In contemporary society, science constitutes a significant part of human life in that it impacts on how people experience and understand the world and themselves. The rapid advances in science and technology, newly established societal and cultural norms and values, and changes in the climate and environment, as well as, the depletion of natural resources all greatly impact the lives of children and youths, and hence their ways of learning, viewing the world, experiencing phenomena around them and interacting with others. These changes challenge science educators to rethink the epistemology and pedagogy in science classrooms today as the practice of science education needs to be proactive and relevant to students and prepare them for life in the present and in the future. Featuring contributions from highly experienced and celebrated science educators, as well as research perspectives from Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia, this book addresses theoretical and practical examples in science education that, on the one hand, plays a key role in our understanding of the world, and yet, paradoxically, now acknowledges a growing number of uncertainties of knowledge about the world. The material is in four sections that cover the learning and teaching of science from science literacy to multiple representations; science teacher education; the use of innovations and new technologies in science teaching and learning; and science learning in informal settings including outdoor environmental learning activities. Acknowledging the issues and challenges in science education, this book hopes to generate collaborative discussions among scholars, researchers, and educators to develop critical and creative ways of science teaching to improve and enrich the lives of our children and youths.

Issues in Science Teaching covers a wide range of important issues which will interest teachers at all phases in the education system. The issues discussed include: the nature and purposes of science education in a multicultural society, including the idea of science for all the role and purposes of investigational work in science education assessment, curriculum progression and pupil attitudes to their science experience supporting basic skills development in literacy, numeracy and ICT, through science teaching supporting cross-curricular work through science teaching taking account of individual differences including ability, special needs, learning style and the case for inclusion The articles are strongly based on current research and are intended to stimulate and broaden debate among the readers. Written by practising science educators and teachers, this book offers new and interesting ways of developing science education at all levels.

This edited volume focuses on challenges facing science education across three areas: curriculum, teacher education, and pedagogy. Integrating a diverse range of perspectives from both emerging and established scholars in the field, chapters consider the need for measured responses to issues in society that have become pronounced in recent years, including lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, the environment, and persisting challenges in STEM teaching and learning. In doing so, the editors and their authors chart a potential course for existing and future possibilities and probabilities for science education.

"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.

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.

Science Education Issues and Developments.

Health and the environment are important learning areas in science education and their significance is growing. Not only do they have high social relevance, but they are also close to students’ interests and needs. They provide many opportunities to unlock science with questions that are personally relevant to boys and girls and that inspire them to engage in science. This book contains a selection of papers from prominent professionals in science, health and environmental education, who reflect on science education, each from their specific point of view. The core idea is to present well-founded perspectives on how science education may benefit from challenges stemming from both health and environmental education. Specific reasons are discussed as to why these two areas are particularly legitimized to challenge science education, and their potential impact on a revision of science education is evaluated. A new pedagogy for science¦environment¦health that yields interesting and relevant science education for students and teachers, and addresses the grand challenges of this century: what an attractive and rewarding project! The book will motivate teachers, teacher educators and science education researchers to take part in this on-going project.

Over the past twenty years, much has been written about the knowledge bases thought necessary to teach science. Shulman has outlined seven knowledge domains needed for teaching, and others, such as Tamir, have proposed somewhat similar domains of knowledge, specifically for science teachers. Aspects of this knowledge have changed because of shifts in curriculum thinking, and the current trends in science education have seen a sharp increase in the significance of the knowledge bases. The development of a standards-based approach to the quality of science teaching has become common in the Western world, and phrases such as “evidence-based practice” have been tossed around in the attempt to “measure” such quality. The Professional Knowledge Base of Science Teaching explores the knowledge bases considered necessary for science teaching. It brings together a number of researchers who have worked with science teachers, and they address what constitutes evidence of high quality science teaching, on what basis such evidence can be judged, and how such evidence reflects the knowledge basis of the modern day professional science teacher. This is the second book produced from the Monash University- King’s College London International Centre for the Study of Science and Mathematics Curriculum. The first book presented a big picture of what science education might be like if values once again become central while this book explores what classroom practices may look like based on such a big picture.

This book explores sixteen contemporary issues in science education by examining the practical dilemmas these issues provoke for teachers. It is a unique book which presents student-teachers with personal and professional insights into a whole range of science topics including the laws of science, teaching ethics, laboratories and culture, gender and ethnicity. Each chapter takes as its focus one of the sixteen issues and begins with a case-study of a science lesson written by a practising teacher. This is followed by a short, reflective piece by the same teacher on how the lesson went and how opportunities for teaching and learning could be improved. This reflection is followed by commentaries from some of the world's leading science educators on what they felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. The extensive use of teacher-written case studies and commentaries will make this book suitable for the pre-service courses, where case methods are typically used to provide a context for learning the craft of teaching. The addition of commentaries from distinguished scholars makes the book relevant for postgraduate courses in science education and as a reference volume for teacher researchers.

This book discusses a number of ways in which out-of-school science education can uniquely engage learners with ‘wicked’ global problems such as biodiversity loss and climate change. The idea for the volume originated in discussions among members of the ESERA special interest group on "Science Education in Out-of-School contexts". It emerged from these discussions that out-of-school institutions and experiences offer opportunities for critical engagement in wicked problems that go far beyond what is possible solely in the science classroom. The book opens with a principled discussion of the nature of wicked problems and what addressing them involves. This introduction clarifies key terms and ideas to create a coherent backdrop for the rest of the book. Subsequent chapters discuss the challenges of designing educational experiences to address wicked problems, as well as the teaching and learning that takes place. The authors offer perspectives across a range of out-of-school environments such as science centres, natural history museums, botanical gardens, geological sites, and local communities. The book concludes with a chapter that synthesises the findings from the various contributions and points to the messages for educators. Finally, the editors outline an exciting research agenda to build knowledge of education addressing wicked problems. The intended audience of the book includes teachers, educators/facilitators, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and early career researchers as well as established researchers.