Transforming Science Lessons: New Tools in the Classroom
OER 33/22 TAL - Adoption of Integrated Resources to Shape Integrated Learning Experiences: Insights from Implementation of 2023 Primary Science Syllabus
“The Primary Science Resource project is an exciting new project that started officially in June 2023. ..Members of the research team include NIE researchers, Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) primary science team, Academy of Singapore Teachers’ (AST) primary science master teachers, as well as science teachers in schools…Everyone wants to play their part to ensure that primary science teaching can reach its intended purpose of inspiring our young learners to inquire so that they are empowered to innovate! More importantly, students and teachers will be scientifically literate to participate in the democracy of our country in an evidence-informed manner.”
Excerpt from Researcher in the Spotlight: Associate Professor Tan Aik Ling, Deputy Head (Teaching & Curriculum Matters), Natural Sciences & Science Education Academic Group, published on the National Institute of Education News (NIEWS).
Project Team
PI: Associate Professor Tan Aik Ling, NSSE, NIE
Co-PI: Associate Professor Lew Yew Jin, NSSE, NIE
Co-PI: Dr Chin Tan Ying, CPDD1, MOE
Co-PI: Dr Jennifer Yeo, Singapore University of Social Sciences
Co-PI: Dr Tan Poh Hiang, AST, MOE
Co-PI: Dr Goh Su Fen, AST, MOE
Collaborators:
Assistant Professor Jina Chang, NSSE, NIE
Dr Melissa Neo, NSSE, NIE
Miss Poonam Kaur, NSSE, NIE
Project Description
In 2023, Singapore’s Ministry of Education introduced a revised primary science syllabus with an integrated suite of curriculum resources comprised of the textbook (TB), activity book (AB), SPARKLE Kits (SPK), Student Learning Space (SLS), Young Scientist Cards (YSC), and the Teaching and Learning Guide (TLG). While policymakers, educators, and parents are interested in the relationship between curriculum resources and learning, teachers play a key role in utilising them effectively to engage students in scientific inquiry, promote active learning, and achieve curriculum goals.
This study focuses on three areas: (1) how teachers interpret and implement the syllabus using the resources, (2) how students learn with the resources, and (3) what school and classroom factors support effective curriculum enactment.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the research team collaborated with five primary schools from 2023, observing lessons, administering surveys/questionnaires, and interviewing 15 teachers and 36 students. Preliminary findings show that teachers perceive, choose, and contextualise the resources based on their pedagogical reasoning (their student profile, teaching experience, and beliefs). The resources also afford students’ science learning in different ways, with the AB, SLS, and SPK complementing teacher instruction in the classroom and SLS supporting students’ knowledge consolidation outside the classroom.
Insights gleaned and materials produced from this study will be shared with schools nationwide to support further implementation.Project Implications
Findings from the study highlight:
- Ways in which the resources can be adopted, adapted, or improvised, thereby increasing teacher agency in curriculum enactment.
- Different affordances of the resources in supporting lesson planning, teacher instruction and lesson enactment.
- Ways in which the resources support students’ science learning inside and outside the classroom.
These findings have implications in:
- Informing policy makers and educators on the leverage points of the resources.
- Providing insights into further teacher and school support such as targeted workshops and the development of lesson packages for teacher professional development.
- Further development of the integrated suite of resources for future renditions.
Resources
Featured Interview
Selected Videos
Selected Resources/Articles
- Ministry of Education (MOE). (2019). Revised Science Curriculum Framework. Ministry of Education: Singapore.
- Jocz, J. A., Zhai, J., & Tan, A. L. (2014). Inquiry learning in the Singaporean context: Factors affecting student interest in school science. International Journal of Science Education, 36(15), 2596-2618.
- Chin, T. Y. (2015). Insights and lessons from primary science teachers’ initial professional learning and collaborative practices in questioning. In Simon, S., Ottander, C., and Parchmann, I. Narratives of Doctoral Studies in Science Education (pp. 166-178). Making the transition from educational practitioner to researcher. Abingdon / New York: Routledge.
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