The improvement of science education is a common goal worldwide. Countries not only seek to increase the number of individuals pursuing careers in science, but to improve scientific literacy among the general population. As the teacher is one of the greatest influences on student learning, a focus on the preparation of science teachers is essential in achieving these outcomes. A critical component of science teacher education is the methods course, where pedagogy and content coalesce. It is here that future science teachers begin to focus simultaneously on the knowledge, dispositions and skills for teaching secondary science in meaningful and effective ways. This book provides a comparison of secondary science methods courses from teacher education programs all over the world. Each chapter provides detailed descriptions of the national context, course design, teaching strategies, and assessments used within a particular science methods course, and is written by teacher educators who actively research science teacher education. The final chapter provides a synthesis of common themes and unique features across contexts, and offers directions for future research on science methods courses. This book offers a unique combination of behind the scenes thinking for secondary science methods course designs along with practical teaching and assessment strategies, and will be a useful resource for teacher educators in a variety of international contexts.

Setting the Landscape: Focusing on the Methods Course in Secondary Science Teacher Education; Part I: Interdisciplinary Science Methods Courses; The 5E Model as a Framework for Facilitating Multiple Teacher Education Outcomes: A Secondary Science Methods Course in Australia; Interdisciplinary Secondary Science Methods: A United States Massachusetts Context; Developing Science Education Research Literacy among Secondary in-Service Teachers: An Approach at Bar-Ilan University in Israel; STEAM Methods: A Case from Egypt; Part II: Discipline-Specific Science Methods Courses; Developing a Repertoire for Teaching Biology; Educating Biology Teachers from a Socio-Cultural Perspective: Experiences in a Public University in Brazil; Chemistry Teaching Method Course for Secondary Science Teacher Training: An Example from Turkey; Implementing PCK Topic by Topic in Methodology Courses: A Case Study in South Africa; Educating New Secondary School Physics Teachers: The University of Exeter Approach; Methods for Physics Teachers: A Case in South Korea; Teaching Methods for Earth Science; Part III: Synthesis across Contexts; Science Methods Courses across Contexts: Implications for Research and Practice; Author Biographies.