Designing and Teaching the Elementary Science Methods Course

Abell (science education), Deborah L. Hanuscin (elementary education, both U. of Missouri), and Ken Appleton (Central Queensland U., Australia) offer guidance for faculty members and aspiring faculty members for designing and enacting instruction in teaching elementary science methods courses. They discuss theoretical, contextual, and pedagogical foundations for the elementary science methods course. Among them are the context for elementary science teacher preparation, curriculum and resources for elementary science teacher education, assessment strategies, and field experiences. Activities they suggest for the course include an interactive approach: floating and sinking, eliciting students ideas: the human body, and seamless assessment: the moon investigation. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)