Lies, Damned Lies, and Science: How to Sort Through the Noise Around Global Warming, the Latest Health Claims, and Other Scientific Controversies (FT Press Science)

Product Description What's healthy? What's unhealthy? What's safe? What's dangerous? Watch the news, and it's easy to be overwhelmed by snippets of badly presented science: information that's incomplete, confusing, contradictory, out-of-context, wrong, or flat-out dishonest. In this book, Dr. Sherry Seethaler provides a "bag of tricks" for making sense of science in the news. You'll learn how to think more sensibly about everything from mad cow disease to global warming and make better science-related decisions in both your personal life and as a citizen. You'll begin by understanding how science really works and progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree. Seethaler helps you assess the possible biases of those who make scientific claims in the media, and place scientific issues in appropriate context, so you can intelligently assess tradeoffs. You'll learn how to determine whether a new study is really meaningful; uncover the difference between cause and mere coincidence; figure out which statistics mean something, and which don't. Finally, drawing on her extensive experience as a science journalist, she reveals the tricks self-interested players use to mislead and confuse you, and points you to sources of information you can actually rely upon. Seethaler's many examples range from genetic engineering of crops to drug treatments for depression, but the techniques she teaches you will be invaluable in understanding any scientific controversy, in any area of science or health. From the Back Cover A much-needed guide to implementing effective assessment practices in today’s increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.   Who should be the focus of assessment? Where should assessment efforts for CLD students be concentrated? What should be the key purposes of assessments for CLD students? When should teachers time appropriate classroom assessment practices for CLD students? How should teachers best use the findings of CLD student assessment?   These questions are the focus of this highly practical, classroom-ready resource that helps teachers implement effective classroom assessment practices and determine how to organize recommended strategies around the four critical dimensions of the CLD (culturally and/or linguistically diverse) students in their classes: the sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive dimensions.   Written from the perspective of a differential lens on assessment practices for CLD students, the book is designed to guide pre- and in-service K-12 classroom teachers as they successfully differentiate assessment practices for diverse student populations. In addition, it provides readers with an invaluable glimpse into actual teachers’ classrooms as they use assessment strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners. This new edition features: The most up-to-date research and strategies for effectively assessing CLD students, especially English Language Learners An emphasis on how theory and research are brought to life within individual classrooms and through teachers’ efforts at serving their unique students’ needs Additional resources for helping teachers develop authentic tools for assessing linguistic and academic growth among CLD learners About the Author Sherry Seethaler, a science writer and educator at the University of California, San Diego, works with scientists to explain their discoveries to the public. She also writes a column for the San Diego Union-Tribune answering readers’ questions about science. Seethaler holds an M.S. and Master of Philosophy in biology from Yale, and a Ph.D. in science and math education from UC Berkeley.