The Current Status of Science Education in the Elementary Schools

The development of a science course for elementary teachers: A cyclic process

“…He further states that some of the benefits to be derived from such a course are: An orderly concept of the biological and physical world, an understanding of important principles and generalizations, an appreciation for, and an interest in, the field of science, an understanding of the methods and tools of inquiry used by scientists, and the opportunity for teachers to practice the use of scientific methods as they solve problems of real concern to themselves. son [6] feels that the I t oad survey type Another view [9] is that a special course need not be designed specifically for elementary education majors. It is felt that those courses most appropriate for liberal arts majors and other non-scientists may meet the scientific needs of prospective elementary-school teachers.…”

“…Blough [ 1 3 states that pre-service training of even recent years has fallen far short of being adequate and that colleges and universities should make changes to improve this phase of training for future teachers. Mallinson [6] is of the opinion that courses designed for science majors, introductory courses in the sciences, and general education courses in science are inadequate to meet present needs. In another study it was found that in many cases elementary-school teachers have had no more than eight hours of science, all in biology [4].…”