Supporting pupils with worked examples

Worked examples are a standard part of Science teaching, right? Science teachers use them all the time.

Or do they?

I thought I did. I’d work through a question on the board, demonstrate how to answer it, and then let pupils attempt some similar questions. I thought that was enough, until I started looking into the research and how to really make the most of them. For many pupils the leap from a single worked example to independent practice is too great. We need to provide steps to carefully scaffold the transition.