Teaching PSLE Science: Challenges & Solutions

PSLE stands for Primary School Leaving Examination. It marks the final point of a student's six-year educational journey in primary school. Students are scored and graded based on their learning over the six years to move on to the next phase in their educational journey. Teachers have many difficulties while educating students for their PSLE examination. In this article, let us discuss the common challenges experienced by educators when teaching Science. Teachers struggle with PSLE Science to make students understand the concept and make the learning happen in every classroom.

Four Main Challenges Faced by Educators While Teaching PSLE Science

The four main challenges every faculty experience while teaching PSLE Science are:

• Describing Science
• Mastering the concept
• Educating Students to gain Science Knowledge
• Establishing a Suitable Learning Space

Describing Science

A teacher should never define Science using a dictionary or Google. According to a study, teachers were asked to describe Science, and they replied saying:

• Science is everywhere and in everything around us
• Science is understanding the world
• Science is questioning everything around us
• Science is developing opinions depending on the evidence
• Science is inquiring about the existence of everything
• Science is an interaction between all living things in the world
• Science is why and how things work
• Science is investigating the world

Most teachers define Science by using conventional scientific methods. You cannot call it wrong. There are various ways to teach science concepts. For example, to teach students why a balloon pops, teachers can ask the question and demonstrate in the class by filling a balloon with air and popping it. They can ask students to experiment and analyse the outcome. However, this is not the only way to describe the concept. There are various ways to make students understand the contexts of PSLE Science by using the inquiry method in a primary classroom.

Mastering the Concept

Most primary school teachers have not received additional training or practical knowledge in teaching Science subjects to students. A few of them, therefore, have low confidence levels, which gets reflected in their Science lessons. Primary science teachers don't need to have a wide knowledge of Science to educate children. To create a thirst among students for learning, exploring, and inquiring, all they need to do is:

• Plan the lessons properly
• Create frameworks connecting the PSLE Science to the reality
• Use engaging questions in the classroom

Educating Students

Educating students to understand the concepts of Science is a real challenge for most primary school teachers. They have to make things simple such that students imbibe the logic of the science concept effectively while learning. It is the teacher's responsibility to make students understand the most basic science content. A few topics include why non-living things don't grow, learning the concepts of the forces like pull and push, etc. PSLE Science is a complex subject requiring students to have a wide knowledge of other content areas. For instance, to document the findings of science experiments, it is basic that every candidate must know to read and write properly and have sound knowledge of Mathematics to do the analysis. Thus, teachers must ensure that the student becomes strong in various other areas related to the science topics and guide them on how to perform the scientific inquiry.

Establishing a Suitable Learning Space

The educational platform has to fulfil certain requirements in the class, and the preparation time for PSLE Science sessions are as follows:

• Identifying resources: One to three hours
• Developing a lesson plan: One hour
• Teaching or class discussion: Twenty minutes
• Organising the classroom for Science session: Thirty minutes
• Experimenting time: Forty-five minutes to one hour
• Theoretical lesson: Thirty minutes
• Analysing outcomes: One hour

Other Common Problems Faced by Faculties While Teaching PSLE Science

A recent survey states that teaching PSLE Science has both rewards and challenges. A significant challenge for most teachers is creating and developing the lessons in a way that makes the students gain interest in learning Science. It is quite natural for students to perform well in academics when they can relate their academic topics to real-life scenarios. Students get involved more in classrooms when they find it easy to understand the concepts taught. Thus, teachers must engage students in the classroom to develop their interest in learning and keep them motivated throughout the year. A few of the other difficulties which teachers face include:

• Failing to plan the lesson properly
• Lacking the ability to manage and control the class
• Ineffective teaching due to a lack of infrastructure
• Using improper teaching methods
• Inability to identify the child's needs

Solutions for Problems Faced by Instructors in Teaching PSLE Science

Here are a few solutions to the problems every primary science teachers face while teaching PSLE Science. These steps will help them overcome the challenges effectively.

• Commence with a strong lesson plan. Try engaging the students in the classroom right from the start.
• Gain an in-depth understanding of the 5E model of Science. They are: Engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate.
• Create a learning environment that is relevant to the interests of students.
• Analyse and find ways to connect science topics to the real world.
• Develop a learning space in the classroom which relates to Science in all ways.

The Bottom-line

Science is a subject which is filled with facts and thoughts. Students are always eager to acquire knowledge and learn new things in life. Science is an excellent medium to kindle a student's curiosity to know new things. Teachers play a major role in preparing and laying a strong academic foundation for students. However, with all the challenges and problems teachers face while teaching students, they need to take the measures mentioned in the article above to overcome them. By doing so, students will benefit tremendously and develop a natural liking for Science throughout their life. For additional guidance and support, reach out to Studysmart, a learning platform in Singapore powered by Artificial Intelligence with numerous study materials for your child to ace the PSLE exam effortlessly. We improve the conceptual understanding quotient of your child by offering proven learning strategies to master PSLE Science effectively.

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