Going Back for Our Future II: Carrying Forward the Spirit of Pioneers of Science Education

"Who were the pioneers in science education, and what motivated them to do what they did?" This book is the second volume of an attempt to capture and record some of the answers to these questions―either from the pioneers themselves or from those persons who worked most closely with them. As with the first volume, we have attempted to include as many pioneers as possible, but we know that there are still many that are not included in this or the previous volume. As we have posed questions, rummaged through files and oft-neglected books, and probed the memories of many individuals, we have come to realize our list of true pioneers is ever growing.

As we consider our list of pioneers, we know that there are names on the list that most of us readily recognize. We also fully realize that there are names of whom few of us have heard―yet who were significant in their roles as mentors or idea development and teaching. We continue to be impressed with our science education “family tree” ever branching out to more individuals and connections. The stories in this volume continue to demonstrate how vital this network was in supporting the individual pioneers during their journey in difficult times and continues to be for those of us today in our own enterprise.

Jon Pedersen, University of Nebraska-LincolnKevin D. Finson, Bradley UniversityBarbara S. Spector, University of South FloridaPaul Jablon, Lesley University