NSTA Press

Even more brain-powered science; teaching and learning with discrepant events.

Drawing on some 33 years as a science educator, O'Brien (science-teacher education, State U. of New York) offers preservice and inservice teachers the third in a three-volume Brain-Powered Science: Teaching and Learning with Discrepant Events (NSTA Press) series of professional development texts. Designed to help grade 5-12 science teachers stimulate and motivate their students while also expanding their own scientific understanding, the text contains some 80 learning activities grouped into three sections: interactive teaching and experiential, participatory learning; reading, student construction of meaning, and inquiry-oriented science instruction; and integrated instructional mini units for 5E teaching cycles — engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate — that integrate curriculum-instruction-assessment. Each chapter includes an expected outcome, an explanation of the science and science education concepts addressed, materials list, procedure, teaching debriefing suggestions, and list of related websites. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

More brain-powered science; teaching and learning with discrepant events.

Drawing on some 33 years as a science educator, O'Brien (science-teacher education, State U. of New York) offers preservice and inservice teachers the second in a three-volume Brain-Powered Science: Teaching and Learning with Discrepant Events (NSTA Press) series of professional development texts. Its 22 learning activities — and some 80 related "extension" activities — will help grade 5-12 science teachers stimulate and motivate their students while also expanding their own scientific understanding. The activities are grouped into five sections closely paralleling the NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation: interactive teaching and experiential, participatory learning; the nature of science and scientific inquiry; science for all Americans curriculum standards, science-technology-society and real-world science instruction; and assessment to inform learning and transform teaching. Each chapter contains an introduction, an explanation of the science and science education concepts addressed, a materials list, teaching debriefing tools, safety notes, and additional Internet resources. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)