Things you'll need to decide on as you plan: Exploring Magnets

Bringing together two sets of constraints

Focusing on the learners:

Distinguishing–eliciting–connecting. How to:

• connect magnetic effects to permanent magnets
• show pupils how to see fields
• keep magnetic effects separate from gravitational effects
• distinguish action at a distance from action by contact

Teacher Tip: These are all related to findings about children's ideas from research. The teaching activities will provide some suggestions. So will colleagues, near and far.

Focusing on the physics:

Representing–noticing–recording. How to:

• introduce, discuss and use the idea of a field
• represent a pole
• account for north and south poles
• build a way of thinking about permanent magnets that supports pupils being able to make predictions

Teacher Tip: Connecting what is experienced with what is written and drawn is essential to making sense of the connections between the theoretical world of physics and the lived-in world of the children. Don't forget to exemplify this action.