Aims & Scopes

Innovations in Science Teacher Education (Innovations) is the official practitioner journal of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). Innovations is an online, peer-reviewed journal that serves as a forum for disseminating effective instructional practices that are innovative and inspirational. Articles will provide concrete ideas for enhancing teaching for all those associated with preparing and supporting the professional development of K-12 science teachers in clear, understandable, non-technical, practical prose. Articles in Innovations are written by science teacher educators for science teacher educators, in the broadest sense of the word. The journal publishes four issues annually (January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1) and is abstracted and indexed in Google Scholar.

We seek manuscripts that are based on a firm foundation of scholarly work in science education and provide concrete ideas and strategies that enhance and inform science educators’ practices in their own setting, context and with their unique student population. The activities, ideas and strategies described in the manuscripts could include a single lesson idea, a course redesign, a common theme for a course, teacher education program redesign, professional development program settings, or a collaborative effort with other departments involved in science teacher education.

Examples of manuscripts published in the journal include detailed descriptions of:

  • practical, timely classroom ideas, strategies or lessons that takes place in science methods courses;
  • programs and activities designed to provide highly effective field experiences for preservice teachers;
  • professional development activities designed to engage, motivate and expand inservice teachers’ knowledge and practices;
  • research into practice, wherein author(s) identify a specific body or piece of research and show how they are implementing it into their practice as a science teacher educator;
  • a key question or problem facing science teacher educators identified by a group of authors wherein each author offers different perspectives or ideas about steps that might be taken to address it.