Teaching Primary Science
Promoting Enjoyment & Developing Understanding


By Peter Loxley, et al.
April 2010
Pearson Education
Distributed by Trans-Atlantic Publications
ISBN: 9781405873987
365 pages, Illustrated
$67.50 Paper original

Primary Science: Promoting positive attitudes to conceptual learningis a full colour, core textbook to support, inform and inspire anyone training to teach Science at primary level.

This book is a new kind of text linking subject knowledge and pedagogy in one package, rather than treating them as separate entities. The text aims to encourage trainee teachers to teach scientific concepts in contexts which will inspire the children to look at the world in new and intriguing ways, rather than presenting it as a list of facts and definitions. Encouraging critical reflection and offering practical support, this book will help trainee teachers to overcome negative attitudes to Science.

The two part structure of the book first presents insights into the nature of science and science education, exploring issues such as the value and purpose of teaching Science in the primary school and the value of scientific enquiry. It then moves on to cover subject knowledge, relating it to pedagogy.  

Contents

Part 1: Theory Chapters

1.  The pleasure of finding things out

2.  Staging how children learn science

3.  Scientific understanding and mental models

4.  Talk for learning in science

5.  Scientific enquiry  

6.  Planning and assessing children’s science learning

7.  The history and nature of science  

Part 2: Subject knowledge with plans for staging children’s theme-based learning  

Themes

1.  The Earth and beyond

2.  Energy and the well-being of the Planet

3.  Interdependence

4.  Diversity

5.  Adaptation

6.  Nutrition, health and well-being

7.  Particle nature of materials

8.  Changing materials

9.  Electricity and magnetism

10.  Force and motion

11.  Light

12.  Sound


Key features of the text:

Author

Peter Loxley, Linda Nicolls, Babs Dore and Lyn Dawes are all senior lecturers at the University of Northampton and well-respected in their field. In the time I have been working with them, they have demonstrated a passion for their subject, an understanding of the needs of their students and an ability to present knowledge in an engaging and inspiring way.



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