Science Education for Elementary Teachers: An Investigation-Based Approach

This book reflects its authors' many years of experience in elementary school teaching, pre-service and in-service education in science, and substantial work in science curriculum development. It is derived from, informed by, and directly linked to both the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. No other methods book integrates standards to this degree. Written with the idea that students "learn science by doing", this well respected author team focus on the constructivist approach and the integrating of science with other elementary academic subjects.

Ann Benbow, in particular, has a national reputation in the science education field. She was, until quite recently, director of science learning and technology projects at the American Chemical Society and has developed numerous science curricula. She and Colin Mably, her co-author (and husband) have been at the heart of the science education standards movement. They recently served as consultants to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for whom they developed a series of workshops to instruct teachers on understanding and interpreting the AAAS's Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The Benchmarks are a milestone in the science education standards movement and include statements of everything children should know and be able to do in science, math and technology at various grade levels.