Science Explorer (Full Set of 16 Books)

Author: Padilla
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: The "Science Explorer" series, widely selected as a textbook in the United States and over 20 other developed countries, has been introduced by Zhejiang Education Publishing House. Recently, experts from the education and science communities held a symposium at Beijing Book Building to discuss the book. The experts said that the series brings us advanced modern science education concepts from developed countries and provides valuable teaching resources for science courses under China's new curriculum standards. The experts excitedly predicted, "The Science Explorer" series will have a significant impact on science teaching in China.
The reporter casually opened the book "Earth's Changes" from the series and was immediately captivated by its visuals and engaging content, unknowingly reading dozens of pages. Take a look at the section "Rocks and Weathering," which begins with an "Exploration" question: "How Fast Does Bubbling Occur?" It includes three hands-on experiments for students, kicking off the teaching process. Throughout the section, there are teaching elements such as "Reading Guide," "Reading Tips," "Think About It," "Try It," "Science Around Us," "Skill Experiments," and "Debate," all actively completed by students. The process is filled with the joy of exploration and discovery.
The book adopts an equal stance, allowing students to enter the ranks of science explorers with ease and pleasure. It offers effective methods to cultivate students' interest in exploration, teach scientific inquiry methods, and develop research-based learning skills. As Hu Zuquan, a researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "This is a 'living textbook,' beneficial for cultivating flexible and skilled science practitioners."
Wang Zhihua, vice president of the China Popular Science Writers Association, mentioned at the symposium that the book achieves a "harmonious" balance in combining science with humanities, science with society, and science with history. While students learn science, they unconsciously improve their humanities literacy and cultural. This is the way to truly cultivate qualified science explorers.
Pei Qun, a science teacher from Beijing Haidian Teachers' College, shared that during the evaluation of curriculum reform in Haidian District, teachers referred to the evaluation system of this series and created final exam papers. The expert evaluation team and students highly praised these papers, believing that the series has opened up broad horizons for students' science learning. Some questions, though not answered correctly by students, showed their strong interest, indicating they had entered a state of exploration. Students felt they were truly conducting scientific research like scientists, which was immensely enjoyable.
Hu Zuquan also mentioned that scientific knowledge is static, while science is constantly evolving with many uncertainties. Focusing on imparting scientific knowledge in science classes is less effective than focusing on cultivating interest, methods, and exploration skills in science. This book emphasizes methods and abilities, making it the best reference for current science teachers in China.
The "Science Explorer" series is a comprehensive science textbook developed according to the U.S. National Science Education Standards, "National Science Education Standards for the United States," and designed for the 21st-century talent development plan. It is widely used in 4,200 schools across 50 states in the United States. The editor-in-chief, Dr. Padilla, is a professor at the Department of Educational Science of the University of Georgia and an authority in middle school science education in the U.S. He is also an author of the U.S. National Science Education Standards and is responsible for drafting the national science curriculum standards.