Abstract
This chapter discusses a theoretical shift from informal science education as a choice to continual science education (CSL) as an ever-present necessity. In changing this perspective I envision a transition from today’s teacher preparation programs to preparation for all of us to participate in science teaching and learning throughout our lives at different levels of engagement. I have first traced the history of the term informal science education with its affordances and limitations. Then, building on play as a key mechanism, I discuss the human need for lifelong play (and its pleasure) that has evolved as a way to foster human ingenuity in daily problem solving. This survival ingenuity is enacted before, around, and after schooling through science education opportunities. By drawing on educational theorists who focus on how we learn (from Dewey forward, including the more recent work from neurobiology), I consider the rich potential of CSL to support personal and national goals. CSL is embedded within the lives of families and professional educators, often without recognition for the work that produces it. I describe this work and what experiences and skills a CSL educator would need in the 21st century. At the end of the chapter I propose my vision of how preparation for CSL educators might look in transitional and transformational phases, considering that institutions, as well as people, need time to create while simultaneously providing ongoing programs. I have also tried to make a case for how policies (and therefore funding) could alter to reflect this shift in perspective.
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Katz, P. (2017). Formerly ISE: Preparation for Continual Science Learning. In: Patrick, P. (eds) Preparing Informal Science Educators. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50398-1_2
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