Description
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.
About the authors
Contributor Notes
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).
