On Teaching Science
Published on 1. September 2014
978-1-937548-42-1 (ISBN)
Description
On Teaching Science is a short, practical guide to key principles and strategies that will help students learn in any subject at any level, but with special focus on the so-called STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. Based on a popular workshop developed by the author, the book begins with brief introductions to the nature of teaching and the nature of science, then consists of four major sections: the one key to student success-namely, that learning requires study and effort; three big picture ideas about teaching; five general suggestions for successful teaching; and seven pedagogical strategies for success in science teaching. Within each section, the author uses a combination of personal experience and research-based studies to discuss both the current state of education in the United States and how it can be improved by individual educators and through suggested systemic changes. Written by an author well-known in science and education circles both for his bestselling college textbooks in four STEM subjects (astronomy, astrobiology, mathematics, and statistics) and for his children's science books that have been read by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the personal and engaging style of On Teaching Science will appeal not only to teachers, but also to parents and others interested in the educational process. It will likely meet the author's stated goal of contributing to the national conversation about education, by helping readers think about the challenges we must meet in order to improve our educational system.
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Person
Jeffrey Bennett, winner of the 2013 American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award, is an astrophysicist and educator who proposed the idea for and helped develop the Voyage Scale Model Solar System—the first science-oriented exhibit approved for permanent installation on the National Mall in Washington, DC. He is the lead author of college textbooks in four subjects—astronomy, astrobiology, mathematics, and statistics—and has written critically acclaimed books for the general public including Beyond UFOs and On the Cosmic Horizon. He is also the author of children's books, including those in the Science Adventures with Max the Dog series and The Wizard Who Saved the World. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
