Storytelling and Science with Jules Pottle

When was the last time you did something fun, hands-on, practical and "not-a-worksheet" in your primary science lessons?

Jules Pottle, a seasoned science educator and author, delves into the world of primary science education, exploring its current challenges and potential future.

Jules shares her passion for making science playful, engaging, and relevant for children and discusses the importance of integrating storytelling into science teaching to spark children's curiosity and foster a love for learning.

The conversation touches on the need for more resources, support for teachers, and a reimagining of the science curriculum to make it more exploratory and interdisciplinary.

• Integrate storytelling into science teaching to make the subject more engaging and relatable for students.
• Consider the use of creative methods in teaching, such as the use of picture books, to explain scientific concepts.
• Make science teaching playful and joyous, but also ensure students understand the importance of paying attention and meeting certain requirements.
• Gradually build up your resources for teaching science, including everyday items that can be used for practical investigations.
• Engage with the local community and industries to enhance the learning experience for students and make science more relevant to their daily lives.

Jules is a part-time primary science specialist teacher at her local primary school. On her free-lance days she provides educational consultancy for companies such as DK, Pearson and the BBC.  She also trains teachers in the Storytelling Schools method and using stories to teach science. She has written books for teachers on this topic and presents her work at conferences. 

She also writes picture books which teach science through story. These books tackle common misconceptions and use an emotional, fictional story as the hook. The science is neatly woven into each story so that the children, listening, have a scenario to discuss and refer back to when they experience that science again elsewhere. The research behind the books shows that they have a very positive effect on the use of scientific vocabulary in classroom discussions. She has won two awards for these books.

• Host: Ed Finch
• Producer: Laura Wilkes, Communicating for Impact
• Executive Producer: Joanna Borysiak, Hamilton Brookes
• Recorded and edited by: Story Ninety-Four

Primary Futures podcast is supported by funding from Oxford Brookes’ Small Knowledge Exchange Awards.