Thinking scientifically is a life skill which is often underestimated in primary science education, especially in the areas of physics and chemistry. For pupils, 'thinking scientifically' means the ability to connect science context and information with their own experience of the world around them, to evaluate factors which might influence and change outcomes and to record evidence of changes and notice patterns.
So let’s get real with this: no magic, no analogies and no unquestioned surprises or anomalies.
No one is too young to think in this way. Think of two-year-old Eliza evaluating wooden pull-backs. What do you have to do to make them go? Push them? Pull them? If you pull them back a long way, do they go further? How do you make them go under a stool? Does one of them go the furthest every time? And so on.
No one is too old, either. Experts in every field (especially economics) frequently point out to their adult listeners or readers that many factors other than the obvious can impact a situation, and quote recorded statistics to endorse the point. On a practical side, ask 10 adults to light a bulb using a battery and one piece of wire stripped out at both ends. If they can’t make it work, what is it about a simple circuit that they have misunderstood?
Many simple activities can be used at a wide range of levels, both in subject content and investigative skills. Here are some of them.
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