Student Thinking and Learning in Science

Keith S. Taber is University Reader in Science Education, University of Cambridge, UK.

"I encourage science teachers of all specialities who are looking to enhance their classroom practice to pick up a copy of Student thinking and learning in science and accept Keith’s challenge to take on the role of ‘a science learning doctor’ and look to diagnose, prevent and ultimately cure bugs in their own teaching." - Catherine Smith, Education in Chemistry, Nov 2014

• ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments Section 1. Student conceptions and science Introduction. The things students say: learners’ ideas about science topics Chapter 1. Why is learning science so difficult for many students? Chapter 2. Characterising and labelling learners’ ideas Chapter 3. Alternative conceptions of learning Section 2. Making sense of student thinking Chapter 4. Innateness and development: cognitive biases influencing learners’ ideas Chapter 5. Developing intuitions about the world Chapter 6. The role of language in learning science Chapter 7. The influence of everyday beliefs Chapter 8. Thinking about knowing and learning: Metacognitive and epistemological limitations on science learning Chapter 9. Integrating knowledge and constructing conceptual frameworks Section 3. Diagnosing student thinking in science learning Chapter 10. A provisional synthesis: Learning, teaching, and ‘bugs’ in the system Chapter 11. The science teacher as learning doctor Chapter 12. Science teaching informed by an appreciation of student thinking