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Dina Hoare VIC, SA E: dhoare@cambridge.edu.au M: 0418 517 879
SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN A fantastic introduction to the pedagogy of primary and early childhood science education.
Your contacts at Cambridge University Press John Elliot NSW, ACT, WA E: jelliot@cambridge.edu.au M: 0458 913 645
Marilyn Fleer
Kim Lingard QLD, NT, TAS and New Zealand E: klingard@cambridge.edu.au M: 0437 389 810
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DATE PUBLISHED: September 2015 FORMAT: Paperback ISBN: 9781107548701
SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN Science for Children introduces readers to the pedagogy of primary and early childhood science education. The book pays special attention to the three strands of science, in accordance with the Australian Curriculum. It also uses the practice principles and learning outcomes of the national Early Years Learning Framework to present content for babies through to the transition into the Foundation year at school. Science for Children explores various approaches to teaching and learning in science. It covers inquiry approaches in detail; makes explicit links to the 5Es; critiques longstanding approaches, such as discovery approaches and a transmission approach; and explores Indigenous perspectives and a Vygotskian framework. This allows the reader to make informed choices about when to use a particular approach in primary classrooms and early childhood settings. Designed to prepare future educators for practice, Science for Children challenges students and offers practical classroom-based strategies for their science teaching careers.
• Provides a range of teaching approaches, a focus on planning and assessment, and professional repertoire development • Marilyn Fleer is a well-experienced author, who is much respected in science and technology education
KEY FEATURES
CONTENTS
• Pays special attention to the three strands of science, in accordance with the Australian Curriculum • Tackles a wealth of science content across the birth-to-twelve-years continuum • Includes a variety of pedagogical features: conversation transcripts, photos, case studies of teachers’ planning a unit, samples of students’ work and references to evidence-based practice
Part I. Research Foundation for Developing a Personal Approach to Teaching Science
WEBSITE A comprehensive companion website is available at: www.cambridge.edu.au/ academic/science Resources include: • Chapter introductions • Access to online resources referred to in the book • Online exercises, including video content and activities • Useful links to additional resources • PowerPoint slides to accompany chapter content • Artwork files • A 6 month subscription to Cambridge Dynamic Science
1. Science as a human endeavour 2. Researching children’s understanding and ways of learning Part II. Transmission and Discovery Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Science 3. A transmission approach to teaching science
4. A discovery based approach to learning science Part III. Inquiry-Based Approaches 5. Inquiry-based approach to teaching science 6. Inquiry-based approach to learning science 7. Teaching for conceptual change: constructivism
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marilyn Fleer is the Foundation Chair of Early Childhood Education at Monash University.
Part IV. Inclusive Constructions of Knowledge across and within Communities and Cultures
Torn between studying psychology and education as an undergraduate, Professor Marilyn Fleer ended up choosing early childhood education, a nascent field that straddled both her areas of interest. She hasn’t looked back since.
8. Conceptual play, and contextual and conceptual intersubjectivity: culturalhistorical approaches to learning science 9. Culturally sensitive teaching: sustainability and relatedness in our ecosystems
As soon as she got into early childhood education she enjoyed it, Marilyn says. “I found it intellectually stimulating, and there’s plenty of scope for making a difference with my research.”
Part V. Leadership in Science
She is now studying the early stages of concept formation – and how playtime can help promote children’s imagination, and the more ‘rational’ thinking later on as adults.
10. Becoming a leader of science: situating yourself
With the push for greater outcomes from very young children, particularly in literacy and numeracy, Marilyn’s field of research is gaining public and international interest.