Start With A Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science Edited by: Clyde Freeman Herreid NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Introduce your students to the magic of stories—delivered through educational case studies that will help you put science into vivid context. Start With A Story offers an abundance of strategies, tips, examples, ideas, and resources to free your...  [view full summary] Introduce your students to the magic of stories—delivered through educational case studies that will help you put science into vivid context. Start With A Story offers an abundance of strategies, tips, examples, ideas, and resources to free your students (and you) from dry lecture formats. Start With A Story is a collection of more than 40 essays published primarily as columns in NSTA’s member publication, Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection examines every aspect of the case study method. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $28.76 Nonmember Price: $35.95 Grade Level: College

Handbook of College Science Teaching Edited by: Joel J. Mintzes and William H. Leonard NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Are you still using 20th century techniques to teach science to 21st century students? Update your practices as you learn about current theory and research with the authoritative new Handbook of College Science Teaching....  [view full summary] Are you still using 20th century techniques to teach science to 21st century students? Update your practices as you learn about current theory and research with the authoritative new Handbook of College Science Teaching. The Handbook offers models of teaching and learning that go beyond the typical lecture-laboratory format and provides rationales for new practices in the college classroom. The 38 chapters—each written by experienced, award-winning science faculty—are organized into eight sections: • Attitudes and motivations (including research on science anxiety) • Active learning • Factors affecting learning • Innovative teaching approaches (such as the use of primary literature, fieldwork, and inquiry labs) • Use of technology for both teaching and student research • Special challenges, such as teaching effectively to culturally diverse or learning disabled students • Pre-college science instruction • Improving instruction No other book fills the Handbook’s unique niche as a definitive guide for science professors in all content areas. It even includes special help for those who teach non-science majors at the freshman and sophomore levels. The Handbook is ideal for graduate teaching assistants in need of a solid introduction, senior faculty and graduate coordinators in charge of training new faculty and grad students, and mid-career professors in search of reinvigoration. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $39.96 Nonmember Price: $49.95 Grade Level: College

Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings: Standards-Based Success Stories Edited by: Robert E. Yager and John H. Falk NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Just as science education doesn’t stop at the schoolhouse door, neither should effective application of the National Science Education Standards. Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings shows real-world examples of how science education...  [view full summary] Just as science education doesn’t stop at the schoolhouse door, neither should effective application of the National Science Education Standards. Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings shows real-world examples of how science education reform has taken hold in museums, science centers, zoos, and aquariums as well as on television, radio, and the internet. This essay collection—the fifth volume in the Exemplary Science Monograph Series—features 17 informal education programs that were judged to be most successful at increasing participants’ learning. The programs demonstrate how the Standards can be used to inform and improve science education in a wide range of settings and with learners ranging from pre-schoolers to older adults. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $13.46 Nonmember Price: $14.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, Informal Education

College Pathways to the Science Education Standards Edited by: Eleanor D. Siebert and William J. McIntosh NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: This one-of-a-kind book applies the Standards, written for K-12 classes, to the college level. Designed for postsecondary science content teachers, science educators, and administrators, this book shows how to implement all six areas of the Standards...  [view full summary] This one-of-a-kind book applies the Standards, written for K-12 classes, to the college level. Designed for postsecondary science content teachers, science educators, and administrators, this book shows how to implement all six areas of the Standards on campus--teaching, professional development, assessment, science content, science education programs, and science education systems. To bring the topic to life, 40 "From the Field' vignettes give concrete examples of how higher education faculty and administrators have already used the Standards to make classrooms more student-centered and inquiry-based. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $13.46 Nonmember Price: $14.95 Grade Level: College

Learning Science and the Science of Learning: Science Educators' Essay Collection Edited by: Rodger W. Bybee NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Sure, you teach science. But do your students really learn it? Students of all ages will absorb more if you adapt the way you teach to the way they learn. That's the message of this thoughtful collection of 12 essays by noted science teachers. Based on...  [view full summary] Sure, you teach science. But do your students really learn it? Students of all ages will absorb more if you adapt the way you teach to the way they learn. That's the message of this thoughtful collection of 12 essays by noted science teachers. Based on the latest research, this is definitely a scholarly book. But to bring theories to life, it includes realistic scenarios featuring classrooms where students are encouraged to "construct" their own science learning. These scenarios will give you specific ideas on how to help your students become more reflective about their learning process, including what they know, what their stumbling blocks are, and how to overcome them. You'll also examine how to use formative assessment to gauge student learning during the course of a lesson, not just at the end. Learning Science offers inspiration to all the weary teachers who've ever wondered, "Why don't these kids seem to get what I'm trying to say?" [hide full abstract] Member Price: $22.36 Nonmember Price: $27.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College

The Lingo of Learning: 88 Education Terms Every Science Teacher Should Know By: Alan Colburn NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: What does “constructivism” mean? What is the difference between “reliability” and “validity?” You’ll be surprised at the ease of finding definitive answers to terminology questions like these with The Lingo of Learning. Ideal for the time-pressed...  [view full summary] What does “constructivism” mean? What is the difference between “reliability” and “validity?” You’ll be surprised at the ease of finding definitive answers to terminology questions like these with The Lingo of Learning. Ideal for the time-pressed science teacher who is ready to learn once and for all what key terms really mean. Each of the 88 entries—from “anticipatory set” to “zone of proximal growth”—is a concise discussion (300 to 500 words) of education terms and ideas, most within the context of science teaching. The book’s chapters cover teaching techniques, learning theories, research concepts, and even the nature of science. Although this is a useful reference for a quick definition, you’ll be drawn into reading entire chapters—and come away with a deeper understanding. The author’s special gift: a friendly writing style, a balanced approach, and a willingness to tackle common misconceptions. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $18.36 Nonmember Price: $22.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College

PISA Science 2006: Implications for Science Teachers and Teaching Edited by: Rodger W. Bybee and Barry McCrae NSTA Press Book What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That’s a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International...  [view full summary] What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That’s a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helps answer. Beginning in 2000 and every three years since, PISA has assessed the reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy of 15-year-olds in some 65 countries. In 2006 the assessment concentrated on science, and researchers evaluated students’ knowledge and skills by measuring the depth of scientific literacy attained rather than the elements of curricula mastered. PISA Science 2006 provides a thorough examination of the assessment—including chapters on creating a framework for scientific literacy, test design and development, and frequently answered criticisms—plus more than a dozen essays on important themes for science teachers and the study’s implications for teaching science in the future. Comprehensive, thought-provoking, and indispensable, this book provides educators with a top-down view of where we stand today in science education and what this means for students and educators. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.16 Nonmember Price: $23.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College

Professional Learning Communities for Science Teaching: Lessons From Research and Practice Edited by: Susan Mundry , Katherine E. Stiles, and Foreword by Page Keeley NSTA Press Book What would it take to move your school or district closer toward a culture that supports and sustains professional learning communities (PLCs)? This thought-provoking collection of stories detailing seven successful approaches to developing...  [view full summary] What would it take to move your school or district closer toward a culture that supports and sustains professional learning communities (PLCs)? This thought-provoking collection of stories detailing seven successful approaches to developing PLCs will inspire you to find answers to this question and others. From one school taking the initiative to create its own collaborative environment to a network of 500 universities and schools, the accounts explain the advantages of PLCs for teachers and their students. The volume editors begin with the argument that in a PLC environment, teachers receive continuous professional development, therefore improving their teaching skills to the benefit of student learning. Later chapters recount the origins of schools as professional learning communities, define the characteristics of professional learning communities, and review research on the subject. Teachers and school administrators will particularly appreciate the reflection questions at the end of each chapter that encourage you to relate your learning to the chapter’s specific story. An appendix provides even more resources about developing PLCs. Professional learning communities have value in more than just school contexts, as supported by a growing body of research. In sharing the experiences of educators who have embraced the principles of PLCs and integrated them into schools and district, regional, and state initiatives, the editors hope to inspire new contributions to the transformation of science education. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $18.36 Nonmember Price: $22.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College

40 Inquiry Exercises for the College Biology Lab By: A. Daniel Johnson NSTA Press Book Drawing from the author’s own work as a lab developer, coordinator, and instructor, this one-of-a-kind text for college biology teachers uses the inquiry method in presenting 40 different lab exercises that make complicated biology subjects accessible...  [view full summary] Drawing from the author’s own work as a lab developer, coordinator, and instructor, this one-of-a-kind text for college biology teachers uses the inquiry method in presenting 40 different lab exercises that make complicated biology subjects accessible to major and nonmajors alike. The volume offers a review of various aspects of inquiry, including teaching techniques, and covers 16 biology topics, including DNA isolation and analysis, properties of enzymes, and metabolism and oxygen consumption. Student and teacher pages are provided for each of the 16 topics. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $27.96 Nonmember Price: $34.95 Grade Level: College

Forestry Field Studies: A Manual for Science Teachers By: David D. Glenn and Donald D. Dickmann NSTA Press Book Why forestry field studies? As experienced teachers of scientific ecology and forestry concepts, we believe that a forest or woodlot can provide teachers and their students with the perfect laboratory for understanding some of the basic principles of...  [view full summary] Why forestry field studies? As experienced teachers of scientific ecology and forestry concepts, we believe that a forest or woodlot can provide teachers and their students with the perfect laboratory for understanding some of the basic principles of environmental science and community ecology. These studies were designed and used for many years as a unit in an advanced placement environmental science course. They also could be used as a lab in a biology, botany, forestry, or ecology class at the high school or beginning college level. They place students in a natural environment collecting real data to better understand a real place, something sorely lacking in most high school or beginning college curricula. This manual is organized to systematically take a teacher through a comprehensive set of field exercises, from preparation to written report. We begin by discussing some basic ecology and forestry principles in Chapters 1 and 2. These discussions are meant to be a “refresher course” and do not cover these subjects in a textbook, encyclopedic fashion—for that see the chapter bibliographies and readings listed in Appendix E. In Chapter 3 we cover some necessary pre-fieldwork preparation. Chapters 4 through 7 describe the actual fieldwork and are essentially units of an all-day session in the woods. If time, budget, or logistics do not permit an all-day field trip, however, one or more units can be chosen to fit a particular situation—we do not intend these exercises to be all or nothing! We conclude with a discussion of the post field trip data analysis, report writing, and wrap-up. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: High School, College