“Things are certainly popping in the field of science education. That’s why a comprehensive book like this is a must-read for everyone interested in the development of a coherent science curriculum.” —James Trefil, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics, George Mason University, author of Why Science?

“Everyone involved with improving science education should read this book and heed its message. It is especially important for those involved in developing instructional materials, those charged with selecting materials to use in schools, and those who prepare teachers.” —George D. Nelson, Director, Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, Western Washington University

“This volume is a harbinger for a new approach to improving science education. It is based on the best of a quarter century of curriculum development, improved by designs that are informed by current research, and powered by modern technology.” —From the Foreword by Robert Tinker, President, The Concord Consortium

This edited collection synthesizes current research on the most promising methods and models for designing coherent science instruction. Arising from the National Science Foundation-funded Delineating and Evaluating Coherent Instructional Designs for Education (DECIDE) project, this volume combines the insights of researchers from two Centers for Teaching and Learning. The book offers principles and criteria for design of instruction leading to coherent understanding of science. It discusses how courses can help students interpret contemporary scientific dilemmas like global warming and take full advantage of technology. Too often in today’s science classes, students learn isolated facts rather than connections among ideas and are unprepared to apply scientific thinking and principles outside of checking off answers on standardized tests. Designing Coherent Science Education demonstrates how effective instruction prepares learners to connect scientific principles to the schoolyard and beyond.

Designing Coherent Science Education offers policy recommendations to transform science courses so that they meet the needs of all students and lure more students into scientific careers. The collection further addresses how to use technology in the classrooms to design coherent science instruction.

Contributors include Roy Pea, Allan Collins, Joseph Krajcik, Jim Slotta, Elizabeth Davis, Jane Bowyer, and George DeBoer.

Yael Kali, Marcia C. Linn, Jo Ellen Roseman Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2008 – Education – 250 pages