Link-making in science class : For teaching and learning in primary school

This study focuses on students' link-making and the teachers' approaches to teach science in primary school. The purpose of the study is to analyze and illuminate the discursive mobility in students' teaching to be able to create meaning from the knowledge that in return leads to meaningful learning. The method used for the study has been observations, these have been performed in two classes at two different schools in two different towns. The students observed are Swedish fourth graders and the observations have been supplemented with audio recording for more secure transcription. The study examined when the link-making of the students took place and what discourses / contexts they moved between, but also what influence different structures of teaching have on the students' link-making. The study has shown that classical teacher-centered teaching seems to be under a less favorable category as the structure of the teaching affects the possibilities for link-making. The study also shows how important it is for active teachers to be aware of the importance of offering students opportunities for link-making between different domains. Teaching with planned discussion sessions has shown positive reactions for both the link building among the students and students' interest and commitment to the subject