ASE Guide To Primary Science Education 4th Edition (ISBN: 9780863574573)
Essential reading for everyone concerned with the practice of primary science education.
The 4th edition of the flagship ASE Guide to Primary Science Education contains
vital ideas, suggestions and advice for anyone interested in primary
science, whether a trainee or experienced teachers, subject leaders,
senior management or early years practitioners.
In this new edition of the ASE Guide to Primary Science Education,
two important areas are highlighted. The first is the importance of
taking a scientific approach to teaching. This means using evidence,
where it exists, in making decisions that affect teaching, and being
sceptical about claims where there is no evidence. The complexity of the
processes of learning and teaching means that finding convincing
evidence in relation to teaching practices is more difficult than
conducting a scientific experiment in a laboratory. What works in some
classrooms may not be so effective in others. But it is always useful to
try out what others find helpful – and there are many good ideas in
this Guide – whilst collecting evidence of changes in children’s
engagement in learning.
The second message continues the longstanding debate around the dual
goals of science education: the development of conceptual understanding
and the development of inquiry skills. We value learning with
understanding, as opposed to rote learning, and have long recognised
that this depends on children starting from their existing ideas and on
teachers enabling them to develop ‘bigger’ ideas. However, this will
only help children’s scientific understanding if they are working
Scientifically, that is, gathering and using evidence and developing the
skills of inquiry. This takes time, not just for carrying out these
processes, but also for reflecting on how this has been done and how it
has led to ideas being changed.
These messages form the backbone of this flagship ASE book, designed
to assist beginning teachers and senior subject leaders alike.
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