Sometimes things simply don't happen the way you plan them.
I had started to
write a book about secondary science teaching very early in my career.I put the idea away, and moved on to
other projects.In retrospect,
these other projects provided the experiences needed to design The Art of
Teaching Science.
The North Georgia Mountains, where I designed field trips for teachers to study geology and learn about science education.
More than twenty years later, after having had opportunities to write middle and high science books at Florida State University for the NSF supported curricula, ISCS (Intermediate Science Curriculum Study) and ISIS (Individualized Science Instructional System), and writing projects in the 1970s and 1980s with Joe Abruscato at the University of Vermont, an opportunity arose to write a secondary science education book. The development of this book, which you about to read did not occur along a logical or direct pathway. The journey took me into the realms of humanistic psychology, alternative science teacher preparation, Russia, national seminars on science teaching for the Bureau of Education and Research, and professional relationships with amazing editors at several publishing houses. I've put together a website that describe my pathway, and you will find links here to my experiences with:
- Humanistic Psychology
- Alternative Teacher Certification
- The Bureau of Educational Research
- Cooperative Learning
- Minds on Science
- TEEMS Teacher Education Program
- The Art of Teaching Science, 1st Edition
- The Art of Teaching Science, 2nd Edition
This is how it happened.