Wynne Harlen, a Trailblazer in Primary Science Education, Passes Away at 88
Wynne Harlen, a prominent figure in primary science education and assessment, has died at the age of 88. Her influential career spanned decades, focusing on leveraging children's natural curiosity, imagination, and innate desire to explore and inquire. Born in Swindon and raised in Cheltenham, she attended Pate's Grammar School for Girls before studying physics at St Hilda's College, Oxford.
Early Life and Academic Journey
During a summer vacation in Cheltenham, she met Frank Harlen, whom she married in 1958 after graduating. They had two children: one born in 1965 and another, Juliet, in 1967. Harlen began her research into how children learn science while teaching in schools and colleges during the 1960s. This passion led her to pursue a part-time PhD at the University of Bristol, balancing her studies with her role as a research fellow and family life.
Professional Achievements and Impact
Harlen held research positions at the University of Reading from 1973 to 1977 and at King's College, University of London, from 1977 to 1984. In 1985, she became the Sidney Jones Professor of Science Education at the University of Liverpool. She later moved to Edinburgh in 1990 as director of the Scottish Council for Research in Education and continued working into her 80s as a visiting professor at Bristol.
In 2008, she received the international puRkwa award for science education from the French Academy of Sciences. She used the prize to fund a workshop that brought together global experts to address overcrowded school curricula, advocating for science education centered on "big ideas" rather than mere facts. This effort resulted in the 2010 report, Principles and Big Ideas of Science Education, which she edited.
Legacy and Personal Interests
Throughout her career, Harlen authored influential books, including The Teaching of Science in Primary Schools, first published in 1992 and now in its seventh edition. She was appointed OBE in 1991. She found great joy in collaborating with educators worldwide, helping develop curricula and teacher training programs, and many of these colleagues became lifelong friends.
Personally, Harlen had a deep love for classical music, playing timpani in the Oxford university orchestra and regularly attending concerts and operas. An avid walker, she enjoyed hill climbing in Scotland, though her fear of heights often kept her from summits. In her later years, she was known in Duns for her daily walks, often accompanied by dogs.
Frank Harlen died in 1987. Wynne Harlen is survived by her children and her grandson, Alexander.
