Great Ideas in Science Education: Case Studies of Noted Living Science Educators

Publisher Marketing: Over the past four decades Science Education has emerged as a distinct field of research. This remarkable achievement is due to contributions by hundreds of science education researchers around the world. Today, we are in a position to apply a knowledge base that we can claim to be our own to inform science teaching and learning. This book is a collection of case studies of select living science educators who have made significant contributions to the field of science education. It is a celebration of the science education field through the achievements of these individuals. This book presents major ideas of a few individuals who have been making great impact to the field of science education, through tracing their fruitful research careers and their contributions in science education. The case studies help readers develop an appreciation of how science education as a field has evolved, and of some great ideas the field has produced. These cases provide snapshots of the current science education knowledge base, and demonstrate the potential of this knowledge base for improving science teaching and learning. This book is the perfect companion to The Culture of Science Education: Its History in Person by Kenneth Tobin, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA and Wolff-Michael Roth, University of Victoria, Canada previously published in this series. Together these two books offer a very personal and insightful view of the developments in the Science Education Field Contributor Bio:  Liu, Xiufeng Xiufeng Liu is Associate Professor of Science Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received his doctorate in science education from the University of British Columbia in 1993. He was a high school chemistry teacher in China, a research associate at the China National Institute for Educational Research (CNIE), and a science teacher educator in Canada before his current position. He conducts research in the closely related areas of technology-enhanced science assessment, applications of measurement models in science education, conceptual change in science, and science curriculum policies. He has published over 30 refereed articles in key science education journals, 5 books, 15 book chapters, and presented numerous papers at national and international conferences. Dr. Liu teaches courses entitled Measurement and Evaluation of Science Teaching, Seminar on Science Teaching, Seminar on Science Curricula, and Technology for Science Teaching. In addition, he conducts an annual summer science assessment workshop for teachers, and is frequently invited to give talks and workshops on science assessment including Rasch measurement.