Science Education in Canada

This book offers a meso-level description of demographics, science education, and science teacher education. Representing all 13 Canadian jurisdictions, the book provides local insights that serve as the basis for exploring the Canadian system as a whole and function as a common starting point from which to identify causal relationships that may be associated with Canada's successes. The book highlights commonalities, consistencies, and distinctions across the provinces and territories in a thematic analysis of the 13 jurisdiction-specific chapters. Although the analysis indicates a network of policy and practice issues warranting further consideration, the diverse nature of Canadian science education makes simple identification of causal relationships elusive. Canada has a reputation for strong science achievement. However, there is currently limited literature on science education in Canada at the general level or in specific areas such as Canadian science curriculum or science teacher education. This book fills that gap by presenting a thorough description of science education at the provincial/territorial level, as well as a more holistic description of pressing issues for Canadian science education.

Auteur

Christine D. Tippett, BASc (University of British Columbia), BEd, MA, and PhD (University of Victoria), is an associate professor of science education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa in Ontario. She was an engineer before she obtained her teaching degree, which influences her ways of thinking about science education. Previously she taught at the elementary and middle school level, working with K-8 students. Her research interests include visual representations, science education for all students, and professional development for science educators (preservice, inservice, and informal). Her current projects focus on preservice science teachers' images of engineers, early childhood STEM education, and assessment of representational competence. She is past president of the Science Education Research Group (SERG, a special interest group of the Canadian Society for Studies in Education) and is actively involved in the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE).

Todd M. Milford, BSc and BEd (University of Victoria), Dip SpecEd (University of British Columbia), MEd and PhD (University of Victoria), is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. Previously he was a lecturer in the Art, Law, and Education Group at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. He has science and special education classroom teaching experience as well as in the online environment. He has been teaching at the postsecondary level since 2005 primarily in the areas of science education, mathematics education, and classroom assessment. His research has been and continues to be varied; however, the constant theme is using data and data analysis to help teachers and students in the classroom. He is past president of the Science Education Research Group (a special interest group of the Canadian Society for Studies in Education).

Contenu
1 Introduction: Setting the Scene for a Meso-level Analysis of Canadian Science Education; Todd M. Milford and Christine D. Tippett.- 2 Science Education in British Columbia: A New Curriculum for the 21st Century; David Blades.- 3 Science Education in Alberta: A Complex History of Shifting Educational Influences; Jerine M. Pegg, Dawn Wiseman, Carol A. M. Brown, and Marie-Clare Shanahan.- 4 Science Education in Saskatchewan: Inquiry and Indigenizing; Tim A. Molnar, Dean Elliott, and Janet McVittie.- 5 Science Education in Manitoba: Collaborative Professional Communities; Dawn Sutherland.- 6 Science Education in Ontario: Profile and Perspectives; Xavier E. Fazio and Astrid Steele.- 7 Science Education in Québec: La science et la technologie pour tous; Jrène Rahm, Patrice Potvin, and Jesús Vázquez-Abad.- 8 Science Education in New Brunswick: Canada's Only Official Bilingual Province; Grant Williams, Michel T. Léger, Ann Sherman, and Nicole Ferguson.- 9 Science Education in Nova Scotia: Building on the Past, Facing the Future; G. Michael Bowen, A. Leo MacDonald, and Marilyn Webster.- 10 Science Education in Prince Edward Island: The Perspective from Canada's Smallest Province; Ronald J. MacDonald, Clayton W. M. Coe, and David Ramsay.- 11 Science Education in Newfoundland and Labrador: Mapping the Landscape; Karen C. Goodnough and Gerald J. Galway.- 12 Science Education in the Yukon: Signaling a Time of Change for Canada; Brian E. Lewthwaite, Christine D. Tippett, and Todd M. Milford.- 13 Science Education in the Northwest Territories: Aspiring to Culture-based Curricula as a Foundation for Education; Dawn Wiseman and Steven Daniel.- 14 Science Education in Nunavut: Being Led by Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit; Dawn Wiseman and Jim Kreuger.- 15 Epilogue: The Current Context of Canadian Science Education and Issues for Further Consideration; Christine D. Tippett, Todd M. Milford, and Larry D. Yore.