ABSTRACT
In this book I have discussed student thinking and learning from a number of perspectives, and presented, with my interpretations, a range of examples of the kinds of things students write and say relating to science topics. These examples could be multiplied many times, as the extensive literature into learners’ ideas shows. Science education proceeds at two distinct levels. Academics and researchers develop theory, and collect evidence to test their ideas, to better understand in general terms how learners learn, how they think, and how instruction can best engage their thinking in ways which lead to the learning of canonical science. Inevitably, empirical research in science education involves particular learners, learning in specific institutional and curriculum contexts, with particular teachers. Research attempts to generalise from these specifics to find useful patterns that can inform teachers working in diverse contexts.
