Learning Science Teaching: Developing a Professional Knowledge Base

"Bishop and Denley in Learning Science Teaching have focused as much on good pedagogy as on the peculiarities of science teaching. It is for this reason that their book will be of value not only to trainees in education, but also to a range of professionals working in schools, Higher Education and, in particular, to those responsible for planning and delivering CPD. It is far more than a test for trainee teachers."
Science Teacher Education

"Any science teacher looking for ways to improve their teaching will find this book helpful...there is perceptive discussion of almost everything that can happen in a science classroom, and related work outside it."
Physics Education

• What do you need to know to be a successful science teacher?
• How do you develop or acquire that knowledge?

If you are just embarking on your learning journey as a science teacher, or are involved in supporting beginning and early career teachers on their way, then this book is written for you.

The authors show how the route to success involves the development of a personal, yet distinctive and complex set of inter-related professional knowledge bases. Throughout the book, the classroom practice of a group of highly accomplished science teachers is analysed to reveal the knowledge bases that they have acquired, which the reader can then reflect upon. In addition, students provide penetrating insights into the kinds of science teaching that engages them.

The book argues that highly accomplished science teachers are also continually learning science teachers. It stresses the importance of learning through others, by participation in communities of science practitioners, as well as individual learning through classroom research. Whether you are a beginning teacher or a more experienced teacher looking to support beginning and early career teachers, this book offers a rich source of experiences, ideas and insights to support you on your journey to becoming a successful science teacher.

Keith Bishop and Paul Denley lecture in the Department of Education at the University of Bath, UK.