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Ambitious Science Teaching
2018 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice
Ambitious Science Teaching outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. The practices presented in the book are being used in schools and districts that seek to improve science teaching at scale, and a wide range of science subjects and grade levels are represented.
The book is organized around four sets of core teaching planning for engagement with big ideas; eliciting student thinking; supporting changes in students’ thinking; and drawing together evidence-based explanations. Discussion of each practice includes tools and routines that teachers can use to support students’ participation, transcripts of actual student-teacher dialogue and descriptions of teachers’ thinking as it unfolds, and examples of student work. The book also provides explicit guidance for “opportunity to learn” strategies that can help scaffold the participation of diverse students.
Since the success of these practices depends so heavily on discourse among students, Ambitious Science Teaching includes chapters on productive classroom talk. Science-specific skills such as modeling and scientific argument are also covered.
Drawing on the emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with preservice and in-service teachers, Ambitious Science Teaching presents a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them.
Ambitious Science Teaching outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. The practices presented in the book are being used in schools and districts that seek to improve science teaching at scale, and a wide range of science subjects and grade levels are represented.
The book is organized around four sets of core teaching planning for engagement with big ideas; eliciting student thinking; supporting changes in students’ thinking; and drawing together evidence-based explanations. Discussion of each practice includes tools and routines that teachers can use to support students’ participation, transcripts of actual student-teacher dialogue and descriptions of teachers’ thinking as it unfolds, and examples of student work. The book also provides explicit guidance for “opportunity to learn” strategies that can help scaffold the participation of diverse students.
Since the success of these practices depends so heavily on discourse among students, Ambitious Science Teaching includes chapters on productive classroom talk. Science-specific skills such as modeling and scientific argument are also covered.
Drawing on the emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with preservice and in-service teachers, Ambitious Science Teaching presents a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2020
67 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 29, 2021
Exceptional. For years I've been hearing about the benefits of using phenomenon to anchor learning, but I've been flummoxed on how to implement phenomenons in my lessons effectively. Enter this book. Not only does it provide an effective framework for implementing phenomenons into units, their methods have been repeatedly reviewed and refined. This isn't a theoretical "maybe you could do it like this?". These are methods and frameworks that have been repeatedly battle tested.
September 2, 2021
Epic. Be using it the rest of my career in science education.
May 23, 2022
Technically finished it an hour after the readathon ended but that's ok.
This is a really really good book that I'll reference for probably my entire career. The strategies are incredibly useful, and seeing this in practice it's pretty clear that it works for the students.
This is a really really good book that I'll reference for probably my entire career. The strategies are incredibly useful, and seeing this in practice it's pretty clear that it works for the students.
July 11, 2024
A truly great science education book -- so great that I'm getting it for all the members of my department this year! If you are looking to energize your classroom and dive into the valuable inquiry that is available, this book has both the philosophy and the concrete tools to help.
AND...there are a few things I'd like to see more of here.
First, as a physics teacher, I was disappointed with the amount of true physics presented as examples in the book. There was some physical science (truly, chemistry) but very little in the way of in-depth physics. The tools and techniques are certainly adaptable, but I would have loved to see a more full engagement with the issue of how to do AST when your subject is at least 40% math.
Truly, I think the "advanced" side of science is another shortfall of the book. I love that AST focuses on engaging all students, even those who may not see themselves as scientists. Yet, the message almost seems to be that those advanced science students -- those in AP's or IB or dual enrollment -- don't also deserve engaging lessons that stretch them as scientists, thinkers, and people. I'd love to see a follow-up that dives into this more extensively.
AND...there are a few things I'd like to see more of here.
First, as a physics teacher, I was disappointed with the amount of true physics presented as examples in the book. There was some physical science (truly, chemistry) but very little in the way of in-depth physics. The tools and techniques are certainly adaptable, but I would have loved to see a more full engagement with the issue of how to do AST when your subject is at least 40% math.
Truly, I think the "advanced" side of science is another shortfall of the book. I love that AST focuses on engaging all students, even those who may not see themselves as scientists. Yet, the message almost seems to be that those advanced science students -- those in AP's or IB or dual enrollment -- don't also deserve engaging lessons that stretch them as scientists, thinkers, and people. I'd love to see a follow-up that dives into this more extensively.
July 1, 2022
Anyone who teaches science should study this latest-greatest professional trade book! It's pretty readable with helpful dialogues, student artifacts, teacher templates, and practical advice to get started. Pro tip: Read it in the summer so it can be inspiring and not just overwhelming!
“The process of modeling helps students see the value of changing their thinking in response to new evidence and ideas. …Young learners are enculturated into ‘improving ideas’ as the central ongoing task in their classroom.” (p.148)
“Can we allow them to leave our classrooms without knowing how to communicate, to take a stand, to hear how others might agree or disagree with them? These are not just ‘nice to have’ skills for science students – they are tools for participating in a democracy and for asserting one’s self in society. Not helping students overcome their own silence would only reproduce inequities that are already too commonplace.” (p.82)
“The process of modeling helps students see the value of changing their thinking in response to new evidence and ideas. …Young learners are enculturated into ‘improving ideas’ as the central ongoing task in their classroom.” (p.148)
“Can we allow them to leave our classrooms without knowing how to communicate, to take a stand, to hear how others might agree or disagree with them? These are not just ‘nice to have’ skills for science students – they are tools for participating in a democracy and for asserting one’s self in society. Not helping students overcome their own silence would only reproduce inequities that are already too commonplace.” (p.82)
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June 4, 2022Having started working with an organization that is creating phenomenon-based K-12 science curricula, I had some idea of how Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) practices could be integrated into the classroom, but reading this book anchored (ha) that in extensive research. The authors do a great job of balancing examples that help show how AST can be deployed at a variety of ages and in a variety of subjects with the practical routines and structures that teachers can use in the classroom. AST is no doubt a difficult and labor-intensive practice for the teacher, but the authors make compelling arguments for why the work is worthwhile.
January 20, 2023
8/10:
Another incredibly solid resource for educators within the sciences. Of course, this touches the most on science education at the high school level, but I think there are tons of strategies throughout that could be applied to varying levels of science education. Lots of ideas from this one that I’ll be referring to in the future, and I’m sure I’ll recommend it to other teachers too!
Another incredibly solid resource for educators within the sciences. Of course, this touches the most on science education at the high school level, but I think there are tons of strategies throughout that could be applied to varying levels of science education. Lots of ideas from this one that I’ll be referring to in the future, and I’m sure I’ll recommend it to other teachers too!
August 1, 2020
This book is fantastic. Any new teacher will emphasize how little our university programs prepare us for “how to teach” in comparison to all of the discussions about student equity and literacy. This book should be on every science teacher’s shelves. I am so grateful to have found this.
May 24, 2023
Best book I've seen on the topic, but nowhere near as powerful as the AMTA materials. The content development doesn't reach that level, but this has great resources and serves as a fantastic intro into shifting your teaching or reflecting on teaching with colleagues.
May 10, 2024
brilliantly "de-gimmick-ifies" a controversial push in science teaching. simply the best resource for implementing inquiry-led, standards-based, rigorous science classes. my students have benefited hugely from these strategies
February 23, 2025
Like the first half better than the last half... Last half focuelsed on the nitty gritty of implementation and as a school we aren't there yet.
Definitely worth reading and thinking about what you want science instruction to look like in your classroom.
Definitely worth reading and thinking about what you want science instruction to look like in your classroom.
March 30, 2019
Now to see how many I can implement. Baby steps...
March 14, 2020
for science majors that are teaching middle school and high school, I had to really stretch myself, which is fine, to make it apply to elementary.
December 10, 2020
a must read for teachers
March 4, 2022
Great book for science teachers.
April 14, 2023
Great book for all science teachers K-12!
December 19, 2023
What I have done for years, but I found this book affirming and full of encouragement for NGSS aligned teachers.
December 31, 2023
Definitely how I want to teach science to my 8th graders.
January 7, 2024
Good ideas... not all easy executed in my classroom, but I like the thought process.
January 27, 2024
Hands-down the best (and most practical) book on science education I've read yet! This will become my go-to resource for teaching in the NGSS era.
December 31, 2025
THE bible.
January 12, 2026
A detailed and reasonable vision for science teachers looking to improve things in their classroom.
September 15, 2020
Read this book in a professional book study with a group of 30 science teachers.
the book talks about phenomenon based teaching which is the current trend and rage for CST and NGSS instruction. There is a lot of focus on model based reasoning and teaching.
While I appreciate the methods discussed in the book and that the authors freely admits that not all instruction can be given the AST treatment, I can not recommend this book. Here are the reasons for my low rating:
- The setup (prologue and chapter 1) of the book establishes the author as the authority on the subject of teaching will trying to be informal. It comes off as a "these are the researched based practices that work and are what must be done"..... etc.... unfortunately as you read (and try to teach using this method) you will find that the method only works when engaging phenomena can be found to anchor instruction. The book uses the same 4-5 examples throughout. All the examples are strong, but once you start to think about how you will approach other content,say structure and mechanisms of DNA, RNA, replication and protein synthesis, the method falls apart quickly. Sure you could approach from the mutation standpoint but if you are going to do the inquiry model as prescribed by the book, you aren't going to have enough time for the students to understand the topic thoroughly enough and still cover the rest of the required content before the year is out.
- Multiple times the authors contradict themselves. Most memorable example, no one can tell you what makes a good/effective activity - next page proceeds to tell you what makes a good activity.
- Multiple times through out the narrative the message of "everything you are doing is wrong and doesn't work" which doesn't work as a message to a veteran teacher who is most likely having pretty good success with the "outdated/bad practices" that the book targets. (Direct instruction isn't evil... it needs to happen).
The reason I gave the book 2 stars instead of one, is that is does provide some useful templates and classroom organizational structures that are worth trying and using.
the book talks about phenomenon based teaching which is the current trend and rage for CST and NGSS instruction. There is a lot of focus on model based reasoning and teaching.
While I appreciate the methods discussed in the book and that the authors freely admits that not all instruction can be given the AST treatment, I can not recommend this book. Here are the reasons for my low rating:
- The setup (prologue and chapter 1) of the book establishes the author as the authority on the subject of teaching will trying to be informal. It comes off as a "these are the researched based practices that work and are what must be done"..... etc.... unfortunately as you read (and try to teach using this method) you will find that the method only works when engaging phenomena can be found to anchor instruction. The book uses the same 4-5 examples throughout. All the examples are strong, but once you start to think about how you will approach other content,say structure and mechanisms of DNA, RNA, replication and protein synthesis, the method falls apart quickly. Sure you could approach from the mutation standpoint but if you are going to do the inquiry model as prescribed by the book, you aren't going to have enough time for the students to understand the topic thoroughly enough and still cover the rest of the required content before the year is out.
- Multiple times the authors contradict themselves. Most memorable example, no one can tell you what makes a good/effective activity - next page proceeds to tell you what makes a good activity.
- Multiple times through out the narrative the message of "everything you are doing is wrong and doesn't work" which doesn't work as a message to a veteran teacher who is most likely having pretty good success with the "outdated/bad practices" that the book targets. (Direct instruction isn't evil... it needs to happen).
The reason I gave the book 2 stars instead of one, is that is does provide some useful templates and classroom organizational structures that are worth trying and using.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews