Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction for Scientific Literacy Development


Book Description

Socioscientific issues require individuals to use moral and ethical considerations to help in their evaluation of evidence and decision making, entailing controversial scientific phenomena. Such issues include genetic engineering and biotechnology. Socioscientific issues pedagogy has the potential to enhance students’ overall conceptual understanding of scientific phenomena that affect the daily lives of people across the globe. Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction for Scientific Literacy Development is a critical scholarly publication that examines the development of a research-based integrated socioscientific issues pedagogy for use in the K-12 system, teacher education preparation, and informal education centers. The publication focuses on science education researchers and pre-service and in-service teachers’ abilities to design and implement meaningful learning opportunities for students to use rationalistic, intuitive, and emotive perspectives as they engage in information reasoning on scientific topics, such as climate change and CRISPR, that are of utmost importance. Teachers in the K-12 system and informal education settings will be able to use this text to enhance scientific literacy among their students. Instructors in teacher preparation programs will be able to use this research-based text to improve pre-service and in-service teachers’ abilities to use socioscientific issues pedagogy to enhance scientific literacy among K-12 students. Additionally, audiences including researchers, administrators, academicians, policymakers, and students will find this book beneficial for their studies.




Socio-scientific Issues in the Classroom


Book Description

Socio-scientific issues (SSI) are open-ended, multifaceted social issues with conceptual links to science. They are challenging to negotiate and resolve, and they create ideal contexts for bridging school science and the lived experience of students. This book presents the latest findings from the innovative practice and systematic investigation of science education in the context of socio-scientific issues. Socio-scientific Issues in the Classroom: Teaching, Learning and Research focuses on how SSI can be productively incorporated into science classrooms and what SSI-based education can accomplish regarding student learning, practices and interest. It covers numerous topics that address key themes for contemporary science education including scientific literacy, goals for science teaching and learning, situated learning as a theoretical perspective for science education, and science for citizenship. It presents a wide range of classroom-based research projects that offer new insights for SSI-based education. Authored by leading researchers from eight countries across four continents, this book is an important compendium of syntheses and insights for veteran researchers, teachers and curriculum designers eager to advance the SSI agenda.




It's Debatable!


Book Description

REVERE Award Finalist, PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers! " Functional scientific literacy requires an understanding of the nature of science and the skills necessary to think both scientifically and ethically about everyday issues." -- from the introduction to It's Debatable! This book encourages scientific literacy by showing you how to teach the understanding and thinking skills your students need to explore real-world questions like these: - Should schools charge a "tax" to discourage kids from eating unhealthy foods? - Should local governments lower speed limits to reduce traffic fatalities? - Should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers? At the core of the exploration is the Socioscientific Issues Framework. The framework gives students practice in the research, analysis, and argumentation necessary to grapple with difficult questions and build scientific literacy. After introducing the concept of the framework and explaining how it aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, the book shows you how to implement it through seven units targeted to the elementary, middle, and high school levels. You even find out how to develop your own socioscientific issues curriculum. Both practical and content-rich, It's Debatable! doesn't shy away from controversy. Instead, the authors encourage you and your students to confront just how messy the questions raised by science (and pseudoscience) can be. After all, as the authors note, " The only way for our students to be prepared for participation in societal discourse is to have practice in their school years, and what better place than the science classroom?"




It's Debatable!


Book Description

"Functional scientific literacy requires an understanding of the nature of science and the skills necessary to think both scientifically and ethically about everyday issues.” —from the introduction to It’s Debatable! This book encourages scientific literacy by showing you how to teach the understanding and thinking skills your students need to explore real-world questions like these: • Should schools charge a "tax” to discourage kids from eating unhealthy foods? • Should local governments lower speed limits to reduce traffic fatalities? • Should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers? At the core of the exploration is the Socioscientific Issues Framework. The framework gives students practice in the research, analysis, and argumentation necessary to grapple with difficult questions and build scientific literacy. After introducing the concept of the framework and explaining how it aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, the book shows you how to implement it through seven units targeted to the elementary, middle, and high school levels. You even find out how to develop your own socioscientific issues curriculum. Both practical and content-rich, It’s Debatable! doesn’t shy away from controversy. Instead, the authors encourage you and your students to confront just how messy the questions raised by science (and pseudoscience) can be. After all, as the authors note, “The only way for our students to be prepared for participation in societal discourse is to have practice in their school years, and what better place than the science classroom?”




EBOOK: SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP


Book Description

“This is overwhelmingly a valuable book - particularly in the context of science education in the UK. It is a book that deserves to be read more widely by science teachers, particularly those who seek not simply to extend their repertoire of teaching techniques, but who wish to place these techniques upon a sound academic footing.” Educational Review "I have greatly enjoyed reading through Science Education for Citizenship. It is extremely informative and contains much of value. We will definitely be putting it on our MA in Science Education reading list." Dr Michael Reiss, Institute of Education, University of London This innovative book explores the effective teaching and learning of issues relating to the impact of science in society. Research case studies are used to examine the advantages and problems as science teachers try new learning approaches, including ethical analysis, use of media-reports, peer-group decision-making discussions and community projects. This book: offers practical guidance in devising learning goals and suitable learning and assessment strategies helps teachers to provide students with the skills and understanding needed to address these multi-faceted issues explores the nature and place of socio-scientific issues in the curriculum and the support necessary for effective teaching Science Education for Citizenship supports science teachers, citizenship teachers and other educators as they help students to develop the skills and understanding to deal with complex everyday issues.




College Pathways to the Science Education Standards


Book Description

This book targets students who are going to be K-12 teachers and points out the responsibilities that both science and education faculty members face. These responsibilities not only include providing fundamental information and skills related to teaching, but also mentoring teachers to reflect their understanding. The National Science Education Standards specifically address grades K-12; however, these standards have a great significance for higher education in that they also address systematic issues of teacher preparation and professional development. This document discusses ways in which the Standards are meaningful to higher education. Chapters 1 and 3 focus on the teaching and assessment standards. Chapter 2 concerns professional development standards. Chapter 4 addresses content standards. Chapter 5 discusses science education program standards. Chapter 6 describes the science education system standards. (YDS)




Innovative Approaches to Socioscientific Issues and Sustainability Education


Book Description

This book explores innovative approaches to teacher professional learning, examples of teaching enacted in classrooms, and factors affecting the promotion of quality teaching in socio-scientific issues and sustainability contexts. Since educational settings and cultures influence teaching, the different approaches and perspectives in various cross-national contexts enable us to appreciate the diversity of different countries’ practices and provide insight into seminal approaches to socio-scientific issues-based teaching internationally. The book consists of three parts: innovative professional development programs, innovative teaching approaches, and issues relating to student engagement with socio-scientific issues and sustainability education. The book targets those who can be expected to develop curriculum, enact teaching practices, and facilitate teachers’ professional development in socio-scientific issues and sustainability education.




Exploring the Impact of Teaching Science Through Socioscientific Issues on Upper Primary School Children's Scientific Literacy: a Multiple-site Case Study


Book Description

Scientific literacy is widely regarded as one of the most important goals of Science Education. Scientific literacy relates to how an individual uses their scientific knowledge and skills to participate as active citizens in society. Research indicates that teaching science through Socioscientific Issues (SSIs) has the potential to achieve this goal. However, there is a dearth of international literature on the impact of SSIs-based education on the development of primary/elementary students' scientific literacy. Within an Irish context, SSIs-based education is not a feature of the Irish primary science curriculum and therefore its potential is not fully realised and is under examined in the teaching of science.This study sought to explore whether the teaching of primary science through SSIs has an impact on enhancing upper primary school students' scientific literacy competencies; namely the development of student interest in science, scientific inquiry skills, conceptual understanding of science, Nature of Science (NoS) understanding, socioscientific argumentation and socioscientific reasoning. Seven primary school teachers participated in a professional learning course aimed at developing teacher confidence and competence pertaining to the teaching of primary science through SSIs and associated pedagogies. These teachers and the students in their classes (n=158 students) participated in this multiple-site case study whereby they taught primary science through SSIs over a six-month period. A mixed-methods pragmatic research design was utilised to assess its impact on students' scientific literacy where multiple data sources were collected concurrently including student questionnaires, student focus group interviews, student practical science skill assessment and teacher semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that teaching primary science through SSIs had a positive impact on the development of primary school students' science content knowledge, NoS understanding and scientific inquiry skills. Students were found to have more informed perceptions of school science and its relevance to their everyday lives. Students demonstrated enhanced ability to engage in socioscientific argumentation and in most cases students were able to apply their science content knowledge and skills to socioscientific reasoning whereby students made informed decisions pertaining to SSIs relevant to their everyday lives. Furthermore, some classes participated in student-led active citizenship as they took informed action in response to the SSI. The findings suggest that teaching primary science through SSIs has the potential to develop upper primary school aged students' scientific literacy competencies where students become prepared and empowered for active and responsible participation in a complex, democratic society. This study recommends that SSIs-based education and scientific literacy competencies be an explicit feature of primary/elementary science curricula both nationally and internationally and that this be supported by teacher professional learning opportunities.




The Roles of Technology and Globalization in Educational Transformation


Book Description

The emergence of the internet and developments in educational software have changed the way teachers teach and the way students learn. There has been a substantial increase in the quantity, quality, and diversity of educational material available over the internet or through the use of satellite video and audio linkups. These technologies have allowed new learning methods and techniques to reach a greater geographic region and have contributed to the global transformation of education. The Roles of Technology and Globalization in Educational Transformation is an essential academic book that provides comprehensive research on issues concerning the roles of technology and globalization in educational transformation and the challenges of teaching and learning in various cultural settings and how they were resolved. It will support educational organizations that wish to find, create, or adapt technology for use in their institution. Featuring a broad range of topics such as public administration, educational technology, and higher education, this book is essential for teachers, deans, principals, school administrators, IT specialists, curriculum developers, instructional designers, higher education staff, academicians, policymakers, researchers, and students.




Science Teachers' Learning


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.