Table of Contents
Foreword Page Keeley viii
Introduction x
1 Why Teach Science? What Science Should We Teach? 1
Science Education in Action 2
Investigating ice 2
Sun, Earth, and moon 4
Cold cans 6
Features of Effective Practice 8
Student engagement 8
Materials for investigation 9
Linking to preexisting ideas 9
Student talk 10
Developing inquiry skills 10
Planning 10
Why? 11
What to Teach? 12
Which ideas? 13
Which skills? 14
Which attitudes? 14
Action Points 15
2 How Should We Teach Science? 16
Views of Learning and Approaches to Teaching 16
Teaching for Understanding Through Inquiry 18
Inquiry in Action 19
Modeling the Development of Understanding Through Inquiry 20
Introducing alternative ideas 22
The role of inquiry skills 23
Developing a Climate for Learning 24
Motivating learning 25
Neuroscience and Learning 26
Action Points 28
3 Taking Students' Ideas Seriously 29
Examples of Students' Ideas 30
Ideas about living things 30
Ideas about how we see 31
Ideas about how we hear 32
Ideas about floating and sinking 33
Characteristics of Students' Own Ideas 34
How Do Students Form Their Ideas? 35
Finding Out Students' Ideas 36
Questioning 37
Drawings and writing 37
Concept maps 38
Concept cartoons 39
Student discussions 40
Helping Students Develop Their Ideas 41
Action Points 42
4 Teachers' and Students' Questions 43
Teachers' Questions 43
Question form 45
Question function 46
Question timing 48
Allowing time for answering 49
Responding to Students' Answers 50
Students' Questions 51
Responding to Different Types of Questions 52
Comments expressed as questions 53
Philosophical questions 54
Requests for simple facts 54
Questions that can lead to investigation by students 55
Questions requiring complex answers 55
In summary 57
Action Points 58
5 Students Raising Questions and Planning Inquiries 59
Progression in Inquiry Skills 59
Identifying Inquiry Skills 61
Raising Questions 62
Investigatable questions 62
Types of Questions and Investigations in Science 62
Which … is best? 63
Is there a pattern in…? 63
What happens when…? 63
I wonder why…? 64
How can we…? 65
Helping Students' Progress in Raising Questions 65
Planning Inquiries 66
Thinking about variables 67
Investigating relationships 68
Helping Students' Progress in Planning 70
Providing opportunities 70
Scaffolding planning 71
Discussing completed investigations 72
Action Points 74
6 Students Gathering Information 75
Observation 75
Ideas affect observation 76
Aspects of observing 77
Benefits of developing observation skills 79
Helping Students' Progress in Observation 80
Encouraging development 81
Using Secondary Sources of Information 85
Using reference books 85
Using digital resources 86
Action Points 87
7 Students Analyzing, Interpreting, and Explaining 89
Analyzing and Interpreting 89
Which is best… (the best place in the classroom to keep ice from melting)? 90
Is there a pattern… (in the direction and length of shadows and the time of day)? 91
I wonder why… (moisture appears on a cold surface)? 92
From Interpretation to Explanation 92
Scaffolding possible explanations 93
Using analogies in explanations 94
Different levels of explanation 97
Helping Students' Progress in Analyzing, Interpreting, and Explaining 98
Action Points 100
8 Students Communicating, Arguing, and Reflecting 101
Science and Literacy 101
Spoken Language: The Importance of Talk 102
Dialogue 103
Argumentation 104
Small-group and class discussions 105
Presentation to others 107
Communicating Through Writing and Drawing 108
Using a notebook 108
Reporting completed inquiries 109
Using Scientific Vocabulary 111
When and how to introduce and use scientific words 112
Helping Students' Progress in Communication, Arguing, and Reflecting 114
Action Points 115
9 Formative Assessment in Science 116
Purposes of Assessment 116
Summative Assessment 117
The Nature and Importance of Formative Assessment 118
The nature of formative assessment 118
The importance of formative assessment 120
Formative Assessment in Practice 121
Collecting information 121
Interpreting information 122
Deciding next steps 125
Taking next steps: Feedback 126
The Role of Students in Formative Assessment 128
Communicating goals 128
Communicating standards of quality 130
Students' role in deciding and taking next steps 131
Peer assessment 132
Action Points 134
10 Formative Evaluation of Science Learning Opportunities 135
Formative Evaluation at the Class Level 135
Gathering data for evaluation 137
Deciding on action 137
Focused Evaluation: An Example of Inquiry-Based Learning in Science 138
Formative Evaluation of Science at the School Level 140
Standards for evaluating science at the school level 141
Gathering m formation for school self-evaluation 142
Using school-level information: Taking action 142
Science Curriculum Leadership 143
Continuing Professional Development 144
Action Points 146
Conclusion 147
References 151
Index 155
