Teaching Science as Inquiry

For an undergraduate level course in science education. Teaching Science Through Inquiry and Investigation provides theory and practical advice for elementary and middle school teachers to help their students learn science. Written at a time of substantive change in science education, this book deals both with what's currently happening and what's expected in science classes in elementary and middle schools. Readers explore the nature of science, its importance in today's world, trends in science education, and national science standards. They consider "What science is" and "What it means to do science." The book references both the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) that provide the basis for most current state science standards and A Framework for K-12 Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas (NRC, 2011) that builds on previous science education reform documents including the NSES and contemporary learning theory to present the framework for the Next Generation Science Standards, expected to be released in the spring of 2013.