Science in the Primary Classroom

As believed by De Boo (2000) and Johnston (1996) children learn best through first hand experiences. Having 'hand 's on ' experiences is therefore crucial as it allows the child to test their thoughts and actually see them in action. This, in turn, gives children clarity to their ideas and develops pre-existing concepts into being modified or replaced. This 'doing ' would also make it more likely that the children retain the information that they have discovered for themselves. Kelly (1955) talks about "everyman being his own scientist" and that pupils learn best when they are actively constructing their own learning.

Dewey
John Dewey rejected the notion that schools should focus on repetitive, rote memorization & proposed a method of "directed living" – students would engage in real-world, practical workshops in which they would demonstrate their knowledge through creativity and collaboration. Students should be provided with opportunities to think from themselves and articulate their thoughts.
Dewey called for education to be grounded in real experience. He wrote, "If you have doubts about how learning happens, engage in sustained inquiry: study, ponder, consider alternative possibilities and arrive at your belief grounded in evidence."
Although less contemporary & influential, it has inspired several important educational principles such as: * Discovery learning * Sensitivity to children’s’ readiness * Acceptance of individual differences * Learners don’t have knowledge forced on them – they create it for themselves
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A common misunderstanding regarding constructivism is that instructors should never tell students anything directly but, instead, should always allow them to construct knowledge for themselves. This is actually confusing a theory of pedagogy (teaching) with a theory of knowing. Constructivism assumes that all knowledge is constructed from the learner’s previous

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