1. The best teaching draws on the best evidence.
High-quality resources
for science teaching
Developed
from
research
evidence
FREE
Online
Open access
The best teaching draws on the best evidence.

2. Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST)
Research-evidence informed resources…
SUBJECT MAPS
PROGRESSION TOOLKITS
DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS
RESPONSE ACTIVITIES
…to help your students make progress in understanding the big ideas of science education.

3. The BEST resources (1) The big ideas
of biology, chemistry, earth science and physics…
…developed through a series of key concepts.

4. The BEST resources (2)
A progression toolkit for each key concept helps you to test and develop understanding.
A research-informed progression pathway of
observable learning outcomes describes what students should be able to do as their understanding of the concept develops.

5. The BEST resources (3)
Research-informed diagnostic questions help you to identify quickly where your students are in their conceptual progression.

6. The BEST resources (4) Diagnostic questions provide:
evidence of learning
evidence of whether students hold common misunderstandings.
Innovative formats such as confidence grids provide
in-depth information about what your students are thinking.

7. The BEST resources (5) Research-informed response activities
challenge misunderstandings
to help overcome barriers to conceptual development.

8. The BEST resources (6)
Response activities encourage meaning making through
small group discussions that help to challenge misunderstandings…
…and consolidate
scientific thinking through hands-on activities and purposeful practical work.

9. The BEST resources (7)
Teacher notes summarise the research evidence underpinning each resource…
…and suggest
adaptive teaching approaches to promote progress in understanding.

10. The BEST resources (8)
The resources can be adopted into your existing scheme of work…
…or you can use our
subject maps for guidance on curriculum planning.
Developed from research on learning pathways and the effective sequencing of ideas, they show how the big ideas can be developed through key concepts, organised into teaching topics.

11. Supporting calls for evidence-based practice
We want a high quality teaching profession which embraces evidence-based practice to drive up standards in schools.
DfE white paper: Educational Excellence Everywhere, 2016
Teachers are seeking to develop strategies that will enable the teaching profession to make best use of evidence. Research organisations and intermediary bodies need to transform evidence for practice if it is to be effectively utilised by teachers.
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), 2014
The Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST) project provides resources that bridge the gap between science education research and classroom practice.

12. Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST)
The resources have been developed from the best available research evidence on:
sequencing and teaching of key concepts
effective formative assessment
purposeful practical work.
The resources are being developed by the University of York Science Education Group in collaboration with science teachers and the Salters’ Institute.
We are providing online access to the resources in collaboration with STEM Learning to support science teaching, at
no cost to teachers or schools.

13. BEST development partners
The Salters’ Institute was founded in It plays a major role in the support of science teaching and the encouragement of young people to pursue careers in science.
The University of York Science Education Group (UYSEG) was established in 1983 and has an international reputation for science education research and research-informed curriculum development.
The Salters’ Institute and the University of York Science Education Group have worked in partnership for over 30 years, developing innovative courses and teaching resources that have a real and lasting impact on practice.

14. The best teaching draws on the best evidence.
@BestEvSciTeach