In this article, the authors explore the question, "Does the Moon spin?", and show how the question is investigated. They emphasise the importance of the process by which people work out what they know, by "learning from the inside out." They stress that those involved in science education have to challenge current conceptions and ideas, making…

A study is described which demonstrates that children create naive theories of science that are highly resistant to change, even when other concepts are seemingly understood. Ways of promoting conceptual change in children's understandings of how the world works are suggested. (MT)

Illustrated and described is a convection box for classroom use to stimulate concept development in elementary school children. Other equipment and apparatus that may be used in open-ended science activites are listed. (CS)

Lists experiments and activities that will aid the young child in understanding the relationship between the position of a body in space and the directions of the force of gravity. (CS)

Previous research of classroom teaching and learning revealed that students have critical misconceptions about how plants get their food and that these misconceptions remain unchanged despite instruction using activities in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIIS) unit on producers. Because the experimental sequence described in SCIIS is…

Describes exploratory activities for a young child seeking to become acquainted with the world in which he lives. (EB)

Investigates the effect of modeling analogy on learning of the concepts of electricity in grade 6, 8, and 10. Describes 2 analogies (train analogy and thermal analogy) with diagrams and examples. Discusses the accessibility, transferability, and difficulty of each analogy. Reports treatment effect and some further implications. (YP)

Reports on a study in which clinical interviews were conducted with three elementary school children to determine the extent to which they held naive misconceptions about important biological topics, and to determine agewise trends in the development of biological knowledge. (TW)

Offers perspectives on research related to students' ideas about science prior to instruction. Discusses possible origins of prior knowledge, the requirements for conceptual change, and reviews instructional implications. (ML)

Children in grades two and five explained such weather phenomena as wind, clouds, thunder, lightning, rain, snow, and rainbows during interviews. Results indicate that most students in both grades were at a stage of nonreligious finalism and do not use true causality in explanations. Implications for teaching are discussed. (DH)

Studying pets fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use their five senses. This cross-curricular guide provides opportunities for children to build concepts by introducing them to a variety of household pets beginning with cats and dogs, and including mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs,…

This study focused on misconceptions related to light and vision. Researchers administered diagnostic tests about light, vision, and color before and after instruction to 227 fifth-grade students over a 2-year period. They also conducted 11 clinical interviews. The tests and interviews revealed that almost all students shared certain…

Currently, there is much research work investigating the teaching and learning of plant nutrition in several different countries. This article briefly summarizes the findings of some of this work, including the work undertaken by the Children's Learning in Science Project. (Author)

Provides suggestions for note-taking from books, lectures, visual presentations, and laboratory experiments to enhance student knowledge, memory, and length of attention span during instruction. Describes topical and structural outlines, visual mapping, charting, three-column note-taking, and concept mapping. Benefits and application of…

Some ways in which exploratory activities of the preschool child involve science concepts are described. The role of adults knowledgeable about both science and child development is stressed. Emphasis is placed on hands-on experiences. (EB)