Teach17

Adam Boxer’s Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide is a practical guide to improving science teaching, from explanations and questioning to retrieval practice, practical work and assessment.
Here are 17 useful ideas secondary science teachers can take from the book and apply in KS3, GCSE and A-level classrooms.

1. Start with what pupils need to learn

Good secondary science lesson planning should begin with the knowledge pupils need, not with an activity. Decide exactly what pupils should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson.

2. Identify the knowledge that really matters

Science specifications contain a huge amount of content. Teachers need to distinguish between the core knowledge pupils will need again and the additional detail that supports it.

3. Check what pupils already know

New science builds on previous science. Before teaching forces, electricity, particles or genetics, consider the knowledge pupils need in order to understand the new material.

4. Use retrieval practice regularly

Retrieval should be part of normal science lessons rather than something saved for revision season. Short questions on previous topics help pupils bring important knowledge back to mind.

5. Keep retrieval simple

A retrieval activity does not need to be complicated. Five carefully chosen questions at the beginning of a lesson can often be more useful than an elaborate starter.

6. Ask questions that reveal understanding

Questioning should tell the teacher something. Instead of simply asking whether everyone understands, use questions that expose misconceptions and show whether pupils are ready to move on.

7. Get more pupils answering

Avoid relying on the same confident pupils. Cold calling, mini-whiteboards and whole-class response techniques can give teachers a much clearer picture of what the class actually understands.

8. Make teacher explanations clear

Science contains difficult and highly abstract ideas. Clear teacher explanation matters, particularly when pupils are encountering a concept for the first time.

9. Break difficult science into smaller steps

What seems like one step to an experienced science teacher may contain several separate ideas for a novice. Breaking explanations down reduces unnecessary difficulty.

10. Use examples carefully

Examples should be deliberately chosen rather than added randomly. Start with something pupils can manage and gradually introduce greater difficulty or variation.

11. Use models and analogies with caution

Models can make particles, electric circuits, fields and other invisible ideas easier to understand. But pupils should also be shown where a model or analogy stops being accurate.

12. Plan for common science misconceptions

Misconceptions are predictable. Pupils may think current is used up, heavier objects fall faster or particles themselves expand when heated. Good teaching anticipates these ideas rather than waiting for them to appear in a test.

13. Teach scientific vocabulary explicitly

Science has its own language. Words such as energy, power, force, current, mass and weight need to be taught carefully because their scientific meanings may differ from everyday use.

14. Teach pupils how to solve equations

Simply displaying an equation is not enough. Model how to identify the correct quantities, substitute values, use units and work through a calculation logically.

15. Move from modelling to independent practice

Pupils often need to see a teacher work through a problem before attempting one themselves. Guided practice can then gradually lead towards independent questions.

16. Make practical science serve the learning

Practical work is an important part of school science, but the practical itself should not become the entire purpose of the lesson. Pupils should understand the scientific idea, method or skill the experiment is designed to develop.

17. Keep checking what pupils remember

Learning science is cumulative. Knowledge from Year 7 can become important again at GCSE, while GCSE knowledge provides the foundation for A-level science. Teaching, questioning, practice and assessment should therefore help pupils retain knowledge over time.

Adam Boxer’s approach to secondary science teaching is appealing because it focuses on what happens in real classrooms. The message is not that every lesson needs to be spectacular, but that teachers should think carefully about curriculum, explanations, practice, questioning and what pupils will remember afterwards.

Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide was published in 2021 and covers curriculum, explanations, developing understanding, independent practice, assessment and feedback, practical work and the development of successful science learners.

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