Learning to communicate
Once pupils have completed their research through activities such as those on pages 3 and 4 in this unit, clear communication of their findings, conclusions and, importantly, their opinions is the obvious next step.
Communication can take many forms. Discussion is one of these, and engaging effectively in discussion about the impact of science on society is increasingly seen as an essential part of young people's science education. However, some science teachers feel they lack the skills, confidence and the time to initiate and manage classroom discussion (Levinson and Turner, 2001).
But, if managed properly, pupils find discussion and debate useful and effective as well as enjoyable (Cerini et al, 2003).
The Activity on the right will help give you confidence in managing classroom discussions.
Activity Resources:
- Images
- Interactive
- Sound
- Text
- Video
Activity
The many global dimensions to science make obvious and interesting subject matter for discussion, debate and argument. This activity is based around some of the many activities from the Ideas, Evidence and Argument in Science (IDEAS) project from Kings College, University of London.
- Click on the Text icon above and try out the 'Model argument on airport expansion' activity. Pupils could work on this individually, in pairs or in small groups, with different individuals arguing for and against the proposal.
- To help facilitate the discussions, you might find the 'Argument prompts' under the Text icon above helpful.
- To help you identify a range of communication skills which may develop from discussions, look at the 'Value of small group discussions' document, also under the Text icon above.
