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Teaching Primary Science

Human Spaceflight

Tom Lyons, Rachel Jackson, Matt Cornock, and Alex Brown

Share ideas on how to use context to engage pupils. Get access to classroom resources and activities that develop practical skills and support working scientifically. During the course you’ll build a curriculum plan, using the activities and resources provided to consider where space could be used as a context for learning. Completion of this course can be used as evidence for the Space Education Quality Mark in the UK. Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is designed for primary school teachers of pupils aged 7-11 years old. You can use the hashtag #FLSTEMPrimarySpace to talk about this course on social media.

Topics Covered

exercise and healthy eating
properties and uses of materials
light
further cross curricular opportunities, including geography, literacy, maths
careers in STEM and in particular the space industry

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Reviews summary

Engaging primary science through spaceflight

According to learners, this course is a highly practical and inspiring resource for primary school teachers looking to make science engaging. Students particularly praise the ready-to-use classroom resources and activities, which effectively utilize human spaceflight as a captivating context to teach scientific concepts. The course is noted for its strong emphasis on practical skills and cross-curricular opportunities, making curriculum planning easier. While some found the pace occasionally slow or content a bit basic for those with prior science knowledge, the overall consensus highlights its effectiveness in providing actionable tools for the primary classroom and its relevance for the Space Education Quality Mark.

Supports recognition like the Space Education Quality Mark.

"I can see how this course would be great for achieving the Space Education Quality Mark."

"The course clearly connects to the UK curriculum, which is very important for my teaching context."

"Its relevance to the Space Education Quality Mark is a clear benefit for UK educators like me."

Valuable guidance for developing lesson plans.

"The curriculum planning section was especially helpful for me in structuring my lessons."

"I found the 'build a curriculum plan' assignment practical and immediately applicable to my teaching."

"The course materials effectively guided me in using space as a context for developing my curriculum plan."

Uses human spaceflight to captivate pupils.

"I'm always looking for ways to make science engaging. It truly helps make abstract concepts tangible."

"The way it connected human spaceflight to topics like healthy eating and materials science was genuinely innovative."

"This course delivers on its promise to engage pupils through context, making science fun and relatable."

"My students are now so excited about space! This course really helped me achieve that."

Provides readily applicable tools for teachers.

"Absolutely brilliant! As a primary teacher, I'm always looking for ways to make science engaging. The resources provided, especially the practical activities linked to human spaceflight, are a goldmine."

"This course is particularly strong on providing practical, ready-to-use classroom resources, which I found very useful."

"The downloadable resources are high-quality and save me so much time in lesson planning."

"I found the ready-to-use resources and curriculum planning tools exactly what a busy teacher needs."

Can be slow or basic for experienced educators.

"Some parts felt a little basic if I already have some science background, but for a general primary teacher, it's excellent."

"I felt the pace was a bit slow at times, and some of the videos were a bit dry, which impacted my engagement."

"I was hoping for more in-depth science content for myself, as a teacher, before translating it for kids."

"I found it to be more of an activity bank than a deep dive into the science."

Career center

Learners who complete Teaching Primary Science: Human Spaceflight will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reading list

We've selected 31 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Teaching Primary Science: Human Spaceflight.

Experiential Learning

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David Kolb is the progenitor of the theory of experiential learning. Experiential Learning Theory is an apt model for contextual learning. Fry and Kolb have written extensively on the topic of experiential learning, and this book provides a strong framework for contextual learning.

Teaching Primary Science

Topics Covered

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Reviews summary

Engaging primary science through spaceflight

Career center

Reading list

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