Nuffield Primary Science Teachers' Handbook

The Nuffield Primary Science Teachers’ Handbook was designed to help teachers implement the SPACE approach to the teaching of primary science. The Handbook is only about 90 pages long but it covers a wide range of topics. The Handbook is divided into five main sections. After the introduction, the first section has five chapters about the SPACE approach and the Nuffield Primary Science resources.

• Chapter 1: The SPACE approach
• Chapter 2: The SPACE project
• Chapter 3: The Nuffield Primary Science teachers’ guides
• Chapter 4: The Nuffield Primary Science pupils’ books
• Chapter 5: The Nuffield Primary Science in-service training package

There are then six chapters about science and childrens’ learning.

• Chapter 6: The SPACE approach and the National Curriculum
• Chapter 7: The science knowledge required by teachers
• Chapter 8: Ideas about science and learning science
• Chapter 9: Progression in learning ideas
• Chapter 10: The role of process skills in learning science
• Chapter 11: Progression in learning process skills

The next eight chapters are about the SPACE approach in the classroom.

• Chapter 12: The teacher’s role
• Chapter 13: Starting from childrens’ ideas
• Chapter 14: Finding out childrens’ ideas by discussion
• Chapter 15: Finding out childrens’ ideas by written work
• Chapter 16: Helping children to develop their ideas
• Chapter 17: Words, words, words
• Chapter 18: Knowing when and where to stop
• Chapter 19: Equal opportunities for all pupils

The next section covers the SPACE approach in the curriculum.

• Chapter 20: Organising SPACE work
• Chapter 21: Science and other subject
• Chapter 22: Planning the teaching of science.

The final section deals with assessment, recording achievement and evaluating the teaching.

• Chapter 23: Assessment and the SPACE approach
• Chapter 24: Assessing ideas and process skills
• Chapter 25: Keeping records
• Chapter 26: Self-evaluation