This article seeks to provide researchers and practitioners in laboratory education, particularly those involved in the curriculum design and implementation of teaching laboratories at university level, with a conceptual framework and a working model for an integrated assessment of learning domains, by attending to a more holistic approach to…

We are in a period of unknowns unlike any in a generation or more. As educators, we need new pathways and ideas that can help us educate children for the world to come. "Reimagining the Classroom: Creating New Learning Spaces and Connecting with the World" provides practical steps and examples that parents and educators can use to begin…

Conceptual change views of teaching and learning processes in science, and also in various other content domains, have played a significant role in research on teaching and learning as well as in instructional design since the late 1970s. An important issue is whether conceptual change can provide a powerful framework for improving instructional…

This guide is written for environmental educators who are interested in learning more about how and why young children think and act, and how they can use this information to design developmentally appropriate programs and activities. The sections of this guide become progressively more practical and specific from understanding the basics of how…

In order for students to experience science as scientists do, they must learn the skills of inquiry. This paper examines inquiry as a way of learning science and presents strategies to promote inquiry in teaching science. A model of progression of inquiry skills from grades K-2 to 3-5 is presented and the skills are aligned with the Massachusetts…

This book identifies the teacher's role and provides guidance on the motivation of students, teaching strategies, questioning techniques, and the assessment of student learning for effective teaching. Chapters include: (1) "Why Science? What Science?"; (2) "Bringing Children and Science Together"; (3) "The Right Question at the Right Time" (Jos…

The journals of students in introductory college science courses give insight into the bewilderment students feel about science. Problems fall into five categories: semantics; use of symbols; inability to evaluate their own progress; difficulty in assimilating quantities of new knowledge; and cognitive overload. Students should be encouraged to…

The Mole Concept is a learning cycle (patterned after University of Nebraska-Lincoln's ADAPT model) for the chemical unit "mole." Discusses objectives and activities involved in each phase of the cycle: exploration, invention, and application. Indicates the cycle is superior to traditional lecture-demonstration for teaching the abstract mole…

Summarizes research on inquiry and investigative strategies for teaching laboratory science. Concludes that meaningful laboratory instruction is distinguished by: student engagement in science inquiry processes, student manipulation of experimental materials, and the experiential teaching of specific scientific concepts. (RT)

Presents an exploratory experience that allows students an opportunity to practice science process skills and use all of their senses. Describes a fruit study activity, appropriate for grades three through six, that incorporates the learning cycle (exploration, concept development, and concept application) and cooperative learning strategies.…

Investigations in Natural Science is a program in secondary school biology, chemistry, and physics based upon the description of science as a quest for knowledge, not the knowledge itself. This teaching guide is designed for use with the 19 chemistry investigations found in the student manual. These investigations focus on concepts related to:…

Investigations in Natural Science is a program in secondary school biology, chemistry, and physics based upon the description of science as a quest for knowledge, not the knowledge itself. This teaching guide is designed for use with the 36 physics investigations found in the student manual. These investigations focus on concepts related to:…

Hypothesizes that overloading the working memory may leave no space for thought and organization such that faulty (or even no) learning takes place. Provides examples of this hypothesis and possible remedies. These remedies focus on design of laboratory manuals and equipment and on curriculum content order. (JN)

Described is a curriculum project developed in Germany. The importance of playing and gaming for the acquisition of cognitive and social capacities, the relationships among acting, reasoning, and learning in physics instruction, and the spheres of subjective experience are discussed. The framework and evaluation of the curriculum are outlined. (YP)

Presents a learning cycle lesson plan in which students investigate the question of how cells divide. Students use microscopes to explore actual plant root and stem tissues to generate and test hypotheses to answer the question. Includes teacher material, student material, and teaching tips. (MDH)