This video highlights the importance of teaching practical research skills to Key Stage 4 science pupils.
A dependence on the internet in some subjects, but particularly science, can take students away from a hands-on approach to learning.
Teacher, Simon Pugh-Jones, of Writhlington School in Somerset, shows how science at KS4 is rooted in the traditional skills, practical work, books and interaction with professional scientists.
Simon's motivation has led to the school developing a globally recognised Orchid Project which forms the basis of KS4 teaching. Through learning about rare orchids, students hone general skills for their GCSEs and also create real data for the scientific community to use.
One key example is the work of 16-year-old Luke, whose research into the effect of climate change on the altitude at which orchids grow in the Himalayas is about to be published. All of his modern, computerised data was based on the findings of a survey first published in the Victorian era.
