Elementary Science Teaching by Ken Appleton (Chpt 18) Research
on teaching science in the elementary school is an emerging field with
many open avenues to pursue, especially in the early elementary grades
(K-3) these include: the roll and efficacy of science specialists in
the elementary school; the influence, potential and cost effectiveness
of kit based curriculum materials; the arbitration of text book choice;
the reverberations and teacher response to reform movements;
reform-integrated curricula that enhances science learning as well as
learning in other subjects; the connection between emotion and
cognition in affective learning; the nature and effectiveness of
scaffolds for student learning and lesson integration; the role of
metacognition in students’ conceptual development; age appropriate
& pedagogically sound curriculum design, learning goals and
scaffolds; authentic assessment, pertinent parent-teacher
communication to enhance student learning; the validity and
appropriateness of large-scale testing and possible alternatives;
useful, valid and cost-effective ways of introducing large-scale change
in elementary science teaching and elementary science teacher education.There
has been a shift in epistemological beliefs held by elementary science
education researchers, over the past few decades, from positivism to
constructivism, and within constructivism, from cognitive to social
constructivism. Yet a similar change in elementary science teachers
has not been seen. Elementary science teacher practice tends toward
strategies which are effective at maintaining control of the classroom,
both conceptually and physically, but which are often ineffective at
engaging students in science and do not represent current understanding
of the NOS.While it is recognized that elementary science
teachers’ competence is correlated to discursive competence in the
subject-matter; content knowledge alone is not sufficient to engender
effective teaching. Science specific PCK must be included in the
development of pre-service elementary teachers while also being a
central part of in-service professional development.