Excel
The best way to use excel is to incorporate it into other subjects. For example my pupils first learnt how to use Excel in a maths lesson on the topic of data handling. They then applied their skills in this scientific experimentation lesson. As shown in the picture some pupils would check the temperature of the water every 5 minutes. The pupil on the notebook at the time would record the information using Excel.
Pupils said that they really enjoyed the lesson and felt like real scientists because of the way they were observing a recording the data. The main advantage of using Excel over writing the results down were that pupils were more engaged with the experiment and they can focus on the task rather than taking time to draw up their own tables etc. Graphs can easily be made using Excel which lets pupils see patterns very clearly This enables pupils to draw up their own conclusions and in this case, describe what is happening to the temperature of the water over time. Using a graph on Excel, pupils can spot anomalies easier and discuss reasons why they might have occurred.
Pupils said that they really enjoyed the lesson and felt like real scientists because of the way they were observing a recording the data. The main advantage of using Excel over writing the results down were that pupils were more engaged with the experiment and they can focus on the task rather than taking time to draw up their own tables etc. Graphs can easily be made using Excel which lets pupils see patterns very clearly This enables pupils to draw up their own conclusions and in this case, describe what is happening to the temperature of the water over time. Using a graph on Excel, pupils can spot anomalies easier and discuss reasons why they might have occurred.