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Taking Science to School

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 404 pages

File Size : 50,10 MB

Release : 2007-04-16

Category : Education

ISBN : 0309133831

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Book Description

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.



Ambitious Science Teaching

Author : Mark Windschitl

Publisher : Harvard Education Press

Page : 455 pages

File Size : 27,88 MB

Release : 2020-08-05

Category : Education

ISBN : 1682531643

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Book Description

2018 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Ambitious Science Teaching outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. The practices presented in the book are being used in schools and districts that seek to improve science teaching at scale, and a wide range of science subjects and grade levels are represented. The book is organized around four sets of core teaching practices: planning for engagement with big ideas; eliciting student thinking; supporting changes in students’ thinking; and drawing together evidence-based explanations. Discussion of each practice includes tools and routines that teachers can use to support students’ participation, transcripts of actual student-teacher dialogue and descriptions of teachers’ thinking as it unfolds, and examples of student work. The book also provides explicit guidance for “opportunity to learn” strategies that can help scaffold the participation of diverse students. Since the success of these practices depends so heavily on discourse among students, Ambitious Science Teaching includes chapters on productive classroom talk. Science-specific skills such as modeling and scientific argument are also covered. Drawing on the emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with preservice and in-service teachers, Ambitious Science Teaching presents a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them.



Schools for Thought

Author : John T. Bruer

Publisher : MIT Press

Page : 342 pages

File Size : 42,90 MB

Release : 1994

Category : Education

ISBN : 9780262521963

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Book Description

Schools for Thought provides a straightforward, general introduction to cognitive research and illustrates its importance for educational change. If we want to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all children, we must start applying what we know about mental functioning--how children think, learn, and remember in our schools. We must apply cognitive science in the classroom. Schools for Thought provides a straightforward, general introduction to cognitive research and illustrates its importance for educational change. Using classroom examples, Bruer shows how applying cognitive research can dramatically improve students' transitions from lower-level rote skills to advanced proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Cognitive research, he points out, is also beginning to suggest how we might better motivate students, design more effective tools for assessing them, and improve the training of teachers. He concludes with a chapter on how effective school reform demands that we expand our understanding of teaching and learning and that we think about education in new ways. Debates and discussions about the reform of American education suffer from a lack of appreciation of the complexity of learning and from a lack of understanding about the knowledge base that is available for the improvement of educational practice. Politicians, business leaders, and even many school superintendents, principals, and teachers think that educational problems can be solved by changing school management structures or by creating a market in educational services. Bruer argues that improvement depends instead on changing student-teacher interactions. It is these changes, guided by cognitive research, that will create more effective classroom environments. A Bradford Book



Science Teachers' Learning

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 257 pages

File Size : 38,12 MB

Release : 2016-01-15

Category : Education

ISBN : 0309380189

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Book Description

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.



Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools

Author : Wynne Harlen

Publisher : Heinemann Educational Books

Page : 160 pages

File Size : 20,42 MB

Release : 2015

Category : Education

ISBN : 9780325061597

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Book Description

"This book comes at just the right time, as teachers are being encouraged to re-examine current approaches to science instruction." -Lynn Rankin, Director, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium "Easy to read and comprehend with very explicit examples, it will be foundational for classroom teachers as they journey from novice teacher of science to expert." -Jo Anne Vasquez, Ph.D., Past President of the National Science Teachers Association "Teaching Science for Understanding is a comprehensive, exquisitely written guide and well-illustrated resource for high quality teaching and learning of inquiry-based science." -Hubert M. Dyasi, Ph.D., Professor of Science, City College and City University of New York Even though there is an unending supply of science textbooks, kits, and other resources, the practice of teaching science is more challenging than simply setting up an experiment. In Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools, Wynne Harlen focuses on why developing understanding is essential in science education and how best to engage students in activities that deepen their curiosity about the world and promote enjoyment of science. Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools centers on how to build on the ideas your students already have to cultivate the thinking and skills necessary for developing an understanding of the scientific aspects of the world, including: helping students develop and use the skills of investigation drawing conclusions from data through analyzing, interpreting, and explaining creating classrooms that encourage students to explain and justify their thinking asking productive questions to support students' understanding. Through classroom vignettes, examples, and practical suggestions at the end of each chapter, Wynne provides a compelling vision of what can be achieved through science education...and strategies that you can implement in your classroom right now.



Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School

Author : Joseph S. Krajcik

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 421 pages

File Size : 14,47 MB

Release : 2014-01-23

Category : Education

ISBN : 1136287760

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Book Description

Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School offers in-depth information about the fundamental features of project-based science and strategies for implementing the approach. In project-based science classrooms students investigate, use technology, develop artifacts, collaborate, and make products to show what they have learned. Paralleling what scientists do, project-based science represents the essence of inquiry and the nature of science. Because project-based science is a method aligned with what is known about how to help all children learn science, it not only helps students learn science more thoroughly and deeply, it also helps them experience the joy of doing science. Project-based science embodies the principles in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Blending principles of learning and motivation with practical teaching ideas, this text shows how project-based learning is related to ideas in the Framework and provides concrete strategies for meeting its goals. Features include long-term, interdisciplinary, student-centered lessons; scenarios; learning activities, and "Connecting to Framework for K–12 Science Education" textboxes. More concise than previous editions, the Fourth Edition offers a wealth of supplementary material on a new Companion Website, including many videos showing a teacher and class in a project environment.



A Framework for K-12 Science Education

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 400 pages

File Size : 32,63 MB

Release : 2012-02-28

Category : Education

ISBN : 0309214459

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Book Description

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.



Help! I'm Teaching Middle School Science

Author : C. Jill Swango

Publisher : NSTA Press

Page : 144 pages

File Size : 48,69 MB

Release : 2003

Category : Science

ISBN : 1933531800

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Book Description

Like your own personal survival guide, Help IOCOm Teaching Middle School Science is a nontechnical how-to manualOCoespecially for first-year teachers. But even veteran teachers can benefit from the plentiful ideas, examples, and tips on teaching science the way middle-schoolers learn best. The book covers all the basics: .: .; what to do on the first day of school (including icebreaker activities), .; preparing safe and effective lab lessons, .; managing the classroom, .; working with in-school teams as well as parents. But its practicalOCoand encouragingOCoapproach doesnOCOt mean it shortchanges the basics of effective pedagogy. YouOCOll learn: how to handle cooperative learning and assessment; how to help students write effectively and; the importance of modeling for early adolescents."



Learning Science in Informal Environments

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 348 pages

File Size : 30,56 MB

Release : 2009-05-27

Category : Education

ISBN : 0309141133

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Book Description

Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological studies of learning. Learning Science in Informal Environments draws together disparate literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next generation of research on learning science in informal environments across a life span. Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines-research and evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have experience in a range of settings-museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical gardens. Learning Science in Informal Environments is an invaluable guide for program and exhibit designers, evaluators, staff of science-rich informal learning institutions and community-based organizations, scientists interested in educational outreach, federal science agency education staff, and K-12 science educators.



Learning to Teach Science in the Secondary School

Author : Rob Toplis

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 343 pages

File Size : 21,22 MB

Release : 2015-02-11

Category : Education

ISBN : 1317551524

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Book Description

Learning to Teach Science in the Secondary School is an indispensable guide with a fresh approach to the process, practice and reality of teaching and learning science in a busy secondary school. This fourth edition has been fully updated in the light of changes to professional knowledge and practice and revisions to the national curriculum. Written by experienced practitioners, this popular textbook comprehensively covers the opportunities and challenges of teaching science in the secondary school. It provides guidance on: • the knowledge and skills you need, and understanding the science department at your school • development of the science curriculum • the nature of science and how science works, biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy, earth science • planning for progression, using schemes of work to support planning , and evaluating lessons • language in science, practical work, using ICT , science for citizenship, Sex and Health Education and learning outside the classroom • assessment for learning and external assessment and examinations Every unit includes a clear chapter introduction, learning objectives, further reading, lists of useful resources and specially designed tasks – including those to support Masters Level work – as well as cross-referencing to essential advice in the core text Learning to Teach in the Secondary School, sixth edition. Learning to Teach Science in the Secondary School is designed to support student teachers through the transition from graduate scientist to practising science teacher, while achieving the highest level of personal and professional development.