Science

Welcome to Birmingham Tutors.

We offer tuition for Science at KS1, KS2, KS3, GCSE and A-level by Enhanced DBS checked tutors.

To find a tutor please click on ‘find a tutor’, fill out the details and we will put a Science tutor in touch with you.

Why do I need to study science?                      

A good science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the related but quite distinct disciplines of chemistry, biology, physics,

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity. All young people should be taught the fundamental aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, young people should be encouraged to respect the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is actually happening now, predict how things will behave, and analyse any particular causes.

Aims

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all young people:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of enquiries that help them to answer questions about the world around them
• gain the scientific knowledge required to understand its uses and implications today and for the future

Scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding

The programmes of study describe a sequence of knowledge and concepts. While it is important that young people make progress, it is also vitally important that they develop secure understanding of each key block of knowledge and concepts in order to progress to the next stage. Insecure, superficial understanding will not allow genuine progression: young people may struggle at key points of transition (such as between primary and secondary school), build up serious misunderstandings, and/or have significant difficulties in understanding higher-order content.

One-to-one tutoring from a Birmingham Tutors science specialist will ensure secure understanding at each stage of development.

Young people should be able to describe associated processes and key characteristics in common language, but they should also be familiar with, and use, technical terminology accurately and precisely. They should build up an extended specialist vocabulary.

They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data. The social and economic implications of science are important but, generally, they are taught most effectively within the wider school curriculum: the use of different contexts will help to maximise young people’s engagement with and motivation to study science.

The nature, processes and methods of science

In the same way as Maths, ‘working scientifically’ defines the understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science for each year group. It should not be taught as a separate strand.

The notes and guidance give examples of how ‘working scientifically’ might be secured within the content of biology, chemistry and physics. Keeping in mind the key features of scientific enquiry, children and young people should learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. These types of enquiry should include: observing over time; pattern finding; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing (controlled investigations); and researching using secondary sources. Children and young people should search for answers to questions through collecting, analysing and presenting data.

‘Working scientifically’ will be developed further at key stages 3 and 4, once a sufficient understanding of science has been developed to participate successfully in more advanced discussion of experimental design and control.

Spoken language

The national curriculum reflects the importance of spoken language in young people’s development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. The quality and variety of language that they hear and speak are key factors in developing their scientific vocabulary and understanding concepts clearly and precisely. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear, both to themselves and others, by building secure foundations through discussion to question and  correct their misunderstandings.