NSTA - National Science Teachers Association

The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities Rodger W. Bybee NSTA Press Book If you’re an education leader concerned with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives, this book will help you both understand and implement STEM action plans. The book starts by putting STEM in context, as the early chapters...  [view full summary] If you’re an education leader concerned with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives, this book will help you both understand and implement STEM action plans. The book starts by putting STEM in context, as the early chapters outline the challenges facing STEM education, draw lessons from the Sputnik moment of the 1950s and 1960s, and contrast contemporary STEM with other education reforms. The author then explores appropriate roles for the federal government as well as states, districts, and individual schools. Finally, the book offers several ideas you can use to develop actual action plans for STEM. Throughout the book, author Rodger W. Bybee puts an emphasis on both thinking and acting. That’s why The Case for STEM Education is a must-read for leaders at all levels: national and state policy makers, state-level educators responsible for STEM initiatives, college and university faculty who educate future STEM teachers, local administrators who make decisions about district and school programs, and teachers who represent STEM disciplines. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $22.36 Nonmember Price: $27.95 Grade Level: College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School

Exemplary Science for Building Interest in STEM Careers Robert E. Yager NSTA Press Book National standards encourage science teachers to help “increase student economic productivity through the use of the knowledge, understandings, and skills of the scientifically literate person in their careers.” Exemplary Science for Building Interest...  [view full summary] National standards encourage science teachers to help “increase student economic productivity through the use of the knowledge, understandings, and skills of the scientifically literate person in their careers.” Exemplary Science for Building Interest in STEM Careers provides the examples and inspiration to accelerate the trend toward steering students to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. This book explores 16 examples of ideas and experiences representing a large number of career areas; they include scientists, engineers, inventors, and education reformers. Many of the authors have enlisted the help of community members and business and industry representatives, emphasizing the more current view of what science is and the importance of collaborative learning. Science is the act of humans trying to make sense of objects and events found in the natural world. It is exciting to engage students in resolving problems and issues using their own ideas. If science is personally experienced, it will attract many more to STEM careers! When teachers change their teaching, student interest increases—and more students aspire to science-related careers as well. Changes in teaching must occur and typical courses must change to focus more on student efforts with projects, activities, and problem-solving. This is the best plan for getting more students interested in pursuing STEM careers after high school. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $23.96 Nonmember Price: $29.95 Grade Level: College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School

Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development, Revised 2nd Edition Susan B. Koba and Brenda Wojnowski with Robert E. Yager NSTA Press Book “This book will help the reader to design and evaluate varying professional development options, thereby making better and more efficient use of limited professional development dollars.” —The editors of Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional...  [view full summary] “This book will help the reader to design and evaluate varying professional development options, thereby making better and more efficient use of limited professional development dollars.” —The editors of Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development If you want to make the most of your precious professional development budget—and who doesn’t?—look for inspiration in this updated edition from the Exemplary Science series. This essay collection is designed to spark new ideas while encouraging high-quality learning opportunities for teachers at all grade levels. The book features: • An overview of current research on quality professional development and how it aligns with the National Science Education Standards. • Fourteen professional development programs that provide real-life models of how to train current or future teachers to carry out the constructivist, inquiry-based approach recommended by the Standards. End-of-chapter questions help you relate the material to your own situation. • A reader’s guide that includes suggestions for using the book in professional learning communities and other collaborative settings. Some of the collection’s authors contributed to the first edition and have updated their chapters to share additional data and communicate what they’ve learned that might support your work. Additional chapters describe programs and approaches new to this edition. Whether you’re a teacher, staff development provider, administrator, or preservice science methods instructor, you’ll find this collection to be a fresh and highly useful professional learning tool. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $23.96 Nonmember Price: $29.95 Grade Level: College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School

Science Stories: Using Case Studies to Teach Critical Thinking Clyde Freeman Herreid, Nancy A. Schiller, and Ky F. Herreid NSTA Press Book Stories give life and substance to scientific methods and provide an inside look at scientists in action. Case studies deepen scientific understanding, sharpen critical-thinking skills, and help students see how science relates to their lives. In Science...  [view full summary] Stories give life and substance to scientific methods and provide an inside look at scientists in action. Case studies deepen scientific understanding, sharpen critical-thinking skills, and help students see how science relates to their lives. In Science Stories, Clyde Freeman Herreid, Nancy Schiller, and Ky Herreid have organized case studies into categories such as historical cases, science and the media, and ethics and the scientific process. Each case study comprises a story, classroom discussion questions, teaching notes and background information, objectives, and common misconceptions about the topic, as well as helpful references. College-level educators and high school teachers will find that this compilation of case studies will allow students to make connections between the classroom and everyday life. Science Stories is sure to make science engaging and enlightening for both students and teachers. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $27.96 Nonmember Price: $34.95 Grade Level: College

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations Juanita Constible, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee, Jr. NSTA Press Book Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations offers timely, relevant, biology-based case studies and background information on how to teach the science of climate change. The six painstakingly researched and field-tested activities,...  [view full summary] Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations offers timely, relevant, biology-based case studies and background information on how to teach the science of climate change. The six painstakingly researched and field-tested activities, which build on four content chapters, give students the opportunity to solve real-life scientific problems using guiding questions, graphs and data tables, short reading assignments, and independent research. This volume provides an authentic and rigorous way to engage students in science and environmental issues—scientific methods, evidence, climate, and biological effects of climate change—and is a unique and essential resource for your high school or college-level classroom. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $15.96 Nonmember Price: $19.95 Grade Level: College, High School

Science Education Leadership: Best Practices for the New Century NSTA Press Book Achieving science literacy for every student is the common goal of all science educators. It requires leaders from a broad spectrum of the science education field to band together and clearly define how to achieve this goal and provide the tools for getting...  [view full summary] Achieving science literacy for every student is the common goal of all science educators. It requires leaders from a broad spectrum of the science education field to band together and clearly define how to achieve this goal and provide the tools for getting there. The authors of the essays in Science Education Leadership: Best Practices for the New Century make a compelling case for the importance of these leaders to forge a coalition and address issues of science education. They outline practical approaches needed for laying the foundation on which science education leaders at all levels can work together to develop a more science literate world. As such, this book will be invaluable to those who want to broaden the scope of their leadership roles. The book shares the research, ideas, insights, and experiences of individuals representing a wide array of constituent groups, ranging from science teachers to science supervisors to university personnel to those who work for agencies representing the science education field. The chapters are organized around five themes: • The Science Education Challenge: Redefining Science Education Leadership for the 21st Century • School and District Science Leadership for Building Instructional Capacity • Science Education Leadership: Rationale, Strategy, and Impact • School Improvement Processes and Practices: Professional Learning Communities • Leadership that Engages the Public Understanding of Science Science Education Leadership captures the best thinking and best practices for science education leaders. Science educators can use it to vitalize their work. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $30.36 Nonmember Price: $37.95 Grade Level: College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School

Innovative Techniques for Large-Group Instruction NSTA Press Book Size does matter. When you're faced with a class of 50, 150, or even 250 college students, it's tough to head off boredom - much less promote higher-order thinking and inquiry skills. But it's not impossible, thanks to the professor-tested techniques...  [view full summary] Size does matter. When you're faced with a class of 50, 150, or even 250 college students, it's tough to head off boredom - much less promote higher-order thinking and inquiry skills. But it's not impossible, thanks to the professor-tested techniques in this collection of 14 articles from the Journal of College Science Teaching. The book starts by examining what research shows about the effectiveness of popular teaching styles. (Surprise: Lectures don't stimulate active learning.) From there, the authors offer proven alternatives that range from small-scale innovations to completely revamped teaching methods. Suggested strategies include using quizzes in place of midterms and finals, student forums, interactive lectures, collaborative groups, group facilitators, and e-mail and computer technology. The contributors write in first person, making the book as readable as it is practical. One of the most thought-provoking chapters is called, "Are We Cultivating Couch Potatoes in Our College Science Lectures?" With this book's help, you can answer that question with a definitive no. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $8.76 Nonmember Price: $10.95 Grade Level: College

Teaching Tips: Innovations in Undergraduate Science Instruction NSTA Press Book Like a spirited idea exchange among experienced professors, Teaching Tips: Innovations in Undergraduate Science Instruction brings you the best thinking from campuses nationwide about how to engage undergraduate science students. Published to...  [view full summary] Like a spirited idea exchange among experienced professors, Teaching Tips: Innovations in Undergraduate Science Instruction brings you the best thinking from campuses nationwide about how to engage undergraduate science students. Published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Society for College Science Teachers (SCST), Tips is a quick-read compilation of more than 50 innovative approaches that SCST members have found especially effective. The book is organized into three parts: • Pedagogical Practices includes using instant messaging as an involvement tool, encouraging active learning in large classes, and using “peer coercion” to stimulate teamwork • Assessment Activities covers pretests and post-tests to encourage more effective learning, Web-based warm-up exercises to assess student misconceptions, and poetry-writing exercises to encourage creative thinking in the sciences • Content Challenges offers approaches to teaching specific topics from calculations and conversions to conceptual physics, and ways to encourage active learning (using a portfolio approach, games like bingo and Jeopardy, substances like Jell-O, and even student-drawn comic strips) Most of the ideas in the book are applicable across the sciences. Because the tips are only 500 to 700 words each, all contributors have provided contact information so you can learn more by e-mailing them directly. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $11.96 Nonmember Price: $14.95 Grade Level: College, Informal Education

Teaching Science in the Two-Year College: An NSTA Press Journals Collection NSTA Press Book Two-year colleges are critical to science education’s future—in fact, some data indicate that half of future science teachers will take their first years of science at a two-year school. To address the unique challenges of this special setting, Teaching...  [view full summary] Two-year colleges are critical to science education’s future—in fact, some data indicate that half of future science teachers will take their first years of science at a two-year school. To address the unique challenges of this special setting, Teaching Science in the Two-Year College presents 24 articles featuring the most useful and relevant insights and advice from NSTA’s Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection is divided into four sections, all written from the two-year college perspective: •An Overview of the Uniqueness of Teaching Science in a Two-Year College examines the isolation faculty members experience, the science anxiety many students feel, the special issues of part-time faculty, staffing crises, and the value of forming a partnership with the counseling department. •Curricular Issues includes the importance of the National Science Education Standards; fresh approaches to designing courses for nonscience majors; key methodological and content-oriented ingredients; teaching strategies for adult learners; and case studies about a community-oriented science-learning activity and an integrated science course for nonscience majors. •Teaching Strategies covers the hazards of lecture courses, the challenges and rewards of student-centered instruction, and case studies for teaching everything from biology to the value of science. •Using Information and Communication Technologies looks at computerized quizzes in the classroom and developing, adapting, and evaluating distance learning for science students. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $3.96 Nonmember Price: $4.95 Grade Level: College

PISA Science 2006: Implications for Science Teachers and Teaching NSTA Press Book What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That’s a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International...  [view full summary] What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That’s a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helps answer. Beginning in 2000 and every three years since, PISA has assessed the reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy of 15-year-olds in some 65 countries. In 2006 the assessment concentrated on science, and researchers evaluated students’ knowledge and skills by measuring the depth of scientific literacy attained rather than the elements of curricula mastered. PISA Science 2006 provides a thorough examination of the assessment—including chapters on creating a framework for scientific literacy, test design and development, and frequently answered criticisms—plus more than a dozen essays on important themes for science teachers and the study’s implications for teaching science in the future. Comprehensive, thought-provoking, and indispensable, this book provides educators with a top-down view of where we stand today in science education and what this means for students and educators. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $11.96 Nonmember Price: $14.95 Grade Level: College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School