Teaching Experimental Sciences
Code: 102089Credits: 5
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Education | OB | 3 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Carme Grimalt Alvaro
- Email :
- carme.grimalt@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Begoña Oliveras Prat
- Carme Grimalt Alvaro
- Anna Marba Tallada
- Victor Lopez Simo
Teaching staff (external to UAB)
- Laia Hernández Garcia
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
Students are recommended to have previously passed the course "Teaching and Learning about the Natural, Social and Cultural Environment in Primary Education".
Objectives
This module forms part of the Programme of Primary Teacher Education and is intended to deepen the content knowledge and competencies necessary to teach the module "Environmental Knowledge" in primary schools.
This module puts an emphasis on the scientific ideas that should be discussed with primary school students (what we call “content knowledge of school science”). This module also looks at pedagogical approaches that promote an understanding of science as an activity that integrates inquiry, modelling and communication.
The objectives of the module are:
1) To identify and discuss basic content knowledge of school science - key ideas - that are studied in primary education.
2) To embed pedagogical approaches that promote an understanding of school science as an activity that integrates inquiry, modelling and communication (doing, thinking and talking).
3) To become familiar with, design and evaluate teaching activities that promote students’ development of scientific competencies in primary school.
Learning outcomes
- Apply knowledge of science education to critically analyse the curriculum and establish interdisciplinary relations with other curricular areas.
- Demonstrate that attitudes regarding sustainability of the natural environment are identified, practiced and defended.
- Being able to evaluate teaching units as a way of guiding the processes for improving the quality of teaching.
- Being capable of developing innovative didactic units for teaching and learning the scientific content in the area of Environmental Studies that incorporate attention to diversity and the interdisciplinary focus of the curriculum.
- Being able to use basic models of the experimental sciences in order to interpret and act on the phenomena in everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical ability to use a range of cognitive linguistic skills to reflect on processes in the teaching and learning of science.
- Meaningfully apply ICT resources to educational proposals.
- Demonstrate the ability to work in teams when designing a curriculum.
- Demonstrate that attitudes regarding human rights as knowledge and tools for coexistence, as well as gender equality, are identified, practiced and defended.
- Demonstrate the ability to incorporate the above values in the school curriculum.
- Identifying the purposes, content and structure of the experimental sciences in the environmental studies curriculum in primary education.
- Being able to apply scientific knowledge in order to understand and act on the phenomena in everyday life.
- Demonstrate an understanding of science as part of cultural heritage.
- Being able to use the diversity of cognitive-linguistic skills to reflect on the processes of teaching/learning in the sciences.
- Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
Contents
1. Learning and teaching about the Earth and its changes in primary school.
What are the key ideas? What does the official curriculum include? What are the most common students' previous ideas? How to make them evolve?
2. Learning and teaching about materials and their changes in primary school.
What are the key ideas? What does the official curriculum include? What are the most common students' previous ideas? How to make them evolve?
3. Learning and teaching about living beings in primary school.
What are the key ideas? What does the official curriculum include? What are the most common students' previous ideas? How to make them evolve?
4. Learning and teaching about physical systems in primary school.
What are the key ideas? What does the official curriculum include? What are the most common students' previous ideas? How to make them evolve?
5. Transversal issues: Attitudes towards science, gender and science, field trips, interdisciplinarity
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorials | 11 | 0.44 | 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Whole group sessions | 22.5 | 0.9 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 |
| Seminars | 15.5 | 0.62 | 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 |
| Students' work | 62 | 2.48 | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12 |
Large-group sessions:
Sessions addressed to the whole class group. They are structured around practical cases linked to the school context and aimed at preparing students for the final written examination of the course. These activities may be carried out individually, in pairs, or in small groups, and are subsequently shared with the whole class. The teaching staff present and organise the main course content while encouraging active and open student participation.
Seminars:
Small-group working sessions supervised by the teaching staff and designed to deepen the content and topics addressed in the large-group sessions. These sessions will take place in the laboratory. A lab coat will be required for access.
Laboratory sessions are also conceived as spaces for reflection and analysis. A methodology will be implemented to foster the emergence of ideas and to focus attention on the activity being carried out. The use of computers will not be allowed during these sessions. For this reason, each student will be required to have an A5 notebook, which will be kept in the laboratory at the end of each session.
Tutorials
Sessions intended for resolving questions, providing guidance in the preparation of the assignments and the written examination, and reviewing exams. Students are encouraged to make regular use of tutorial hours as a means of monitoring and supporting their learning process.
Independent student work:
This includes the completion of activities, the search for and selection of information and materials, studying and preparing for assessment tasks, as well as the reading of working documents and specialised bibliography. The use of a range of digital tools is encouraged for the preparation and implementation of activities related to the didactic and scientific content of the course.
TransNatura Project:
TransNatura is a multidisciplinary project jointly designed by the teaching teams of five third-year courses in the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education. It consists of a two-day, one-night field trip to Vall de Núria with the aim of providing an intensive and educational experience in the natural environment. In addition to contributing to the achievement of specific objectives in each of the courses involved, the project promotes work on cross-curricular dimensions such as sustainability, healthy living, coexistence, and the relationship between school and nature, among others.
The courses involved are: Experimental Sciences Education, Learning and Development II, Music, Visual Education and Learning, Physical Education I, and Languages and Learning.
The field trip will take place on 13 and 14 October for groups 21 and 71, and on 15 and 16 October for groups 31 and 41. The activity includes an overnight stay. Attendance on this field trip is compulsory. If a student is unable to attend for a duly justified reason, they must provide proof of this circumstance and complete a compensatory activity previously agreed upon with the teaching staff.
The activities carried out within the field trip will form part of the assessment process of the different courses involved, in accordance with the learning evidence and assessment criteria established in each case.
An introductory tutorial session on the field trip will be scheduled for 17 September, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm for groups 21 and 31, and from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm for groups 41 and 71.
Based on the information available at the time of drafting the course guide, the approximate cost of the field trip is expected to be 50 euros. This amount includes coach transport, the rack railway journey, dinner, accommodation, breakfast, and lunch on the second day.
The University will provide a coach service to facilitate travel. Alternatively, students may arrange their own journey to the meeting point, located at Ribes Enllaç station of the rack railway.
During the first term, the UAB will open a call for grants to help finance the field trip. Details regarding schedules, final price, itinerary, and equipment will be provided at the beginning of the academic year.
The course schedule will be published on the Virtual Campus. On the first day of class, teaching will begin with a large-group session—at 8:00 am for morning groups and at 4:00 pm for afternoon groups—during which seminar groups will also be assigned.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis of pupils’ ideas in a classroom discussion | 20% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 |
| Reflection on the use of physical models as a didactic tool | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 |
| Scientific activity related to the TransNatura project | 10% | 5 | 0.2 | 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 |
| Written exam about content knowledge | 50% | 2 | 0.08 | 2, 3, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
CONTINOUS ASSESSMENT:
The continuous assessment of the course consists of 4 assessment activities, all of them individual:
- Final exam (50% of the final mark): Final written exam requiring the development of several questions related to conceptual and didactic aspects addressed throughout the course. This activity is recoverable.
- Scientific activity related to the TransNatura project (10% of the final mark): Activity linked to the TransNatura field trip. It must be submitted in situ during the trip through the Virtual Campus. This activity is not recoverable.
- Reflection and proposals for improvement on the use of physical models as a didactic tool (20% of the final mark): This activity must include evidence of the design and production of the model. It must be submitted one week after the biology seminar. This activity is not recoverable.
- Analysis of pupils’ ideas in a classroom discussion related to the matter model (20% of the final mark): This activity will be carried out in situ on the day of the chemistry lecture. This activity is not recoverable.
In addition to these assessment activities, other compulsory formative activities will be proposed throughout the course. These activities will have no impact on either the final mark or the passing of the course.
This course includes activities for the development of Digital Teaching Competence (A2).
All individual assessment activities, except for the final exam, must be submitted through the Virtual Campus. Assessment activities not submitted within the established deadline will be graded 0.
In order to calculate the final average mark, students must obtain a minimum mark of 5 in the final exam.
In order to be eligible for the resit process, students must previously have been assessed in a set of activities whose total weight is equivalent to at least two thirds of the overall course mark. The resit only applies to the final exam. The maximum mark that can be obtained in the resit exam is 5.
If the student has passed the final exam and the weighted average of the four assessment activities is equal to or higher than 5, the course will be passed. Even if the final exam or, where applicable, the resit exam has been passed, if the weighted average of the marks does not reach 5, the student will not pass the course and the final mark recorded in the academic transcript will be 3.
ASSESSMENT DATES
Groups 21 and 41
TransNatura scientific activity: 13/10/2026 (G21) and 15/10/2026 (G41)
Analysis of pupils’ ideas in a classroom discussion: 29/10/2026
Reflection on the use of the model: 12/11/2026 (SA) and 19/11/2026 (SB)
Final exam: 17/12/2026
Resit exam: 28/01/2027, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm
Groups 31 and 71
TransNatura scientific activity: 13/10/2026 (G71) and 15/10/2026 (G31)
Analysis of pupils’ ideas in a classroom discussion: 26/10/2026
Reflection on the use of the model: 09/11/2026 (SA) and 16/11/2026 (SB)
Final exam: 21/12/2026
Resit exam: 25/01/2027, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm
The schedule of assessment activities will only be modified in the event of an exceptional and duly justified reason, in accordance with current academic regulations.
All assessment activities carried out throughout the course must be submitted within the deadline established in the course program.
SINGLE ASSESSMENT:
The single assessment of the course consists of 4 assessment activities, all of them individual:
- Final individual exam (50% of the final mark): Final written exam requiring the development of several questions related to conceptual and didactic aspects addressed throughout the course. This activity is recoverable. In order to calculate the final average mark, students must obtain a minimum mark of 5 in this test.
- Test on didactic reflection regarding the design, implementation, and analysis of activities (20% of the final mark): This test consists of analysing the design and implementation of a classroom activity, as well as its analysis taking into account communicative approaches, the difficulties expressed by pupils, and the evolution of their ideas about the matter model or chemical change. This activity is not recoverable.
- Test on the scientific description of elements of nature (10% of the final mark). This activity is not recoverable.
- Test on didactic reflection regarding the use of models (20% of the final mark): This test consists of analysing the design of a model to answer a question related to the living-being model, as well as a didactic reflection on the contribution and limitations of models as a teaching resource. This activity is not recoverable.
ASSESSMENT DATES
The four assessment activities will take place on the same day:
Groups 31 and 71: 21/12/2026
Groups 21 and 41: 17/12/2026
If the final exam is failed, the student may sit the resit exclusively for this test.
Groups 31 and 71: 25/01/2027, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm
Groups 21 and 41: 28/01/2027, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm
If the resit exam is passed, the maximum mark for this test will be 5.
GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE EVALUATION:
Feedback and grading for the assessment activities and the exam will be provided within a maximum period of 20 working days after submission or completion.
Attendance at the TransNatura field trip is compulsory. There is no minimum compulsory attendance requirement for seminars.
This course does not allow the synthesis test for students enrolling in the course for the second time.
A student will be considered ‘Not Assessable’ if they have not provided assessment evidence amounting to at least two thirds of the total course mark.
In order to pass this course, students must demonstrate good general communicative competence, both orally and in writing, as well as a good command of the language or languages of instruction specified in the course guide.
In all activities, linguistic accuracy, writing quality, and formal presentation aspects will be taken into account. Students must be able to express themselves fluently and correctly and must demonstrate a high level of comprehension of academic texts. An activity may be returned (not assessed) or failed if the teaching staff consider that it does not meet these requirements.
It should be noted that, in the case of the Catalan language, first- and second-year students are required to have a linguistic competence equivalent to Level 1 for Pre-primary and Primary Education teachers; from the third year of the degree onwards, students must have demonstrated a competence equivalent to Level 2 for Pre-primary and Primary Education teachers.
Copying or plagiarism in any type of assessment activity constitutes an offence and will be penalised with a 0 as the final mark for the course, with no possibility of resitting it, whether it is an individual or group assignment (in the latter case, all group members will receive a 0). If, during an individual in-class task, the teaching staff consider that a student is attempting to copy or is found to be using any kind of document or device not authorised by the teaching staff, the activity will be graded 0, with no possibility of resit, and the student will therefore fail the course. A piece of work, activity, or exam will be considered “copied” when it reproduces all or a significant part of another student’s work. A piece of work or activity will be considered “plagiarised” when part of a text by another author is presented as one’s own without citing the sources, regardless of whether the original sources are in print or digital format.
In Moodle, the TURNITIN tool can be activated to detect the percentage of similarity in submitted documents.
In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage. Any assignment that includes AI-generated fragments will be considered a breach of academic honesty and may entail a partial or total penalty in the mark for the activity, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.
For other more general aspects, the general assessment criteria and guidelines of the Faculty of Education Sciences will apply.
Bibliography
BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY
*Couso, D., Jiménez-Liso, M. R., Refojo, C., & Sacristán, J. A. (Coords.). (2020). Enseñando ciencia con ciencia. FECYT & Fundación Lilly. Penguin Random House.
*Driver, R., Guesne, E., & Tiberghien, A. (1989). Ideas científicas en la infancia y la adolescencia. Morata.
*Furman, M. (2016). Educar mentes curiosas: La formación del pensamiento científico y tecnológico en la infancia. Fundación Santillana. https://expedicionciencia.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Educar-Mentes-Curiosas-Melina-Furman.pdf
*Izquierdo, M. (Coord.). (2011). Química a Infantil i Primària. Graó.
National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K–12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/13165/interactive/
*Skamp, K., & Preston, C. (2024). Teaching primary science constructively (8th ed.). Cengage.
*Vílchez González, J. M. (Coord.). (2021). Didáctica de las ciencias para educación primaria. Tomo I: Ciencias del espacio y de la Tierra. Pirámide.
SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY
*Arcà, M. (1990). Enseñar ciencias. ¿Cómo empezar? Reflexiones para una educación científica de base. Barcelona: Paidós.
*Garrido Espeja, A., Soto Alvarado, M., & Couso, D. (2022). Formación inicial de docentes de ciencia: Posibles aportes y tensiones de la modelización. Enseñanza de las Ciencias, 40(1).
*Izquierdo, M., & Aliberas, J. (2004). Pensar, actuar i parlar a la classe de ciències. Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
*Jorba, J., & Sanmartí, N. (1994). Enseñar, aprender y evaluar: Un proceso de regulación continua. Centro de Investigación y Documentación Educativa.
*Márquez, C., Prat, A. (Coords.). (2010). Competencia científica i lectora a Secundària. L'ús de textos a les classes de ciències. Barcelona: Dossiers Rosa Sensat, 70.
Martí, J. (2012). Aprendre ciències a l'educació primària. Barcelona: Graó.
NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. The National Academies Press. https://ngss.nsta.org/
*Pujol, R. M. (2001). Les ciències, més que mai, poden ser una eina per formar ciutadans i ciutadanes. Perspectiva Escolar, 257, 2-8.
Ramiro, E. (2010). La maleta de la ciència: 60 experiments d'aire i aigua i centenars de recursos per a tothom. Barcelona: Graó.
*Pujol, R. M. (2003). Didáctica de les Ciencias en la educación primaria. Madrid: Síntesis.
*Sanmartí, N. (2007). 10 ideas clave. Evaluar para aprender. Barcelona: Graó.
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
The following website provides access to the current curriculum, as well as other curriculum guidance documents:
https://xtec.gencat.cat/ca/curriculum/primaria/
JOURNALS ON INNOVATION AND RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Alambique. http://alambique.grao.com (accessible with a UAB user account)
Enseñanza de las Ciencias. Revista de Investigación y Experiencias Didácticas. https://ensciencias.uab.es/ (open access)
Ciències: Revista del Professorat de Ciències d'Infantil, Primària i Secundària. https://revistes.uab.cat/ciencies (open access)
JOURNALS ON INNOVATION AND RESEARCH IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN GENERAL (INCLUDING SCIENCE) (accessible with a UAB user account)
Aula de Innovación Educativa
Perspectiva Escolar
Infancia y Aprendizaje
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
CDEC (Centre de Documentació i Experimentació en Ciències) https://serveiseducatius.xtec.cat/cesire/
Primary Science Project (1995). Nuffield Foundation. https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/primary-science-teaching-practice-and-pupil-experience-and-achievement
Seeds of Science, Roots of Reading Project. University of California Berkeley. http://www.scienceandliteracy.org/
Curriculum Coverage Search Tool (CDEC teaching materials) http://apliense.xtec.cat/arc/cercador
Habitat Guides for environmental education https://www.sostenible.cat/article/guia-habitat-activitats-per-a-leducacio-ambiental
Kimeia Group https://grupkimeia.blogspot.com/
OTHER RESOURCES
Harlen, W. (2010). Principios y grandes ideas de la educación en Ciencias. http://www.gpdmatematica.org.ar/publicaciones/Grandes_Ideas_de_la_Ciencia_Espanol.pdf
Concept maps of content in learning progression (from Science Continuum P10, Victoria, Australia)
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/pages/conceptmaps.aspx
* books written by women
Software
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Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 21 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 31 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 41 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 71 | English | first semester | afternoon |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 211 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 212 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 311 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 312 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 411 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 412 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 711 | English | first semester | afternoon |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 712 | English | first semester | afternoon |