ASE 2027 Annual Conference

This session responds directly to current priorities in science education, including the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s emphasis on clarifying the purpose and expectations of high-quality practical work, and wider concerns about the effectiveness of practical science in supporting learning.

There is increasing focus on ensuring that practical work has a clear and explicit purpose, supports both knowledge building and disciplinary thinking, and is used selectively and effectively, rather than routinely.
This session builds on:
• Curriculum and Assessment Review (clarity of purpose in practical work)
• Gatsby Good Practical Science (purposeful and planned practicals)
• Research on substantive vs disciplinary knowledge and working scientifically

It is designed to help teachers move from 'doing practicals' to 'designing learning and progression through practicals'.

Outcomes - participants should be able to:
• Understand what makes practical work purposeful and meaningful
• Be able to identify and avoid common pitfalls and misconceptions in practical science
• Gain a clear framework for designing and evaluating practical activities
• Leave with adapted practical ideas ready to use at KS3
• Feel more confident in making intentional decisions about when and how to use practical work

Participants will leave better equipped to ensure that practical work supports deep understanding and scientific thinking, rather than simply engagement or completion of tasks.

Background and context: Practical work is a central feature of science teaching, yet evidence and inspection findings suggest that it is often:

•overly procedural
•weakly linked to conceptual understanding
•focused on task completion rather than reasoning
•does not adequately prepare students for practical work at GCSE
•does not address misconceptions