1. Practical science: A framework for reflection
Robin Millar
Department of Educational Studies
University of York

2. Perspectives on practical work
Much practical work is … ineffective in helping students to understand the concepts and theories of science. It is unscientific in that it is quite unlike real scientific activity. And it is boring and time-wasting for many students who find it unnecessary and unstimulating.
Woolnough, 1995
It’s what science is all about really … getting on with some experiments. Science is a practical subject …. You know, end of story, I think.
Science teacher, interviewed in research study by Donnelly (1995)

3. Is practical work effective?
Effective for what?
What is practical work for?
What do we mean by ‘effective’?

4. What is practical work for?
domain of objects and observables
domain of ideas
practical work
Hands-on
Minds-on
The central purpose of practical work is to help students to make links between these two domains.

5. What do we mean by ‘effective’?
Teacher’s objectives
(what the students are meant to learn)
To say anything is ‘effective’, we have to have some objective in mind.
Task specification
(what the students are meant to do)
effectiveness
Classroom activities
(what the students actually do)
(2)
(1)
Learning outcomes
(what the students actually learn)

6. Effectiveness of a practical activity
in the domain of objects and observables
in the domain of ideas
at level (1)
at level (2)

7. Effectiveness of a practical activity
in the domain of objects and observables
in the domain of ideas
at level (1)
If students do the things they were meant to do with objects and materials (and see the things they were meant to see)
at level (2)

8. Effectiveness of a practical activity
in the domain of objects and observables
in the domain of ideas
at level (1)
If students do the things they were meant to do with objects and materials (and see the things they were meant to see)
at level (2)
If students later recall what they did with objects and materials (and what they saw)

9. Effectiveness of a practical activity
in the domain of objects and observables
in the domain of ideas
at level (1)
If students do the things they were meant to do with objects and materials (and see the things they were meant to see)
If students think about what they are doing and what they see, using the ideas they were meant to use
at level (2)
If students later recall what they did with objects and materials (and what they saw)

10. Effectiveness of a practical activity
in the domain of objects and observables
in the domain of ideas
at level (1)
If students do the things they were meant to do with objects and materials (and see the things they were meant to see)
If students think about what they are doing and what they see, using the ideas they were meant to use
at level (2)
If students later recall what they did with objects and materials (and what they saw)
If students later show understanding of the ideas the activity is meant to help them learn

11. Effectiveness of a practical activity
The starting point for thinking about ‘effectiveness’ is to identify the learning objective(s) of the activity

12. Practicals have a range of objectives
These fall into three main groups:
Scientific knowledge
to help students develop their knowledge of the natural world and their understanding of some of the main ideas, theories and models that science uses to explain it
Practical skills
to help students learn how to use a piece of scientific apparatus or to follow a standard practical procedure
Scientific enquiry
to develop students’ understanding of the scientific approach to enquiry and their competence in using it in practice

13. What does research have to say about the effectiveness of practical work?
Review of research:
Millar, R. (2010). Practical work.
In J. Osborne & J. Dillon (Eds.), Good practice in science teaching: What research has to say, 2nd edn. London: McGraw-Hill.

14. What does research have to say about the effectiveness of practical work?
Type A: Scientific knowledge
Do students gain a better understanding of a topic if they have more opportunities to do practical work?
The research evidence is inconclusive
Comparisons of student practical work with teacher demonstration show little difference in understanding of scientific ideas
More effective in increasing knowledge of objects and phenomena than in developing understanding of explanatory ideas

15. From a recent study Evidence:
Observation of 25 ‘typical’ science practical lessons in a sample of schools.
Conclusion:
“Practical work was generally effective in getting students to do what is intended with physical objects, but much less effective in getting them to use the intended scientific ideas to guide their actions and reflect upon the data they collect.”
(Abrahams & Millar, 2008: 1945)

16. What does research have to say about the effectiveness of practical work?
Type B: Practical skills
Does direct practical experience help students to develop their practical skills?
Research confirms that students are better at using equipment and carrying out practical procedures if they have had opportunities to practice doing these, rather than just being shown how to do them.

17. What does research have to say about the effectiveness of practical work?
Type C: Scientific enquiry
Do students become better at designing and carrying out a scientific investigation through practice in doing investigative practical work?
The answer from research is:
Not consistently, and only slowly at best
Very variable from one topic, or task, to the next
Teaching of specific points about investigation design, or about data analysis, leads to significantly better learning than simply providing opportunities to practice

18. Making practical work for effective
A practical activity is more likely to be effective if:
It has clear learning objectives
and not too many of them
Its effectiveness will depend on:
The design of the activity
How the activity is presented, or ‘staged’

19. Design and staging Engage the students Minds on as well as hands on
thinking about what they are doing, and why they are doing it
not just following instructions, or routines
Build bridges between the domain of observables and the domain of ideas
In the design of the activity
In the talk and discussion before and after the hands-on phase
Help students to see the purpose of the activity
what they are doing it for

20. purpose ≠ objective
What do I want students to learn from carrying out this practical activity?
What do I think students would say if I asked them what they had learnt from carrying out this activity?
(objective)
(purpose)

21. ‘Getting Practical’ Key aim:
To provide a framework for reflection on practical activities you currently use, or plan to use
The ideas in the previous slides have been used to provide the framework for planning the CPD programme in the ‘Getting Practical’ initiative.