The Art of Teaching Science: Inquiry and Innovation in Middle School and High School

The Art of Teaching Science focuses on the preparation of science teachers as professional artists. This text emphasizes a humanistic, experiential, and constructivist approach to teaching and learning, integrating a wide variety of pedagogical learning tools. These tools involve inquiry, experimentation, reflection, writing, discussion, and interaction. Becoming a science teacher is a creative process, and this innovative textbook encourages students to construct ideas about science teaching through their interactions with peers, professionals, and instructors, and through hands-on, minds-on activities designed to foster a collaborative, thoughtful learning environment.

The Art of Teaching Science is a science-teaching handbook designed for the professional development of middle- and high-school science teachers. The experiential tools in the book make it useful for both pre- and in-service teacher education environments, easily adapted to any classroom setting. Profound changes in our understanding of the goals of science teaching-as evidenced by the emphasis on inquiry-based activities advocated by the National Science Education Standards-underscore the need to equip a new cadre of educators with the proper tools to encourage innovation and science literacy in the classroom. Providing meaningful learning experiences and connections with the most recent research and understanding of science teaching, The Art of Teaching Science sets the standard for the future of science education.

Jack Hassard is Professor Emeritus of Science Education at Georgia State University. He is the author of many books on science education, and a leader in the development of constructivist-based teacher education programs and professional development seminars for teachers of science.