Boats, Balloons, and Classroom Video: Science Teaching as Inquiry

A professional development approach to science education that views science teaching as inquiry

Written for teachers and staff developers, this companion volume to the Sense Making in Science video series describes a professional development approach to science education that views science teaching as inquiry. It details the kinds of inquiry experiences in science and pedagogy that engaged a group of teachers, educational researchers, staff developers, and scientists over a period of four years as they explored students’ learning in science, their own learning, and their science teaching. Each chapter presents a different aspect of the approach, some from the staff developers’ point of view, others from the teachers’ point of view. The interacting roles that learning science, conducting teaching experiments, and inquiring into students’ learning play in teacher professional development are emphasized.