Abstract
How do early childhood preservice teachers move from being peripheral participants to becoming full members of a science education community?In drawing on the work of Lave and Wenger (1991) and Wenger (1998),this chapter examines the community of practice known as "science education"and the community of practice known as "early childhood education"and discusses the disjunction between these two communities, noting the following challenges for preservice teachers:
1. The limited research base for supporting science education in the early years 2. Methodological difficulties faced by researchers when studying children under 8 years
3. The perception of "science" as unobtainable and by implication "science education" as difficult
4. Approaches to science teaching based on research and practices suitable for children aged 8 years and older
1. The limited research base for supporting science education in the early years 2. Methodological difficulties faced by researchers when studying children under 8 years
3. The perception of "science" as unobtainable and by implication "science education" as difficult
4. Approaches to science teaching based on research and practices suitable for children aged 8 years and older
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Elementary Science Teacher Education. International Perspectives on Contemporary Issues and Practice |
| Editors | Ken Appleton |
| Place of Publication | Mahwah USA |
| Publisher | Lawrence Erlbaum Associates |
| Pages | 107 - 124 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Edition | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0805842918 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 |
