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

by Duschl, Richard A.; Schweingruber, Heidi A.; Shouse, Andrew W.

• ISBN13: 9780309102056
• ISBN10: 0309102057
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-03-21
• Publisher: Natl Academy Pr

Summary

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 question 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.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 9
Science learning past and present	p. 11
Goals for science education	p. 26
How children learn science	p. 51
Foundations for science learning in young children	p. 53
Knowledge and understanding of the natural world	p. 93
Generating and evaluating scientific evidence and explanations	p. 129
Understanding how scientific knowledge is constructed	p. 168
Participation in scientific practices and discourse	p. 186
Supporting science learning	p. 211
Learning progressions	p. 213
Teaching science as practice	p. 251
Supporting science instruction	p. 296
Future directions for policy, practice, and research	p. 331
Conclusions and recommendations	p. 333
Overview of learning progressions for matter and the atomic-molecular theory	p. 359
Biographical sketches of committee members and staff	p. 366
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.