Teaching And Learning About Science

Currently, many states are adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or are revising their own state standards in ways that reflect the NGSS. For students and schools, the implementation of any science standards rests with teachers. For those teachers, an evolving understanding about how best to teach science represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and it will require most science teachers to change how they teach. That change will require learning opportunities for teachers that reinforce and expand their knowledge of the major ideas and concepts in science, their familiarity with a range of instructional strategies, and the skills to implement those strategies in the classroom. Providing these kinds of learning opportunities in turn will require profound changes to current approaches to supporting teachers' learning across their careers, from their initial training to continuing professional development. A teacher's capability to improve students' scientific understanding is heavily influenced by the school and district in which they work, the community in which the school is located, and the larger professional communities to which they belong. Science Teachers' Learning provides guidance for schools and districts on how best to support teachers' learning and how to implement successful programs for professional development. This report makes actionable recommendations for science teachers' learning that take a broad view of what is known about science education, how and when teachers learn, and education policies that directly and indirectly shape what teachers are able to learn and teach. The challenge of developing the expertise teachers need to implement the NGSS presents an opportunity to rethink professional learning for science teachers. Science Teachers' Learning will be a valuable resource for classrooms, departments, schools, districts, and professional organizations as they move to new ways to teach science.

"This compilation aims to analyse students' learning during STEM activities in the following categories: real-world problem solving and knowledge about the topic under discussion. This study is part of a larger project that comprises five school clusters and involves students from several grades. Next, the authors develop, validate and apply an attitude and learning environment questionnaire for gifted female students to evaluate technology-based science instruction by comparing regular and technology-based science classrooms. Additionally, Science Teaching and Learning: Practices, Implementation and Challenges reports the methods and outcomes of a study that explored the impact of a six-month school-scientist partnership involving a New Zealand science research institute and a group of 164 9-10 year olds. The authors investigate the effects of learning boxes on 5th grade students' academic achievement and retention in science classes. In order to realize this goal, a quantitative research method including an experimental design was used. The concluding study considers Kuhn's concept of how scientific revolution takes place based on individual elements or tenets of the nature of science, and explores the interrelationships within the individual elements or tenets of the nature of science"--

This book aims to improve the design and organization of innovative laboratory practices and to provide tools and exemplary results for the evaluation of their effectiveness, adequate for labwork in order to promote students' scientific understanding in a variety of countries. The papers are based on research and developmental work carried out in the context of the European Project "Labwork in Science Education" (LSE). This substantial and significant body of research is now made available in English.

Findings generated by recent research in science education, international debate on the guiding purposes of science education and the nature of scientific and technological literacy, official and semi-official reports on science education (including recommendations from prestigious organizations such as AAAS and UNESCO), and concerns expressed by scientists, environmentalists and engineers about current science education provision and the continuing low levels of scientific attainment among the general population, have led to some radical re-thinking of the nature of the science curriculum. There has been a marked shift of rhetorical emphasis in the direction of considerations of the nature of science, model-based reasoning, inquiry-based learning, scientific argumentation and the use of language-rich learning experiences (reading, writing, talking) to enhance concept acquisition and development. These findings, arguments and pronouncements seem to point very clearly in the direction of regarding science education as a study of scientific practice. This book presents a comprehensive, research-based account of how such a vision could be assembled into a coherent curriculum and presented to students in ways that are meaningful, motivating and successful. The author takes what might be described as an anthropological approach in which scientists are studied as a socially, economically and politically important community of people. This group has its own distinctive language, body of knowledge, investigative methods, history, traditions, norms and values, each of which can be studied explicitly, systematically and reflectively. This particular approach was chosen for the powerful theoretical overview it provides and for its motivational value, especially for students from sociocultural groups currently under-served by science education and under-represented in science. The book, which is both timely and important, is written for teachers, student teachers, graduate students in education, teacher educators, curriculum developers and those responsible for educational policy. It has the potential to impact very substantially on both pre-service and inservice science teacher education programmes and to shift school science education practice strongly in the direction currently being advocated by prominent science educators.

What is science for a child? How do children learn about science and how to do science? Drawing on a vast array of work from neuroscience to classroom observation, Taking Science to School provides a comprehensive picture of what we know about teaching and learning science from kindergarten through eighth grade. By looking at a broad range of questions, this book provides a basic foundation for guiding science teaching and supporting students in their learning. Taking Science to School answers such questions as: When do children begin to learn about science? Are there critical stages in a child's development of such scientific concepts as mass or animate objects? What role does nonschool learning play in children's knowledge of science? How can science education capitalize on children's natural curiosity? What are the best tasks for books, lectures, and hands-on learning? How can teachers be taught to teach science? The book also provides a detailed examination of how we know what we know about children's learning of scienceâ€"about the role of research and evidence. This book will be an essential resource for everyone involved in K-8 science educationâ€"teachers, principals, boards of education, teacher education providers and accreditors, education researchers, federal education agencies, and state and federal policy makers. It will also be a useful guide for parents and others interested in how children learn.

Now fully updated in its fourth edition, Science Learning, Science Teaching offers an accessible, practical guide to creative classroom teaching and a comprehensive introduction to contemporary issues in science education. Aiming to encourage and assist professionals with the process of reflection in the science classroom, the new edition re-examines the latest advances in the field and changes to the curriculum, and explores the use of mobile technology and coding, and its impact on ICT in science education. With extra tasks integrated throughout the book and a brand new chapter, ‘Working scientifically’, to help develop learners’ investigative skills, key topics include: • The art and craft of science teaching. • The science curriculum and science in the curriculum. • Planning and managing learning. • Inclusive science education. • Laboratory safety in science learning and teaching. • Language and numeracy in science teaching and learning. • Computers and computing in science education. • Citizenship and sustainability in science education. Including points for reflection and useful information about further reading and recommended websites, Science Learning, Science Teaching is an essential source of support, guidance and inspiration for all students, teachers, mentors and those involved in science education wishing to reflect upon, improve and enrich their practice.

In August 2003 over 400 researchers in the field of science education from all over the world met at the 4th ESERA conference in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. During the conference 300 papers about actual issues in the field, such as the learning of scientific concepts and skills, scientific literacy, informal science learning, science teacher education, modeling in science education were presented. The book contains 40 of the most outstanding papers presented during the conference. These papers reflect the quality and variety of the conference and represent the state of the art in the field of research in science education.

​This book examines the implementation of inquiry-based approaches in science teaching and learning. It explores the ways that those approaches could be promoted across various contexts in Europe through initial teacher preparation, induction programmes and professional development activities. It illustrates connections between scientific knowledge deriving from the science education research community, teaching practices deriving from the science teachers’ community, and educational innovation. Inquiry-Based Science Teaching and Learning (IBST/L) has been promoted as a policy response to pressing educational challenges, including disengagement from science learning and the need for citizens to be in a position to evaluate evidence on pressing socio-scientific issues. Effective IBST/L requires well-prepared and skilful teachers, who can act as facilitators of student learning and who are able to adapt inquiry-based activity sequences to their everyday teaching practice. Teachers also need to engage creatively with the process of nurturing student abilities and to acquire new assessment competences. The task of preparing teachers for IBST/L is a challenging one. This book is a resource for the implementation of inquiry-oriented approaches in science education and illustrates ways of promoting IBST/L through initial teacher preparation, induction and professional development programmes.