Science and Technology

How Science and Technology activities be made engaging and relevant in Primary Education?

Children nowadays love to be involved and like to get hands on when it comes to creating their own learning. Science and technology are open subjects that means they can use practical assignments as well as written, meaning they can switch up the learning in different ways. Donaldson (2015) stated that ‘Science and Technology are closely linked, each depending on the other. Science involves acquiring knowledge through observation and experimentation, and technology applies scientific knowledge in other ways’.

In the modern twenty first century, the role that technology is becoming part of all lives in both learning and teaching and is having a major impact as we all become believers of a new digital community.(Mishra, Koehler & Henriksen, 2011) Within the classroom if a child is asked if they want to do a task manually or on a piece of technology, they are going to pick the digital method as it if far more interesting for them. As Kruger (2014) states from his studies that technology in this era is restabilising the way we ‘work, learn and live’. As technology becomes widely used in everyday life, it is important for the next generation of children that the curriculum is adapted in order for them to learn the best and be best interested.

Donaldson (2015) supports this and wrote that ‘children and young people need to learn how to be more than just consumers of technology, and develop knowledge and skills required to use that technology creatively as learners and future members of a technology competent workforce’. This means finding that balance between learning via technology and still taking part in manual methods such as writing, reading so they can sit tests for if they want to move higher up in education.The BBC (2015) found that around 70% of foundation phase children in the UK, use a form of digital technology to help with their classwork. Technological activities within the classroom can be used to show that technology can just be used for pleasure, but also as a teaching method that can help boost engagement. Emerging Tech (2014) found that children can get interactive with the tablets buy linking them with their phones, to answer questions that are put up by the teacher. This gets them engaged as they want to use their own devices and they learn at the same time. Furthermore, they stated that students can use software such as movie maker, e-books and online teaching. From experience students can use technology to create their own movies, that will include audio and visual that they can create. This would keep children engaged as it’s a different way of learning for them, and they can really get involved with the creation of it. It boosts their creativity skills, team work and is relevant to what they are learning. Niess (2005) stated that using technology in the classroom that teachers have it there as a resource and to support the children’s learning. 

On recent placement in a Primary School, I found a method that was used by technology to engage pupils into work highly effective. If the teacher knew they had a day of hard work, they would give them the initiative that if they do well today, they would have 5 minutes of silliness. The teacher would use the interactive whiteboard and a site called ‘gonoodle’, where the children would pick a video and dance and sing along to it to get their energy back up. The videos were also educational, so they were learning whilst interacting with the videos making it engaging and relevant.

Science is very important to a child’s learning, Ofsted (2016) wrote that ‘Science enables young people to develop their understanding of scientific concepts and make sense of the world around them. It develops transferable skills including problem solving, reasoning and enquiry and opens the door for young people to a range of careers that are vital to the UK’s prosperity.’ SecEd (2016) stated that science can be made more engaging by showing them that the subject is exciting, so by using experiments and using demonstrations to help with their learning. This will keep the children engaged as they will be watching waiting for the next interesting thing to happen. By making science activities more fun and interactive, children will take more of a liking to the subject. The BBC (2016) found that ‘more women are needed in science jobs’, this would then also add a two billion to Wales’s economy. Showing that by getting children to get into new subjects they cannot also help when deciding what they want to do, and more money can be placed to be put towards the education system. Furthermore, Education.com (2019) found that science activities can be made more engaging by when the learning is related to themselves. For example, finding out how fast they are, what is DNA and how it’s in our bodies and sugars/fats in foods. Children will be more intrigued to find out about their own bodies, making them want to learn more and more in lessons. The lessons can be made fun when the children use an outside setting to time how fast they are, then work together to collect scores and discuss with their friends about the task. Mindset Scholars Network (2015) conducted a study to make science activities more relevant and whether it made the children’s achievement raise. The results from the study found that when lessons were made more relevant, the children were more interested and their grades massively improved as they were receiving ‘real life’ experiences. As Bridgeland et al (2006) agrees that ‘opportunities for real life learning’, means that the children are more likely to want to stay in school to get these experiences, so they have them for throughout life.

Altogether, by making technology and science activities more engaging and relevant, children are more likely to want to take part and be more into their own hands on learning. By children getting involved with the activities they will be more interested in the subjects, making them want to carry on learning and they can take a big interest and want to keep taking part and learning new things as the activities continue.

References

BBC (2015) Tablet Computers in ‘70% of Schools’. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30216408  (Accessed: 6^thMarch 2019)

BBC (2016)‘Critical Shortage’ of Women in Science Jobs, report finds. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-35747420(Accessed: 13^thMarch 2019)

Bridgeland, J. M., DiIulio Jr, J. J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Civic Enterprises. 

Donaldson, G (2015) Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangement in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government Crown.

Education.com (2019) Science Activities Available at: https://gb.education.com/activity/science/middle-school/(Accessed:19^thMarch 2019)

Kruger, M. (2014). Global trends for mobile learning: Focus on learning in Higher Education. 2nd annual technology for teaching and learning forum. Johannesburg, 19–20 

Mindset Scholars Network (2015) Making Science Relevant Raises Engagement and Grades among Students at Risk for Low Achievement. Making Science Relevant Raises Engagement and Grades, 1-2

Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Henriksen, D. (2011). The seven trans-disciplinary habits of mind: Extending the TPACK framework towards 21st century learning. Educational Technology, 11(2), 22–28.

Niess, M. L. (2005). Preparing teachers to teach science and mathematics with technology: Developing a technology pedagogical content knowledge. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(5), 509–523

Ofsted (2016) Foreign Languages and Science Provision in Primary Schools. 1^stEd. London.

SecEd (2016) Classroom ideas: Making science engaging and exciting. Available at: http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice-ezine/classroom-ideas-making-science-engaging-and-exciting/148745/322732/(Accessed: 6^thMarch 2019)