Teaching and Learning in Science Series – serie

Bringing together international research on nature of science (NOS) representations in science textbooks, the unique analyses presented in this volume provides a global perspective on NOS from elementary to college level and discusses the practical implications in various regions across the globe. Contributing authors highlight the similarities and differences in NOS representations and provide recommendations for future science textbooks. This comprehensive analysis is a definitive reference work for the field of science education.

This engaging and practical volume looks at discourse strategies and how they can be used to facilitate and enhance science teaching and learning within the classroom context, offering a synthesis of research on classroom discourse in science education as well as practical discourse strategies that can be applied to the classroom.Focusing on the connection between research and practice, this comprehensive guide unpacks and illustrates key concepts on the role of discourse in students’ thinking and learning based on empirical analysis of real conversations in a number of science classrooms. Using real-life classroom examples to extend the scope of research into science classroom discourse begun during the 1990s, Kok-Sing Tang offers original discourse strategies as explicit methods of using discourse to engage in meaning-making and work towards a specific instructional goal. This volume covers new and informative topics including how to use discourse to: Establish classroom activity and interaction Build and assess scientific content knowledge Organize and evaluate scientific narrative Enact scientific practices Coordinate the use of multimodal representations Building on more than ten years of research on classroom discourse, Discourse Strategies for Science Teaching and Learning is an ideal text for science teacher educators, pre-service science teachers, scholars, and researchers.

This engaging and practical volume looks at discourse strategies and how they can be used to facilitate and enhance science teaching and learning within the classroom context, offering a synthesis of research on classroom discourse in science education as well as practical discourse strategies that can be applied to the classroom.Focusing on the connection between research and practice, this comprehensive guide unpacks and illustrates key concepts on the role of discourse in students’ thinking and learning based on empirical analysis of real conversations in a number of science classrooms. Using real-life classroom examples to extend the scope of research into science classroom discourse begun during the 1990s, Kok-Sing Tang offers original discourse strategies as explicit methods of using discourse to engage in meaning-making and work towards a specific instructional goal. This volume covers new and informative topics including how to use discourse to: Establish classroom activity and interaction Build and assess scientific content knowledge Organize and evaluate scientific narrative Enact scientific practices Coordinate the use of multimodal representations Building on more than ten years of research on classroom discourse, Discourse Strategies for Science Teaching and Learning is an ideal text for science teacher educators, pre-service science teachers, scholars, and researchers.

Volume III of this landmark synthesis of research offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art survey highlighting new and emerging research perspectives in science education.Building on the foundations set in Volumes I and II, Volume III provides a globally minded, up-to-the-minute survey of the science education research community and represents the diversity of the field. Each chapter has been updated with new research and new content, and Volume III has been further developed to include new and expanded coverage on astronomy and space education, epistemic practices related to socioscientific issues,design-based research, interdisciplinary and STEM education, inclusive science education, and the global impact of nature of science and scientific inquiry literacy.As with the previous volumes, Volume III is organized around six themes: theory and methods of science education research; science learning; diversity and equity; science teaching; curriculum and assessment; and science teacher education. Each chapter presents an integrative review of the research on the topic it addresses, pulling together the existing research, working to understand historical trends and patterns in that body of scholarship, describing how the issue is conceptualized within the literature, how methods and theories have shaped the outcomes of the research, and where the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps are in the literature.Providing guidance to science education faculty, scholars, and graduate students, and pointing towards future directions of the field, Handbook of Research on Science Education Research, Volume III offers an essential resource to all members of the science education community.

Volume III of this landmark synthesis of research offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art survey highlighting new and emerging research perspectives in science education.Building on the foundations set in Volumes I and II, Volume III provides a globally minded, up-to-the-minute survey of the science education research community and represents the diversity of the field. Each chapter has been updated with new research and new content, and Volume III has been further developed to include new and expanded coverage on astronomy and space education, epistemic practices related to socioscientific issues,design-based research, interdisciplinary and STEM education, inclusive science education, and the global impact of nature of science and scientific inquiry literacy.As with the previous volumes, Volume III is organized around six themes: theory and methods of science education research; science learning; diversity and equity; science teaching; curriculum and assessment; and science teacher education. Each chapter presents an integrative review of the research on the topic it addresses, pulling together the existing research, working to understand historical trends and patterns in that body of scholarship, describing how the issue is conceptualized within the literature, how methods and theories have shaped the outcomes of the research, and where the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps are in the literature.Providing guidance to science education faculty, scholars, and graduate students, and pointing towards future directions of the field, Handbook of Research on Science Education Research, Volume III offers an essential resource to all members of the science education community.

This book examines the role of aesthetic experience in learning science and in science education from the perspective of knowledge as action and language use. The theoretical underpinnings are based on the writings of John Dewey and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In their spirit aesthetics is examined as it appears in the lives of people and how it relates to the activities in which they are involved.Centered around an empirical analysis of how students and their teachers use aesthetic language and acts during laboratory and field work, the book demonstrates that aesthetics is something that is constantly talked about in science class and that these aesthetic experiences are intimately involved in learning science. These empirical findings are related to current debates about the relation between aesthetics and science, and about motivation, participation, learning and socio-cultural issues in science education. This book features:*an empirical demonstration of the importance and specific roles of aesthetic experiences in learning science;*a novel contribution to the current debate on how to understand motivation, participation and learning; and*a new methodology of studying learning in action.Part I sketches out the theoretical concepts of Wickman's practical epistemology analysis of the fundamental role of aesthetics in science and science education. Part II develops these concepts through an analysis of the use of aesthetic judgments when students and teachers are talking in university science classes. Part III sums up the general implications of the theoretical underpinnings and empirical findings for teaching and learning science. Here Wickman expands the findings of his study beyond the university setting to K-8 school science, and explicates what it would mean to make science education more aesthetically meaningful.Wickman's conclusions deal to a large extent with aesthetic experience as individual transformation and with people's prospects for participation in an activity such as science education. These conclusions have significance beyond science teaching and learning that should be of concern to educators generally. This book is intended for educational researchers, graduate students, and teacher educators in science education internationally, as well as those interested in aesthetics, philosophy of education, discourse analysis, socio-cultural issues, motivation, learning and meaning-making more generally.

Scientific literacy is part of national science education curricula worldwide. In this volume, an international group of distinguished scholars offer new ways to look at the key ideas and practices associated with promoting scientific literacy in schools and higher education. The goal is to open up the debate on scientific literacy, particularly around the tension between theoretical and practical issues related to teaching and learning science. Uniquely drawing together and examining a rich, diverse set of approaches and policy and practice exemplars, the book takes a pragmatic and inclusive perspective on curriculum reform and learning, and presents a future vision for science education research and practice by articulating a more expansive notion of scientific literacy.

Scientific literacy is part of national science education curricula worldwide. In this volume, an international group of distinguished scholars offer new ways to look at the key ideas and practices associated with promoting scientific literacy in schools and higher education. The goal is to open up the debate on scientific literacy, particularly around the tension between theoretical and practical issues related to teaching and learning science. Uniquely drawing together and examining a rich, diverse set of approaches and policy and practice exemplars, the book takes a pragmatic and inclusive perspective on curriculum reform and learning, and presents a future vision for science education research and practice by articulating a more expansive notion of scientific literacy.

Offering a fresh take on inquiry, this book draws on current research and theory in science education, literacy, and educational psychology, as well as the history and philosophy of science, to make its case for transforming the way science is taught.Re-thinking the Way We Teach Science addresses major themes in national reform documents and movements--how to place students at the center of what happens in the classroom; how to shift the focus from giving answers to building arguments; how to move beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries to integrated explorations of ideas and issues that connect directly with students; and most especially, the importance of engaging students in discussions of an interactive and explanatory character. Deeply anchored in the classroom, highly interactive, and relevant across grade levels and subject matter, above all this is a book about choosing to place the authority of reason over that of right answers.

Offering a fresh take on inquiry, this book draws on current research and theory in science education, literacy, and educational psychology, as well as the history and philosophy of science, to make its case for transforming the way science is taught.Re-thinking the Way We Teach Science addresses major themes in national reform documents and movements--how to place students at the center of what happens in the classroom; how to shift the focus from giving answers to building arguments; how to move beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries to integrated explorations of ideas and issues that connect directly with students; and most especially, the importance of engaging students in discussions of an interactive and explanatory character. Deeply anchored in the classroom, highly interactive, and relevant across grade levels and subject matter, above all this is a book about choosing to place the authority of reason over that of right answers.

This readable and informative survey of key ideas about students’ thinking in science builds a bridge between theory and practice by offering clear accounts from research, and showing how they relate to actual examples of students talking about widely taught science topics. Focused on secondary students and drawing on perspectives found in the international research literature, the goal is not to offer a comprehensive account of the vast literature, but rather to provide an overview of the current state of the field suitable for those who need an understanding of core thinking about learners’ ideas in science, including science education students in teacher preparation and higher degree programs, and classroom teachers, especially those working with middle school, high school, or college level students. Such understanding can inform and enrich science teaching in ways which are more satisfying for teachers, less confusing and frustrating for learners, and so ultimately can lead to both greater scientific literacy and more positive attitudes to science.

This readable and informative survey of key ideas about students’ thinking in science builds a bridge between theory and practice by offering clear accounts from research, and showing how they relate to actual examples of students talking about widely taught science topics. Focused on secondary students and drawing on perspectives found in the international research literature, the goal is not to offer a comprehensive account of the vast literature, but rather to provide an overview of the current state of the field suitable for those who need an understanding of core thinking about learners’ ideas in science, including science education students in teacher preparation and higher degree programs, and classroom teachers, especially those working with middle school, high school, or college level students. Such understanding can inform and enrich science teaching in ways which are more satisfying for teachers, less confusing and frustrating for learners, and so ultimately can lead to both greater scientific literacy and more positive attitudes to science.

How can curriculum integration of school science with the related disciplines of technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) enhance students’ skills and their ability to link what they learn in school with the world outside the classroom? Featuring actual case studies of teachers’ attempts to integrate their curriculum, their reasons for doing so, how they did it, and their reflections on the outcomes, this book encourages science educators to consider the purposes and potential outcomes of this approach and raises important questions about the place of science in the school curriculum. It takes an honest approach to real issues that arise in curriculum integration in a range of education contexts at the elementary and middle school levels. The clear documentation and critical analysis of the contribution of science in curriculum integration—its implementation and its strengths and weaknesses—will assist teachers, science educators, and researchers to understand how this approach can work to engage students and improve their learning, as well as how it does not happen easily, and how various factors can facilitate or hinder successful integration.

How can curriculum integration of school science with the related disciplines of technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) enhance students’ skills and their ability to link what they learn in school with the world outside the classroom? Featuring actual case studies of teachers’ attempts to integrate their curriculum, their reasons for doing so, how they did it, and their reflections on the outcomes, this book encourages science educators to consider the purposes and potential outcomes of this approach and raises important questions about the place of science in the school curriculum. It takes an honest approach to real issues that arise in curriculum integration in a range of education contexts at the elementary and middle school levels. The clear documentation and critical analysis of the contribution of science in curriculum integration—its implementation and its strengths and weaknesses—will assist teachers, science educators, and researchers to understand how this approach can work to engage students and improve their learning, as well as how it does not happen easily, and how various factors can facilitate or hinder successful integration.

This book examines the role of aesthetic experience in learning science and in science education from the perspective of knowledge as action and language use. The theoretical underpinnings are based on the writings of John Dewey and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In their spirit aesthetics is examined as it appears in the lives of people and how it relates to the activities in which they are involved.Centered around an empirical analysis of how students and their teachers use aesthetic language and acts during laboratory and field work, the book demonstrates that aesthetics is something that is constantly talked about in science class and that these aesthetic experiences are intimately involved in learning science. These empirical findings are related to current debates about the relation between aesthetics and science, and about motivation, participation, learning and socio-cultural issues in science education. This book features:*an empirical demonstration of the importance and specific roles of aesthetic experiences in learning science;*a novel contribution to the current debate on how to understand motivation, participation and learning; and*a new methodology of studying learning in action.Part I sketches out the theoretical concepts of Wickman's practical epistemology analysis of the fundamental role of aesthetics in science and science education. Part II develops these concepts through an analysis of the use of aesthetic judgments when students and teachers are talking in university science classes. Part III sums up the general implications of the theoretical underpinnings and empirical findings for teaching and learning science. Here Wickman expands the findings of his study beyond the university setting to K-8 school science, and explicates what it would mean to make science education more aesthetically meaningful.Wickman's conclusions deal to a large extent with aesthetic experience as individual transformation and with people's prospects for participation in an activity such as science education. These conclusions have significance beyond science teaching and learning that should be of concern to educators generally. This book is intended for educational researchers, graduate students, and teacher educators in science education internationally, as well as those interested in aesthetics, philosophy of education, discourse analysis, socio-cultural issues, motivation, learning and meaning-making more generally.

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.

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.

Introducing original methods for integrating sociocultural and discourse studies into science and engineering education, this book provides a much-needed framework for how to conduct qualitative research in this field. The three dimensions of learning identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) create a need for research methods that examine the sociocultural components of science education. With cutting-edge studies and examples consistent with the NGSS, this book offers comprehensive research methods for integrating discourse and sociocultural practices in science and engineering education and provides key tools for applying this framework for students, pre-service teachers, scholars, and researchers.

Introducing original methods for integrating sociocultural and discourse studies into science and engineering education, this book provides a much-needed framework for how to conduct qualitative research in this field. The three dimensions of learning identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) create a need for research methods that examine the sociocultural components of science education. With cutting-edge studies and examples consistent with the NGSS, this book offers comprehensive research methods for integrating discourse and sociocultural practices in science and engineering education and provides key tools for applying this framework for students, pre-service teachers, scholars, and researchers.

This engaging and practical book offers science teacher educators and K-12 science teachers alike the tools to engage in a dialogic mode of collaborative action research (D-CAR), a collaborative mode of action research focused on teachers’ experiences with students, reflection upon these experiences, and peer learning.Renowned science educator Allan Feldman and co-authors from across numerous settings in K-12 science education present the theory, methodology, case studies, and practical advice to support the use of D-CAR as a means to enhance teachers’ normal practice and address the problems, dilemmas, and dissonances that science teachers must negotiate as they work to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and engage with complex science teaching challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized students.The book will be of use to science teacher educators, pre-service and in-service science teachers, professional development specialists, or any science educator invested in developing creative, reflective, and thoughtful teachers.

This engaging and practical book offers science teacher educators and K-12 science teachers alike the tools to engage in a dialogic mode of collaborative action research (D-CAR), a collaborative mode of action research focused on teachers’ experiences with students, reflection upon these experiences, and peer learning.Renowned science educator Allan Feldman and co-authors from across numerous settings in K-12 science education present the theory, methodology, case studies, and practical advice to support the use of D-CAR as a means to enhance teachers’ normal practice and address the problems, dilemmas, and dissonances that science teachers must negotiate as they work to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and engage with complex science teaching challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized students.The book will be of use to science teacher educators, pre-service and in-service science teachers, professional development specialists, or any science educator invested in developing creative, reflective, and thoughtful teachers.

This textbook guides teachers in enacting science instruction that results in the cultivation of scientifically literate students in elementary school. Prompting discussions in the pre-service environment around what it means to be scientifically literate, this book helps teachers introduce children to their world through science and its impact on their daily lives. Chapters show teachers how to design, implement, and assess inquiry-based science instruction through lessons that authentically model real science, investigating questions with multiple solutions, and discussing how these lessons build students’ scientific literacy. Sample lessons are modeled on research and tested practice while also recognizing the need to accommodate a diverse range of students and classroom contexts. Ideal for pre-service science teachers, as well as in-service professional development, this book can be used in any elementary science methods course or wherever state or national standards require developing scientific literacy. In helping teachers produce scientifically literate students, it is a resource that enables students to have the content knowledge, attitudes, and abilities to see the role science plays in issues from the personal to the global.

This textbook guides teachers in enacting science instruction that results in the cultivation of scientifically literate students in elementary school. Prompting discussions in the pre-service environment around what it means to be scientifically literate, this book helps teachers introduce children to their world through science and its impact on their daily lives. Chapters show teachers how to design, implement, and assess inquiry-based science instruction through lessons that authentically model real science, investigating questions with multiple solutions, and discussing how these lessons build students’ scientific literacy. Sample lessons are modeled on research and tested practice while also recognizing the need to accommodate a diverse range of students and classroom contexts. Ideal for pre-service science teachers, as well as in-service professional development, this book can be used in any elementary science methods course or wherever state or national standards require developing scientific literacy. In helping teachers produce scientifically literate students, it is a resource that enables students to have the content knowledge, attitudes, and abilities to see the role science plays in issues from the personal to the global.

This essential science methods resource integrates principles of learning and motivation with practical teaching ideas for the elementary and middle school science classroom. It employs project-based learning (PBL) to enable educators to engage their students in meaningful, real-world questioning about the world. It provides concrete strategies for meeting the Framework for K–12 Science Education. Chapters offer examples of project-based lessons to help teachers support children in varying modes of inquiry, such as asking critical questions, designing investigations, constructing models, and developing evidence-based explanations.Features in the Sixth Edition include:Instruction on using PBL to make connections to Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language ArtsAn increased attention to assessment for learningA focus on three-dimensional learning.This book is ideal for pre-service and in-service elementary and middle school science and STEM teachers and is designed for use in related methods courses or professional learning opportunities.

This essential science methods resource integrates principles of learning and motivation with practical teaching ideas for the elementary and middle school science classroom. It employs project-based learning (PBL) to enable educators to engage their students in meaningful, real-world questioning about the world. It provides concrete strategies for meeting the Framework for K–12 Science Education. Chapters offer examples of project-based lessons to help teachers support children in varying modes of inquiry, such as asking critical questions, designing investigations, constructing models, and developing evidence-based explanations.Features in the Sixth Edition include:Instruction on using PBL to make connections to Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language ArtsAn increased attention to assessment for learningA focus on three-dimensional learning.This book is ideal for pre-service and in-service elementary and middle school science and STEM teachers and is designed for use in related methods courses or professional learning opportunities.

This resource offers science teachers and science teacher educators strategies for tackling "wicked problems" in their classrooms. Contributors from across diverse PreK-12 educational contexts share how they confront and address these complex scientific or social problems. Chapters are organized into four sections: PreK-12 students, teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and teacher educators. Within each, science educators discuss how they have dealt with both systemic and non-straightforward wicked problems, such as climate change, social justice, ecojustice/climate justice, white privilege, political attacks on education, economic disparity, and other socioscientific issues. Chapters also include case studies that demonstrate how teachers broach wicked problems with their students. Ideal for science educators at all levels, this book can be a great supplement to any methods course covering science topics, or useful for professional development for in-service teachers who desire to learn more about how to attend to, maneuver, and grapple with teaching controversial or complex science topics. The Editors and Contributors cultivate and encourage important conversation around complex scientific problems that will inspire educators to address and navigate the complexities of wicked problems in their teaching practices.

This resource offers science teachers and science teacher educators strategies for tackling "wicked problems" in their classrooms. Contributors from across diverse PreK-12 educational contexts share how they confront and address these complex scientific or social problems. Chapters are organized into four sections: PreK-12 students, teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and teacher educators. Within each, science educators discuss how they have dealt with both systemic and non-straightforward wicked problems, such as climate change, social justice, ecojustice/climate justice, white privilege, political attacks on education, economic disparity, and other socioscientific issues. Chapters also include case studies that demonstrate how teachers broach wicked problems with their students. Ideal for science educators at all levels, this book can be a great supplement to any methods course covering science topics, or useful for professional development for in-service teachers who desire to learn more about how to attend to, maneuver, and grapple with teaching controversial or complex science topics. The Editors and Contributors cultivate and encourage important conversation around complex scientific problems that will inspire educators to address and navigate the complexities of wicked problems in their teaching practices.

An indispensable tool for biology teacher educators, researchers, graduate students, and practising teachers, this book presents up-to-date research, addresses common misconceptions, and discusses the pedagogical content knowledge necessary for effective teaching of key topics in biology. Chapters cover core subjects such as molecular biology, genetics, ecology, and biotechnology, and tackle broader issues that cut across topics, such as learning environments, worldviews, and the nature of scientific inquiry and explanation. Written by leading experts on their respective topics from a range of countries across the world, this international book transcends national curricula and highlights global issues, problems, and trends in biology literacy.

An indispensable tool for biology teacher educators, researchers, graduate students, and practising teachers, this book presents up-to-date research, addresses common misconceptions, and discusses the pedagogical content knowledge necessary for effective teaching of key topics in biology. Chapters cover core subjects such as molecular biology, genetics, ecology, and biotechnology, and tackle broader issues that cut across topics, such as learning environments, worldviews, and the nature of scientific inquiry and explanation. Written by leading experts on their respective topics from a range of countries across the world, this international book transcends national curricula and highlights global issues, problems, and trends in biology literacy.