Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8

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 science—about the role of research and evidence. This book will be an essential resource for everyone involved in K-8 science education—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. Review: Needed to understand the Frameworks and NGSS - Taking Science to School is clearly the foundation for the changes to move science into the 21st century. I believe any elementary teacher that is involved with science should read the book. Review: The book needs a TL;DR section at the end of each chapter... - I had to read this for a class in my teaching program. This is probably the densest book I have ever had to read as a teacher. It could be half as long and have a much greater impact if the writing was cloaked in genre-specific language. It is written by experts on teaching science, and really can only be fully understood by other experts on teaching science. It was written for the average teacher, but the authors did not actually write for their intended audience. That is a huge shame, because there is some very good information and guidance in here. I would NOT recommend this book for anyone trying to get an early hold on best practices for teaching science.