Forty classroom-ready science teaching and learning activities for elementary and middle school teachers Grounded in theory and best-practices research, this practical text provides elementary and middle school teachers with 40 place-based activities that will help them to make science learning relevant to their students. This text provides teachers with both a rationale and a set of strategies and activities for teaching science in a local context to help students engage with science learning and come to understand the importance of science in their everyday lives.

This book explores how educators can realize the potential of critical place-based pedagogy. The authors’ model leverages the power of technology through strategies such as mobile mapping so that students can read the world and share spatial narratives. The same complexity that makes spaces outside the classroom ideal for authentic, purposeful learning creates challenges for educators who must minimize students taking wrong turns or reaching dead ends. Instructional design process is key and the authors offer exemplars of this from multiple disciplines. Whether students are exploring a local community or a natural environment, place-based inquires must include recognition of privilege and the social dynamics that reinforce inequalities. Concluding with a discussion of the changing social context, the authors highlight how contemporary events add a sense of urgency to the call for a critical place-based pedagogy—one that is more inclusive for all students.

A comprehensive look at the promise and potential of online learning In our digital age, students have dramatically new learning needs and must be prepared for the idea economy of the future. In Getting Smart, well-known global education expert Tom Vander Ark examines the facets of educational innovation in the United States and abroad. Vander Ark makes a convincing case for a blend of online and onsite learning, shares inspiring stories of schools and programs that effectively offer "personal digital learning" opportunities, and discusses what we need to do to remake our schools into "smart schools." Examines the innovation-driven world, discusses how to combine online and onsite learning, and reviews "smart tools" for learning Investigates the lives of learning professionals, outlines the new employment bargain, examines online universities and "smart schools" Makes the case for smart capital, advocates for policies that create better learning, studies smart cultures

This book provides an approach to physical science instruction in a way that is interesting and engaging to students featuring author-created action sports videos and classroom activities focused on physical science concepts.

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.

Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological studies of learning. Learning Science in Informal Environments draws together disparate literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next generation of research on learning science in informal environments across a life span. Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines-research and evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have experience in a range of settings-museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical gardens. Learning Science in Informal Environments is an invaluable guide for program and exhibit designers, evaluators, staff of science-rich informal learning institutions and community-based organizations, scientists interested in educational outreach, federal science agency education staff, and K-12 science educators.

"Models of Teaching is a great asset for beginning teachers as they integrate their pre-service training with the standards-based curricula in schools." —Amany Saleh, Arkansas State University "Rarely have I read a text from cover to cover...however, your text provided an abundance of effective teaching strategies in ways that better informed my own teaching...I was compelled to read through the entire test! Great job!" —Carolyn Andrews, Student at University of Nevada, Reno "This is a practical text that focuses on current practices in education and demonstrates how various models of teaching can address national standards." —Marsha Zenanko, Jacksonville State University "Models of Teaching provides excellent case studies that will enable students to ′see′ models of teaching in practice in the classroom." —Margaret M. Ferrara, University of Nevada, Reno Models of Teaching: Connecting Student Learning With Standards features classic and contemporary models of teaching appropriate to elementary and secondary settings. Authors Jeanine M. Dell′Olio and Tony Donk use detailed case studies to discuss 10 models of teaching and demonstrate how the models can incorporate state content standards and benchmarks, as well as technology standards. This book provides students with a theoretical and practical understanding of how to use models of teaching to both meet and exceed the growing expectations for research-based instructional practices and student achievement. Key Features Shows how each model looks and sounds in classrooms at all levels: Each model is illustrated with two detailed case studies (elementary and secondary) and post-lesson reflections. Offers detailed descriptions of the phases of each model: Each model is accompanied by a detailed chart and discussion of the steps of the model. Applies technology standards and performance indicators: Each chapter addresses how the particular model can be implemented to meet technology standards and performance indicators. Connects philosophies of curriculum and instruction: This book connects each model to a philosophy of curriculum and instruction that undergirds that model so teachers understand both how to teach and why. Promotes student interaction with the text: Exercises at the end of each chapter provide the opportunity for beginning teachers to work directly with core curricula from their own state, and/or local school district curricula. Each model is illustrated with two detailed case studies (elementary and secondary) and post-lesson reflections. A High Quality Ancillary Package! Instructors′ Resource CD-ROM—This helpful CD-ROM offers PowerPoint slides, an electronic test bank, Web resources, a teaching guide for the case studies, lesson plan template instructions, and much more. Qualified instructors can request a copy by contacting SAGE Customer Care at 1-800-818-SAGE (7243) from 6am–5pm, PT. Student Study Site — This study site provides practice tests, flash cards, a lesson plan template, suggested assignments, links to state content and technology standards, field experience guides, and much more. Intended Audience: This is an excellent core textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying Elementary and/or Secondary Teaching Methods in the field of Education.