Creative Science in Cross-Curricular Contexts

Allie BeaumontZoë CromptonJane Turner Joy Parvin

Network of Science Learning Centreswww.slcs.ac.uk

Civet Ear

Creative

Learning Outcomes

You will be able to:

• distinguish between ‘teaching for creativity’ and

‘teaching creatively’

• describe examples of creative and cross-

curricular good practice

Implications of the Primary Review

• The principles of the revised curriculum are intended to promote creativity and disciplined innovation in teaching and learning .

Consultation Overview

• Children should be encouraged to think creatively and inventively about how things work.

Draft Scientific and Technological Understanding Area of Learning

What is creativity?

Bargain Hunt• The object of the game is to buy and sell facts,

sharing each others knowledge.

• Start by writing down 3 facts you know.

• You have 30p. (virtual money.)

• Buy and sell your facts in the market. Everything

costs 10p.

• The winner of the market is the one who has

collected the most facts by buying and selling well.

It’s a Bobby Dazzler!

Everything’s cheap as chips!!

Lisa Meek AST Plymouth LA

Creativity is………

• According to NACCCE creativity is:• “an imaginative activity fashioned so as to

produce outcomes that are both original and of value.”

• Creativity relies on:• Thinking or behaving imaginatively• Imaginative activity that is purposeful• Something original being generated• An outcome of value in relation to the objective

(NACCCE) National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education All our futures: Creativity, Culture and Education 1999 report

Examples from the Pollen project(Science education and the cross-disciplinary approach, SLCEM)

• Exploration of Victorian kaleidoscopes,

pinhole cameras and epidiascopes.

• Pupils worked in pairs to make pinwheels

powered by a motor.

• They had to make the wheel spin at

different speeds to get the optimum effect.

• Manipulation of variables in circuits was

new to the class.

Investigating materials for an effective World War 2 blackout

• The starting point - an authentic oral history

account. • Pearl had to make sure that her blackouts

met the exacting standards of the strict air

raid warden. • The class investigated a selection of

materials to find the best combination of

layers and/or colours to do the job. • They reported back to Pearl their findings

Years 5 & 6 · Cross-curricular links: science, history and literacyhttp://www.polleneuropa.net/?page=Y2z37kcGjK0%3D&element=SbuivDi8BsE%3D (Cross-curricular booklet autumn)

Science and Design and Technology

Year 3 explored the properties of colour changing ducks and spoons then thought of a new use for a colour changing material:

Cuddly Colour – changes colour

to red if your baby is too hot or too cold.

What is Creativity?

Creativity is......

A creative person is…

• What do they think about?• What do they do?• How do they work?

Electricity Poem

In a complete circuit…

Picky switches mood swing clumsily,

Slinky wires weave flexibly,

Glossy bulbs sparkle fluorescently,

Startling crocodile clips chomp aggressively,

Bulky batteries kick forcefully,

Bashful buzzers chant rudely,

In a complete circuit…

Pupils’ Opinions

• “I like it because it gives you time to explore.”• “…there’s a lot of active stuff.”• “I think every school should have creative science

because much more kids concentrate…It’s fun and easier to learn.”

• “It helped me understand more.”• “You can enjoy it but learn at the same time.”• “…great practice for teamwork.”• “You have fun in your lessons and don’t moan

when your teacher says you have Science today.”

Sample activities for ‘forces’

• Name & Action Today I pushed / pulled…

• Sculpture Push, pull, stretch, squeeze

• Accumulation Words coming alive on the

body

Case Study: Ann I introduced children to the idea of

creating their own movements to represent different vocabulary for light and shadows. One group expressed shadow, the boy at the back is the sun, the girl is the object and the boy lying down is the shadow. I like the fact that there is no gap between the object and the shadow.

Ann’s action point

To give teachers within St Michael’s School the confidence and motivation to be more creative in their science teaching, allowing children more freedom to explore and investigate.

Staff carried out an open-ended enquiry blowing bubbles.

Ann’s staff meeting They loved it. They began by making

observations, which gradually changed to investigation questions. This gave me the perfect opportunity to ‘sell’ this approach. Most teachers were relieved that they had been given ‘permission’ to not stick rigidly to QCA units and decided to adjust their teaching to allow children to explore and come up with their own questions.

Science Learning Centre Courses

• Creative Cross-curricular Science

• Essential Science Enquiry Part 2: Responding to Pupils’ Ideas

• Science and the Creative Arts

• Science and Design and Technology

For more information or to organise your own event visit www.slcs.ac.uk