We support approaches to science and mathematics education in which learners explore questions, examine examples and evidence, identify patterns and develop explanations.
These principles guide our work with school teachers, teacher educators and university academics. They connect classroom practice with reflection on how students learn and how teaching can support their understanding.
Students do meaningful intellectual work: they observe, compare, ask questions, discuss ideas and explain their reasoning. Teachers design learning opportunities, listen carefully and provide questions, feedback and explanations that help students move forward.
Learning builds on students’ existing ideas
Students bring knowledge, experiences and initial explanations to every lesson. Teaching makes these ideas visible and creates opportunities to examine, refine or revise them. New understanding connects with what students already know and helps them make sense of unfamiliar situations.
Students have opportunities to explore, make decisions and take responsibility for their learning. Teachers provide purposeful guidance, adapting support to students’ needs and the demands of the task. Independence develops gradually.
Tasks form meaningful sequences that help students revisit ideas, make connections and deepen their understanding over time. Individual activities can provide a starting point, while sustained use supports progression beyond isolated discoveries.
Students explain their thinking, question claims, compare approaches and respond to one another’s arguments. In science, they consider how evidence supports an explanation. In mathematics, they explore patterns and conjectures and learn to distinguish examples from a general justification or proof.
Learning science involves observing, measuring, planning investigations, working with variables, interpreting data and drawing justified conclusions. Students also consider how scientific knowledge is developed, tested and communicated.
In mathematics, exploration includes identifying relationships, testing conjectures and developing generalisations. Teachers help connect these explorations with precise concepts and deductive reasoning.
Tasks draw on real-world situations or intellectually engaging questions. They offer different entry points and opportunities for deeper exploration, taking account of students’ prior knowledge, learning needs and developing capabilities.
Students work with observations, measurements, texts, datasets and other relevant sources. They learn to assess the quality and relevance of information and to consider evidence that may challenge, as well as support, their ideas.
Digital tools can support investigation, visualisation, modelling, communication and work with information. Students learn to select and evaluate tools with increasing independence, considering when technology is useful and when another approach may be more appropriate.
The goal is understanding that students can explain, connect and apply in new situations. Assessment and reflection make their thinking visible and inform the next steps in learning. Correct answers matter alongside the reasoning that leads to them.
Materials make learning goals, didactic principles and possible teaching approaches explicit. They help teachers make informed decisions and adapt activities to their context. In teacher education, they provide a basis for analysing teaching, discussing alternatives and preparing future teachers.
Classroom experience and academic expertise both contribute to the development of teaching. Collaboration between teachers, teacher educators and university academics creates opportunities to examine materials, reflect on their use and improve them through feedback.