Constructing Meaning In A Science Methods Course For Prospective Elementary Teachers

How do prospective elementary science teachers think? This case study • reveals thinking patterns common to preservice elementary teachers;• identifies their behavioral characteristics while learning to teach science which are not commonly noted in current literature;• provides change strategies to accelerate preservice elementary teachers embracing the holistic, constructivist, inquiry/practice-based paradigm consistent with the standards set by the curriculum. The chapters in this book immerse the reader in a sequence of episodes in this science methods course, and reveal the adventure of turning theory into practice while analyzing student-student/student-instructor interactions and their outcomes in an inquiry-driven, flipped classroom. Strategies presented empower preservice elementary teachers to • implement national and state standards;• change science learning/teaching from “business as usual” to applying science and engineering practices in the classroom;• make cognitive and behavioral changes required to shift paradigms and eliminate science anxiety;• pass through stages of grief inherent in the loss of dominant mechanistic paradigm. This book will interest a wide readership including science educators;scientists and engineers; administrators, supervisors, and elementary teachers in a clinical education setting; preservice elementary teachers; and anyone seeking to improve STEM education in elementary schools.

What do aspiring and practicing elementary science teacher education faculty need to know as they plan and carry out instruction for future elementary science teachers? This scholarly and practical guide for science teacher educators outlines the theory, principles, and strategies needed, and provides classroom examples anchored to those principles. The theoretical and empirical foundations are supported by scholarship in the field, and the practical examples are derived from activities, lessons, and units field-tested in the authors’ elementary science methods courses. Designing and Teaching the Elementary Science Methods Course is grounded in the theoretical framework of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which describes how teachers transform subject matter knowledge into viable instruction in their discipline. Chapters on science methods students as learners, the science methods course curriculum, instructional strategies, methods course assessment, and the field experience help readers develop their PCK for teaching prospective elementary science teachers. "Activities that Work" and "Tools for Teaching the Methods Course" provide useful examples for putting this knowledge into action in the elementary science methods course.

The book is an autoethnography (self-analysis) of a woman’s career as an educator that spans half a century. Social issues emerging during this study that are relevant to the next generation of educators include a woman's role in society, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment; shifting paradigms, school reform, resistance to change, and educational funding; environmental degradation and climate change.

Co-Published with the Association For Science Teacher Education. Reflecting recent policy and standards initiatives, emerging research agendas, and key innovations, this volume provides a contemporary overview of important developments and issues that have that have in recent years shaped elementary science education pre-service courses and professional development, and practices that are shaping future directions in the field. Contributors from several countries who are actively engaged in research and design in elementary science education address: *Conceptual issues which impinge on contemporary science teacher education; *Intersections of content, pedagogy, and practice; and *Professional development as a contextualized practice. Elementary Science Teacher Education: International Perspectives on Contemporary Issues and Practice offers a clear picture of the current state of the field and directions for the future--to the benefit of elementary science teacher educators, aspiring teacher educators, school policy makers, other professionals involved in science education and, ultimately, the millions of elementary school children who will gain from improved practice.

Solidly based on the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, this new elementary science methods text immerses students into the context of classroom instruction through the authors' unique approach using The Teaching Cycle.The text is divided into three major sections or clusters of chapters: Goals of Science Instruction, Setting the Stage, and The Teaching Cycle. The first two sections provide the theoretical and practical foundations for instruction, while the third section provides content.Section I presents an overall view of science as a way of knowing and eventually develops an argument for why science should be included in the curriculum at all. Section II emphasizes the importance of connecting lessons and avoiding the tendency to present individual science lessons in isolation.The major content chapters comprising Section III--The Teaching Cycle (Life/Environmental Science, Physical Science, Earth and Space Science)--each incorporate the traditional topics of methods courses, e.g., demonstrations, laboratories, classroom management, assessment, developmental psychology, etc. concepts and themes common to national reforms.

For courses in Science Methods in Elementary School. This is the quintessential science text designed to introduce future teachers to science instruction through inquiry. Infused with the philosophical intent of the National Science Education Standards, it includes the theory behind knowledge construction, the how-tos of knowledge acquisition, and questioning strategies that promote inquiry. It is overflowing with practical and meaningful activities, information, inquiries, strategies, and lessons. A major innovation of this edition is the majority of chapters that feature at least one activity based on a video that accompanies the text.

This book provides a theoretical basis and practical strategies to counter resistance to learning to teach for diversity (in culturally and gender-inclusive ways), and resistance to teaching for understanding (using student-centered and inquiry-based pedagogical approaches). Teacher educators from across the United States present rich narratives of their experiences in helping prospective and practicing teachers learn to teach for diversity and for understanding in a variety of mathematics and science contexts. Mathematics and science education has been slow to respond to issues of diversity and equity. Preparing Mathematics and Science Teachers for Diverse Classrooms: Promising Strategies for Transformative Pedagogy helps to begin a network for support and collaboration among teacher educators in science and mathematics who work for multicultural education and equity. A unique and much-needed contribution, this book is an essential resource for teacher educators, K-12 teachers who work as student teacher supervisors and cooperating teachers, and graduate students in mathematics and science education, and a compelling text for science and mathematics methods courses.

Grounded in empirical research, this book offers concrete pathways to direct attention towards elementary science teaching that privileges sensemaking, rather than isolated activities and vocabulary. Outlining a clear vision for this shift using research-backed tools, pedagogies, and practices to support teacher learning and development, this edited volume reveals how teachers can best engage in teaching that supports meaningful learning and understanding in elementary science classrooms. Divided into three sections, this book demonstrates the skills, knowledge bases, and research-driven practices necessary to make a fundamental shift towards a focus on students’ ideas and reasoning, and covers topics such as: An introduction to sensemaking in elementary science; Positioning students at the center of sensemaking; Planning and enacting investigation-based science discussions; Designing a practice-based elementary teacher education program; Reflections on science teacher education and professional development for reform-based elementary science. In line with current reform efforts, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Sensemaking in Elementary Science is the perfect resource for graduate students and researchers in science education, elementary education, teacher education, and STEM education looking to explore effective practice, approaches, and development within the elementary science classroom.