"Discover Primary Science" is a major project in primary science education in Ireland. In 2006-2007 it involves 2400 primary schools, 45 host centres, and two government departments. However, it started out as a local initiative taken by one state agency in 2002 involving four Institutes of Technology and 40 primary schools. The aim of…

The SPACE (Science Processes and Concept Exploration) project began 21 years ago, just ahead of the National Curriculum. It was a research project whose findings and processes were built into the Nuffield Primary Science classroom guides for teachers, making these the best example of research-informed curriculum materials at the primary level.…

Newspapers often pick the most sensational, the most quirky, the most amusing science stories at the expense of other, perhaps more important, work. Despite offering a distorted window on science and technology, they can still be a useful launch pad for a classroom discussion or exercise. The key to using them is understanding what makes news and…

Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." In order to develop his theories, he had to use his imagination and go beyond the facts generally accepted. He needed time to think and to imagine. Knowledge has a valuable part to play, but the current emphasis in England on end-of-key-stage assessments and…

The Jurassic Coast is Britain's only natural World Heritage site, a tangible time-line that takes one through 185 million years of history in 95 miles of coast. It provides individuals with a world-famous educational resource and an unrivalled outdoor classroom that has played a key role in the study of earth sciences. The author is keen to ignite…

Many envisage electricity as the "power" to "do things." They know that electricity needs "circuits" and that something is "flowing" in the circuits, but they are not sure what or why. Words such as "current" and "voltage" are part of electricity but their meaning, and the difference between them, is not always clear. In this article, the authors…

In this article the authors introduce "La main a la pate," an international programme based in France that focuses on enquiry-based science. Since 1996, the Academie des sciences in France has been engaged in serious intervention in order to renew science education in primary schools. Based on enquiry-teaching principles, and closely…

In order to gain a better understanding of the significance of the current changes in primary science across the UK, this article takes account of the history of its change over the last four decades. Members of the "Primary Science Review" editorial board from the four countries of the UK--Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and…

In this article, the author shares some of his ideas and tips for using models and analogies. He explains why he uses analogies and models in science teaching and describes the advantages of using models and analogies. He also emphasizes the role of the teacher as the person to introduce the models. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)

An area that teachers often find difficult to make interesting is the earth science component of the science curriculum. This may be for a variety of reasons, such as lack of knowledge, lack of ideas or lack of resources. This article outlines ideas and activities that have been developed by the Earth Science Teachers' Association (ESTA) primary…

There is a strong body of evidence that science was not taught consistently to primary-aged children across England and that their memories of science prior to 1989 centre around the "nature table." While secondary initial teacher education (ITE) before the National Curriculum had a strong subject focus, this was rarely the case for…

Climate change is having a major effect on water cycles. There is an increased intensity and frequency of severe storms resulting in flooding. Floods in other parts of the world cause death on a major scale. Meanwhile across the planet, one billion people (a sixth of the world's population) do not have access to safe drinking water, and two…

Most schools visit Magna Science Adventure Centre on the back of careful planning and preparation. Magna is a fairly unique environment. "Steelos", the local name for the former Templeborough steelworks in Rotherham, West Yorkshire, was a vast plant. It became home to Magna in 2001. The building is over half a kilometre long and 45…

When "ITV News" ran an item that shocked the author, about rising sea levels that will have caused the entire evacuation of the islands by the end of this year, he began to wonder whether the Pacific Ocean is really rising as fast as this. The media reporting of such things can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it brought to the author's…

Kenya now has a 2-8-4-4 system, which means two years of preprimary (nursery, age 4-6), eight years in primary school, four in secondary, and four at university. However, at the end of the primary education course, pupils still sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), a very competitive examination that determines who will…