Teaching Science in Diverse Classrooms: Real Science for Real Students

by Douglas B. Larkin

Overview

As a distinctive voice in science education writing, Douglas B. Larkin provides a fresh perspective for science teachers working to make real science accessible to all K-12 students. Through compelling anecdotes and vignettes, this book draws on research to present a vision of successful and inspiring science teaching that builds upon the prior knowledge, experiences, and interests of students. With empathy for the challenges faced by contemporary science teachers, Teaching Science in Diverse Classrooms encourages teachers to embrace the intellectual task of engaging their students in learning science and offers an abundance of examples of what high-quality science teaching for all students can look like. This updated and expanded second edition includes more attention to teaching and learning science in a world changed by the pandemic and reaffirms the importance of attending to equity and justice in science classrooms.

Divided into four sections, this book centers around the idea that the decisions made by good science teachers help light the way for their students along both familiar and unfamiliar pathways to understanding. The book addresses topics and issues that occur in the daily lives and career arcs of science teachers, such as:

• Aiming for culturally relevant science teaching
• Eliciting and working with students’ ideas
• Reshaping school science with scientific practices
• Viewing science teachers as science learners
• Teaching science in turbulent times

Grounded in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), this is a perfect resource for both pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher educators that addresses the intellectual challenges of teaching science in contemporary classrooms and models how to enact effective, reform-based science teaching practices for all students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032777849
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/30/2025
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Douglas B. Larkin is Professor of Teaching and Learning at Montclair State University, USA. He has worked as a high school science teacher and educator in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea. His research examines science teacher preparation and retention, as well as issues of equity and justice in teacher education.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Student Ideas Are the Raw Material of Our Work  1. Aiming for Culturally Relevant Science Teaching  2. Eliciting Students’ Ideas  3. Every Misconception a Shiny Pebble  4. Responding to Student Questions Without Giving Answers  Part 2: Real Science, Real Students  5. HeLa Cells, High-speed Chases, and Other Essential Questions  6. Reconsidering Labs and Demonstrations for Model-Based Inquiry  7. What if the Stork Carried 20-sided Dice?  8. Eyes Like a Scientist  9. In Praise of Field Trips and Guest Speakers  10. “Before Today I was Afraid of Trees”  Part 3: Science Teacher Learning  11. Observing Candles and Classrooms  12. Mentoring New Science Teachers  13. The Black Belt Science Teacher  14. Teaching at the Boundaries of Our Knowledge  15. Playing School vs. Doing Science  Part 4: Teaching Science in an Ever-Changing World  16. Notes from a Classroom Visit   17. The Toughest Year So Far  18. Can’t We Just Teach the Science?  Afterword: Good Reasons for Becoming a Science Teacher

 

Editorial Reviews

"As a teacher educator, Larkin’s book has become a regular part of my preparation for science methods. His clear articulation of ambitious, critical, and culturally relevant science teaching helps me facilitate meaningful connections between theory and practice for my teacher candidates as they learn how to enact this vision in real classrooms. The authentic examples and accessible language help my teacher candidates think more expansively about the possibilities of phenomenon-anchored science instruction."

Heather Johnson, Professor of the Practice of Science Education, Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, USA.

"Vibrant passages throughout this book put the reader 'in the room' with those learning to do the work of compassionate, effective, and equitable science teaching. Each chapter reveals new insights about how one learns to teach in diverse settings and how those who prepare these educators help them recognize the brilliance and humanity of the children they work with. As portrayed by one of science education’s most honest and deeply knowledgeable scholars, these narratives are informed by a career of research and first-person experiences in our public schools." 

Mark Windschitl, Professor of Science Education, University of Washington, USA.

From the Publisher