Description
Book SynopsisFor several decades educators have struggled to identify the attributes all sciences have in common. In the popular mind this effort constitutes the importance of teaching the scientific method. In the policy maker's world this pursuit yields standards for all Americans that unify the sciences. For teachers, the quest for unity has typically meant teaching science as process. However, a curriculum that prioritizes what all sciences have in common obscures their vital differences. For example, studying landslides is very different from doing x-ray diffraction; climate science is unlike medical research. Naïve ideas about scientific unity impoverish the public's ability to evaluate scientific enterprises. Challenging Science Standards voices skepticism towards the quest for unity. Through analyses of disciplinary knowledge, school curricula, and classroom learning, the book uncovers flaws in the unifying dimensions of the science standards. It proposes respect for disciplinary diversity
Trade ReviewFascinating, as used by Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame to indicate unexpected encounters, is an appropriate word to describe Ault’s book. Many of us who think we have a strong background in the development of science standards will quickly learn to see conventional ideas in a new light. Charles R. Ault, Jr. has provided a courageous examination of science standards in the twenty-first Century. * Science & Education *
Table of ContentsContents Foreword by John L. Rudolph Introduction: Halting the Quest Part I: The Nature of the Problem Chapter 1: Unity v. Diversity Chapter 2: The Scientific Method from Cradle to Grave Chapter 3: Old Wine in New Bottles Chapter 4: The “Alphabets” from NSF Chapter 5: Abstract Liabilities Chapter 6: Cataclysms Outside the Classroom Chapter 7: The Downward Spiral Part II: Diversity’s Starting Points Chapter 8: The Second Style Chapter 9: Geological Reasoning Chapter 10: Metaphor and Analogy Part III: Prospective Solutions Chapter 11: The Twin Pillars of Thinking and Doing Chapter 12: The Promising Idea of Core Progressions Chapter 13:The Elbow and Ankle Tour of the Zoo Chapter 14: Cracks in Unity’s Armor Chapter 15: The Promise of Place Conclusion: A New Coherence
