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…

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)

Presents examples of how fundamental geographic concepts, such as location and spatial interaction, may be used in the secondary classroom to stimulate inquiry learning. Available from: Business Manager, Geographical Education, Sydney Teachers College, P.O. Box 63, Camperdown, N.S.W. 2050, Australia. (Author/DB)

Proposes the use of conceptual discrepancies to stimulate student inquiry into scientific concepts. Provides a list of 20 examples of conceptual discrepancies from the biological sciences that have encouraged self-regulation in biology students. (Contains 12 references.) (MDH)

Describes the use of Vee maps in helping students understand scientific investigations. (PR)

Observes that the improvement of reading scores is not a legitimate educational goal, notes that reading abilities are inseparable from other modes of linguistic expression, and proposes many types of activities for teaching language in a context involving increasing knowledge of the uses of language in different subjects. (GT)

One area explored in the Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--was children's questions about and explanations of phenomena. Data were obtained from work with classes of children, interviews with children, informal discussions with teachers, and observations of two teachers using an alternative teaching model (outlined in an appendix)…

The reasoning abilities to be expected of the concrete operational and formal operational student, the percentage of secondary science students that are capable of each type of reasoning pattern, and effective strategies to teach science to concrete reasoners are described. Implications for curriculum development are discussed. (KR)

A comprehensive reform of the science curriculum and the methods of teaching and assessing science instruction is underway. This booklet shares ideas drawn from research and promising practices in science education. These ideas are addressed specifically to educators, but are important to anybody concerned with science education in elementary,…

Presents perspectives on creating new technology-based supports for science learning. Reviews current philosophies concerning the interpretative nature of scientific inquiry and discusses the difficulties of students and teachers in science education. Describes a prototype software system for supporting scientific inquiry processes in students.…

Describes the teacher's guide made up of 125 student activities encompassing 1 year of high school physics instruction called Physics Resources and Instructional Strategies for Motivating Students (PRISMS). The learning cycle of each activity includes three phases: exploration, concept introduction, and concept application. Provides exploration…

This paper designs a theoretical construct that integrates a number of mainstream systems of inquiry available to educational policymakers. Each system of inquiry has postulates, basic and derived concepts that characterize its epistemological foundations and methodological directives. None of these systems of inquiries, however, is proscriptive…

In an effort to improve students' interests in science and science courses, a study was conducted in Israel to evaluate students' attitudes towards science relative to two chemistry curricula. These curricula were Chemistry for High Schools (CFH), and Chemistry--A Challenge (CAC). The CFH program was mainly designed for science-oriented students…

The purpose of this document is to develop a usable science teaching guide based on the process skills methodology for the middle school life science teacher. It is intended to provide an efficient and effective tool for the interested teacher to use to develop the skills of the methodology. It could also be used as companion to the latest set of…

This document contains a set of model competency-based education (CBE) assessments that provide three types of assessment for students in grades 1-8 in science. Types of assessment include: traditional: multiple choice, short-answer, and open-ended items; performance-like: more authentic forms that involve students outside of the classroom; and…