ASE guide to secondary science education (Fourth edition)

This updated edition has been written for all those involved in secondary school science education.

It aims to be a handbook to support science teachers and those working with them in and out of school, both at the start of their teaching career and in years to come.

All the authors are writing from a UK perspective, with examples often being drawn from classrooms in England.

However, the good practice Described here is valid and applicable to the majority of contexts across the UK, and indeed the world, and therefore should be useful to science educators from a broad set of backgrounds. This book covers a wide range of topics, from considering why and how we might teach science, to engaging and motivating the diverse student community with whom we work, to how to mentor new colleagues.

Some of the chapters offer an engaging overview of important theoretical ideas, which form a key part of our professional knowledge as teachers.

Other chapters are more focused on developing strategies to use in the classroom.

All the chapters offer opportunities for teachers at various stages in their careers to question and reflect on their practice in order to continue their professional learning, including suggested further reading as and when the reader might want to pursue ideas in greater depth.

Divided into five sections: Foundations of science education; Students: all learning science; Science teachers: synthesising learning; Assessing science; and Science teaching as a profession.