Discover how technology can give pupils in your science classroom opportunities to practice the skills and knowledge that matter most, with Mark Anderson.
Practice is the engine room of many classrooms. In science lessons – whether a pupil is understanding the structure of the heart, setting up a test, balancing an equation or interpreting a graph – pupils need repeated, deliberate opportunities to apply what they know.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)’s guidance on using digital technology in schools is clear on this – and technology can play a meaningful role in increasing both the quality and the quantity of that practice. 1
The science discipline itself demands more than just remembering. Pupils need to recall key knowledge, yes, but they also need to practise the empirical method, where they will be hypothesising, observing, measuring, analysing and concluding. The science curriculum draws together a wide range of skills, from problem solving and analytical thinking through to data collection, scientific literacy and communication. Pupil practice in science needs to give space for all of these skills to be developed.
The EEF guidance also offers a useful note of caution, that the relationship between technology, motivation and achievement is complex. 1 Pupils may find a digital activity engaging without that engagement translating into learning. Simpler approaches sometimes outperform more complex adaptive ones. The pedagogy, as ever, has to lead.
4 ways to use technology to support pupil practice in science
1. Inquiry through virtual labs and simulations
Some experiments are too dangerous, slow, expensive or small to run in a classroom. Others are possible, but a single run gives pupils only one shot at making sense of what they observed.
Virtual labs and simulations open up a different kind of practice. PhET Interactive Simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder offer free, well-designed simulations across physics, chemistry and biology. LabXchange, hosted by Harvard, offers virtual lab simulations suitable for KS2 and upwards. These tools are particularly useful for concepts that are hard to visualise or that require setups schools simply do not have access to, such as the states of matter or electrical charges.
Used well, these are excellent ‘rehearsal’ spaces. The EEF specifically notes that simulations are most effective when they direct pupils towards particular learning points and when the content is reinforced with other forms of explanation, such as written work or live discussion. 1 As one physics teacher explains, ‘a pupil who has run a circuit simulation a dozen times before they pick up a real wire arrives at their desk with a working mental model, and a pupil who returns to a simulation after a hands-on experiment gets to test their thinking against a system they can manipulate.’ 2
2. Purposeful data collection and analysis
One of the most underused opportunities in science teaching is letting pupils practise being scientists.
Tools such as Phyphox, which turns a smartphone into a sensor for acceleration, light, sound and magnetic field, or the BBC Micro:bit, which can log temperature, light and movement, give pupils a way to collect their own data in their own contexts. Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or OneNote can then be used to record and analyse the data.
For example, pupils can use Micro:bits to log indoor climate data, then Excel to analyse what they found about their school environment. Pupils get to practice their scientific reasoning using real data.
One primary teacher’s example is, ‘using an iPad camera and Apple’s Numbers app to scaffold a plant growth investigation, with pop-up menus prompting pupils through prediction, observation and conclusion’. The physics teacher’s example for secondary classrooms is, ‘a Year 10 class collecting acceleration data with Phyphox during a corridor experiment, then practising graph interpretation on data they generated themselves’. 2
3. Retrieval practice and low-stakes quizzing
The EEF highlights that using technology to support retrieval practice and self-quizzing can increase retention of key ideas and knowledge, and that spaced practice over time outperforms cramming in content.1 In science, with its dense vocabulary and interconnected concepts, these approaches can often help massively.
Platforms such as Educake, Microsoft Forms, Google Forms and Socrative make it straightforward to build short, frequent, low-stakes quizzes that interweave topics and revisit content after a ‘forgetting gap’. Science teachers can use platforms like these systematically with Key Stages 3 and 4, to reinforce memory and correct misconceptions through immediate feedback. The progress tracking that such platforms provide gives teachers data that helps inform what they do next.
4. Pupils as teachers
Asking pupils to teach an idea back is one of the most powerful forms of practice we have. The act of explaining forces them to organise and articulate their thinking, giving the teacher a clear picture of their understanding. Technology makes this kind of practice visible and shareable.
An example from another primary teacher is that ‘pupils can use the slow-motion camera on an iPad to capture investigations into forces, then narrate what they observed; from here, they can also use them to build digital portfolios in Explain Everything, combining text, images, audio and video to walk through their hypotheses, findings and conclusions’. 2 In secondary, the same approach scales up: Year 11 pupils creating short Keynote or PowerPoint animations to explain electrolysis, or using a stylus and screen recorder to talk through in detail how it works. The pupil who has explained electrolysis aloud to a camera has practised it more deeply than the pupil who has written a paragraph about it.
Practical considerations
There are a few principles to bear in mind:
- Pedagogy first. As I often say, technology should enhance what we do, not replace it, so the EEF’s overarching advice is worth repeating: technology has to be used in a way that is informed by effective pedagogy.[1] A quiz app does nothing if the questions are poor or the data is ignored.
- Watch for the engagement trap. Pupils enjoying a tool is not the same as pupils learning from it. Check what the practice is actually building.
- Mind the equity gap. The EEF cautions that more motivated pupils are sometimes better placed to take advantage of technology than their peers, which can widen rather than close gaps. 1 Access to technology is important too, so make sure every pupil has the skills to be able to access and support their use as appropriate.
- Don’t replace practicals. Use practical work where feasible with simulations to support and provide opportunities that wouldn’t be otherwise possible.
- Act on the data. Adaptive platforms and quiz dashboards are only worth it if the insights and information they provide support next steps for you or your students.
Moving forward
Pupil practice in science is rich, varied and demanding. When technology is used with care, it supports practice in so many areas, from designing investigations to interpreting data.
If we keep pedagogy first and technology second, pupils will get better science practice opportunities that stick!
References
- Education Endowment Foundation (2019) Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning: Guidance Report. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/digital-technology (Accessed: 27 April 2026).
- Anderson, M and Lewis O. (2025) The EdTech Playbook: John Catt. (Chapters/case studies referenced in article are from Lewis, O.; Dithmer, C.; and Tullock, P.)
Author
Mark is a global speaker, EdTech expert, trainer, blogger, author and key note speaker, known as the ICT Evangelist. He has over 20 years of experience in the classroom. Mark is the head of education at NetSupport, an Independent Thinking associate, an MIE Expert and fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. His latest book can be found at edtechplaybook.com.
