This 512-page book is a science methods textbook for pre-service secondary science teachers.

The purpose of this material is to encourage teachers to "transform the way [they] think about teaching and learning science" and provides a teaching methodology for helping students construct meaning through scientific inquiry and discourse.

The intended audience is pre-service secondary science teachers. Reviewers suggested that the text could also be used with in-service teachers.

Becoming a Secondary School Science Teacher guides novice teachers in mastering key concepts in science education. The text places emphasis on science education reform and is based on materials that were tested in a variety of environments with both pre-service and practicing teachers.

The book includes 15 chapters grouped into four broad areas that discuss: (1) theoretical issues in science literacy, the nature of science and learning; (2) effective teaching and learning strategies; (3) issues in science curriculum and assessment; and (4) preparation and planning for classroom instruction. The text includes a sample instructional unit on photosynthesis, and suggestions for a teacher’s self-assessment portfolio in the appendix. The text is enhanced by study questions, brief assignments for journal entries, and teachers presenting their personal conceptions and experiences from the classroom.

The material is well-organized, thorough, and sufficiently rigorous for an introductory text. It includes numerous illustrations, figures, photographs, diagrams, and examples of student activities and their work.

The material is intended primarily as a textbook in a science education course. Reviewers suggested that it could also serve as a reference resource in professional development with in-service teachers, supplemented by additional reading materials to gain a more in-depth understanding of topics.

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