention will be to produce at least 45 (which will have been tried and tested by the teachers) drama activities that incorporate the KS 1 POS. The teachers will engage in professional development through being actively involved in designing, trialing, reviewing, modifying and evaluating each activity.
Aims
• Improve teacher’s knowledge and understanding of science (at KS 1) through engagement in the development of these Dramatic Science materials.
• Design and produce at least 45 interactive, inclusive, engaging and thought provoking activities that help teachers teach and children learn science through drama at KS 1.
• Develop a useful and sustainable form of teaching science that is appropriate to share more widely (even internationally) with environmentally aware communities.
• Support the development of scientific understanding of and about teaching science at KS 1.
• Increase children’s interest in and understanding of science at KS 1.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of varied forms of drama that engage children in learning science and learning about science at KS 1.
Programme
• Enhanced understanding of science concepts and processes by participating teachers.
• Workshop approaches that can be utilised for effective CPD in future.
• Sustainable approaches (minimising the use of disposable materials) to teach science.
• An exciting, active and unique approach to teaching primary science.
• Interactive, inclusive, engaging lesson materials that provoke children to think in particular ways.
• Improved understanding of and about science evidenced from participating teachers and children.
• Insights into innovative ways of helping children understand (difficult) science.
• Collated evidence that suggests the possibility of this approach succeeding at KS 2 & 3 and in other subject disciplines.
• Research reports that illustrate how and why drama techniques could be (effective and) useful to teach science.
• Reflective learning story extracts that illuminate how this approach supports teachers (and their pupils) developing their science subject knowledge (and teachers confidence in teaching it).
Evaluation
Quantitative measures of impact
Anonymous pre & post Dramatic Science project questionnaires to teachers (including 3 sections: i. Assessing scientific knowledge and understanding; ii. How do you teach science? iii. How do you think children learn science?). This will provide a quantitative indication of the range of teachers’ understandings, styles of teaching and perceptions of learning pre and post participation in the project.
Anonymous (pictorial) pre & post project questionnaires (including sections: i. what do you think about science; ii. what could make science more enjoyable? how could you be helped to learn science?) to the children (potentially 500) involved. This will provide indications of a quantitative nature about the childrens’ views of learning science before and after the project.
Additional
Outline dissemination plan:
All participants within the project will utilise opportunities to disseminate progress of the Dramatic Science programme and materials. Organisations within which dissemination would obviously arise would be through the ASE (as DM is a research committee member) at the UoW (because DM, ME and AB work in the institution); throughout Staffordshire schools (as WP and CA are LA advisors); within the theatre community (through JR) and throughout the Science Learning Centres nationally (through JF).