Press Release
Puppets breathe new life into science lessons
26 March 2008
Puppets could be the way forward in sparking primary children’s interest in science, finds new research being presented at the American Educational Research association conference today (26 March).
The study found that children are more willing to express their opinions and think through ideas when helping to solve a puppet’s problems than when simply answering teachers’ questions.
Puppets make science lessons more enjoyable, improve children’s confidence and make shy children more likely to participate, finds the research, carried out by Shirley Simon from the Institute of Education, London.
Speaking through a puppet, the teacher can act in non-typical ways. She can use simpler language, act confused and ask questions that prompt children to reason and explain things, such as how to float an object on water without a boat, or why a puppet’s shadow has shrunk. As an eight-year-old girl said: “The puppet doesn’t know the answer so we have to explain it in a way he will understand.”
Twelve teachers of children aged 7 to 11 were given large hand-held puppets to use in typical science lessons to see whether this would encourage the children to develop the skills of scientific reasoning, discussion and argument. The schools, in Manchester and London, were selected to represent as wide a range as possible of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
The results showed an increase in the time children spent discussing and debating science ideas. They gave more reasoned responses in the puppet lessons, and teachers asked more questions that made the children think.
One teacher said: “I have to be careful I don’t run over time because the children are so engaged the lessons could last for hours. They just stay interested.”
Dr Simon commented: “Talking helps children clarify their thinking and so helps them learn. Talk that promotes reasoning is very important in science because using reasoning is critical in science arguments.
“But many teachers, feeling pressured by the curriculum, see talk as an add-on and give more time to written work. Our research suggests that the introduction of puppets could liberate them to teach the way they really want to teach.”
The project was funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
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