An exploration of how teachers’ attitudes to global learning can be used to inform primary science education

Abstract

This article contends that in England, where the status of science as a core subject has been weakened due to a focus on high-stakes accountability testing, a global learning approach reignites science as a subject that can nurture active global citizens. It argues that teacher knowledge and teachers’ personal and professional commitment to global issues can inform a more relevant and purposeful primary science education, empowering both them and those they teach to become agents of change. It suggests that by exploring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their relation to the primary science curriculum in England, as well as developing a series of pedagogical strategies in line with global learning, teaching and learning in primary science can become more engaging and purposeful beyond fulfilling an assessment framework. A mixed-methods research design was used to explore and inform the Global Learning in Primary Science (GLPS) project. The findings suggest that while practitioners shared a positive attitude to a global learning approach, without being explicitly indicated in curriculum policy, its integration will continue to be left to chance. This global learning approach provides an opportunity for primary science education to become valued as dynamic process which supports sustainable development rather than remaining a static body of knowledge.