Designed to meet the increasing emphasis placed upon science as a core element of the school curriculum, this book introduces and explores the issues entailed in the teaching and learning of the subject. The first section of this reader provides an overview of the key issues, discussing the nature of science and its role in the school curriculum. The second section goes on to examine critically the ways in which science is reflected in the school curriculum, while the third section discusses recent curriculum initiatives and developments. Turning the focus from what is taught on to who is...

This book's structure reflects the different dimensions to learning science. The first section focuses on the importance of talk in the science classroom, while the second explores the key role of practical work. The third section is concerned with the creative, theoretical aspect of science. Section four follows this by considering the communication of ideas and how pupils learn to participate in the discourse of the scientific community. Section five emphasizes the place of science in the broader context, considering its moral and ethical dimensions and its place in a cultural context....