Long Term Research And Development In Science Education

The book consists of 16 chapters and 2 commentaries describing long term R&D projects in science and mathematics education conducted in the Department of Science Teaching, The Weizmann Institute of Science. Almost all the chapters describe long-term projects, some over the period of 50 years.

This book is written with two main audiences in mind: science education researchers and science teachers (or other educational professionals in technology and engineering). The authors think that this format is also ideal to disseminate more widely among professionals in science and technology education the research contributions and guidelines most relevant for their practice.This book is the result of a collective work of research in science and technology education developed by the authors' team, composed of 13 researchers from three different countries (Portugal, Brazil and Angola) for over nearly 20 years. The research, developed in a scholarly context, has focused on science teaching practices, including inside the classroom and on how to become more effective in promoting students' learning quality. The authors looked at science teaching practices in different contexts: general education (from K-12 to higher education), initial teacher training and teacher professional development.With this book, the authors aim to further disseminate their research, which is already published for a scholarly audience (mainly through several peer-reviewed journal and conference papers), by compiling the main research results in a concise and perhaps more accessible format. However, each chapter presents new aspects of the research already developed or puts it in the perspective of current research knowledge.The book is organized into four parts:Part I - Contributions of Research to Planning Science Teaching;Part II - Contributions of Research to Science Teaching Practices;Part III - Contributions of Long-Term Research to Improving Science Teaching Practices;Part IV - Contributions of Research to Professional Development.Part I focuses on a dimension of teaching practices that is central to their quality and effectiveness as well as their design and planning. That is where it all begins. Although it is the subject of research attention, it tends to be reduced to its operational aspects in the daily practice of teachers.Part II presents several specific research contributions that result from the study of science teaching practices in the context of the classroom.There are aspects of teaching practices that hardly change or change slowly. It takes long-term research to study them. Part III highlights these lesser-known aspects of teaching practices and the very processes that take place to increase the quality of teaching practices in a progressive and consistent way.Another aspect that needs to be ensured in order to improve teaching practices is giving attention to professional development, with the emphasis on increasing the quality of teaching practices. Part IV presents contributions from our research in this context.Each chapter was written independently, and the book structure is designed so that they complement each other, even though they can be read independently. Each chapter was reviewed in a double-blind peer review process. The editors thank the kind and helpful contribution of the advisers to the book's structure and coherence, and the reviewers for their work and the useful suggestions for each chapter.

Research in Science Education (RISE) Volume 6, Research Based Undergraduate Science Teaching examines research, theory, and practice concerning issues of teaching science with undergraduates. This RISE volume addresses higher education faculty and all who teach entry level science. The focus is on helping undergraduates develop a basic science literacy leading to scientific expertise. RISE Volume 6 focuses on research-based reforms leading to best practices in teaching undergraduates in science and engineering. The goal of this volume is to provide a research foundation for the professional development of faculty teaching undergraduate science. Such science instruction should have short- and longterm impacts on student outcomes. The goal was carried out through a series of events over several years. The website at http://nseus.org documents materials from these events. The international call for manuscripts for this volume requested the inclusion of major priorities and critical research areas, methodological concerns, and results of implementation of faculty professional development programs and reform in teaching in undergraduate science classrooms. In developing research manuscripts to be reviewed for RISE, Volume 6, researchers were asked to consider the status and effectiveness of current and experimental practices for reforming undergraduate science courses involving all undergraduates, including groups of students who are not always well represented in STEM education. To influence practice, it is important to understand how researchbased practice is made and how it is implemented. The volume should be considered as a first step in thinking through what reform in undergraduate science teaching might look like and how we help faculty to implement such reform.

This book is written with two main audiences in mind: science education researchers and science teachers (or other educational professionals in technology and engineering). The authors think that this format is also ideal to disseminate more widely among professionals in science and technology education the research contributions and guidelines most relevant for their practice. This book is the result of a collective work of research in science and technology education developed by the authors team, composed of 13 researchers from three different countries (Portugal, Brazil and Angola) for over nearly 20 years. The research, developed in a scholarly context, has focused on science teaching practices, including inside the classroom and on how to become more effective in promoting students learning quality. The authors looked at science teaching practices in different contexts: general education (from K-12 to higher education), initial teacher training and teacher professional development. With this book, the authors aim to further disseminate their research, which is already published for a scholarly audience (mainly through several peer-reviewed journal and conference papers), by compiling the main research results in a concise and perhaps more accessible format. However, each chapter presents new aspects of the research already developed or puts it in the perspective of current research knowledge. The book is organised into four parts: Part I -- Contributions of Research to Planning Science Teaching; Part II -- Contributions of Research to Science Teaching Practices; Part III -- Contributions of Long-Term Research to Improving Science Teaching Practices; Part IV -- Contributions of Research to Professional Development. Part I focuses on a dimension of teaching practices that is central to their quality and effectiveness as well as their design and planning. That is where it all begins. Although it is the subject of research attention, it tends to be reduced to its operational aspects in the daily practice of teachers. Part II presents several specific research contributions that result from the study of science teaching practices in the context of the classroom. There are aspects of teaching practices that hardly change or change slowly. It takes long-term research to study them. Part III highlights these lesser-known aspects of teaching practices and the very processes that take place to increase the quality of teaching practices in a progressive and consistent way. Another aspect that needs to be ensured in order to improve teaching practices is giving attention to professional development, with the emphasis on increasing the quality of teaching practices. Part IV presents contributions from our research in this context.

This book offers a global presentation of issues under study for improving science education research in the context of the knowledge-based society at a European and international level. It includes discussions of several theoretical approaches, research overviews, research methodologies, and the teaching and learning of science. It is based on papers presented at the Third International Conference of the European Science Education Research Association (Thessaloniki, Greece, August 2001).

The Language of Science Education: An Expanded Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts in Science Teaching and Learning is written expressly for science education professionals and students of science education to provide the foundation for a shared vocabulary of the field of science teaching and learning. Science education is a part of education studies but has developed a unique vocabulary that is occasionally at odds with the ways some terms are commonly used both in the field of education and in general conversation. Therefore, understanding the specific way that terms are used within science education is vital for those who wish to understand the existing literature or make contributions to it. The Language of Science Education provides definitions for 100 unique terms, but when considering the related terms that are also defined as they relate to the targeted words, almost 150 words are represented in the book. For instance, “laboratory instruction” is accompanied by definitions for openness, wet lab, dry lab, virtual lab and cookbook lab. Each key term is defined both with a short entry designed to provide immediate access following by a more extensive discussion, with extensive references and examples where appropriate. Experienced readers will recognize the majority of terms included, but the developing discipline of science education demands the consideration of new words. For example, the term blended science is offered as a better descriptor for interdisciplinary science and make a distinction between project-based and problem-based instruction. Even a definition for science education is included. The Language of Science Education is designed as a reference book but many readers may find it useful and enlightening to read it as if it were a series of very short stories.

The emerging field of using geospatial technology to teach science and environmental education presents an excellent opportunity to discover the ways in which educators use research-grounded pedagogical commitments in combination with their practical experiences to design and implement effective teacher professional development projects. Often missing from the literature are in-depth, explicit discussions of why and how educators choose to provide certain experiences and resources for the teachers with whom they work, and the resulting outcomes. The first half of this book will enable science and environmental educators to share the nature and structure of large scale professional development projects while discussing the theoretical commitments that undergird their work. Many chapters will include temporal aspects that present the ways in which projects change over time in response to evaluative research and practical experience. In the second half of the book, faculty and others whose focus is on national and international scales will share the ways in which they are working to meet the growing needs of teachers across the globe to incorporate geospatial technology into their science teaching. These efforts reflect the ongoing conversations in science education, geography, and the geospatial industry in ways that embody the opportunities and challenges inherent to this field. This edited book will serve to define the field of teacher professional development for teaching science using geospatial technology. As such, it will identify short term and long term objectives for science, environmental, and geography educators involved in these efforts. As a result, this book will provide a framework for future projects and research in this exciting and growing field.