Enzymes are nature's catalysts, mediating chemical processes in living systems. The study of enzyme function and mechanism includes defining the maximum catalytic rate and affinity for substrate/s (among other factors), referred to as enzyme kinetics. Enzyme kinetics is a staple of biochemistry curricula and other disciplines, from molecular and…

The addition of the arts to STEM education, now known as STEAM, adds a new dimension to problem-solving within those fields, offering students tools such as imagination and resourcefulness to incorporate into their designs. However, the shift from STEM to STEAM has changed what it means for students to learn within and across these disciplines.…

This study employed hierarchical linear models (HLM) to investigate Peer-Led Guided Inquiry (PLGI), a teaching practice combining cooperative learning and inquiry and tailored for a large class. Ultimately, the study provided an example of the effective introduction of a reform pedagogical approach in a large class setting. In the narrative, the…

"Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning" examines the challenges involved in the development of modern curriculum models, teaching strategies, and assessments in science education in order to prepare future students in the 21st century economies. This comprehensive collection of research brings together science educators,…

Outlines a narrative method for the study of classrooms. The main feature of the method is the reconstruction of classroom meaning in terms of narrative unities in the lives of classroom participants. The work's theoretical character is introduced by comparison and contrast with Schon's "The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in…

Investigated children's conceptualization of scientific phenomena and intuitive methods learned from their everyday experiences. Explores the nature of tinkering within the context of electricity. Presents a model of tinkering that provides a conceptual framework for the interpretation of tinkering as one of the methods students use to make sense…

The ENVISION professional development model uses active teacher involvement in inquiry and inquiry-based teaching to enhance teachers' understandings about inquiry-based study of local environmental problems and teaching science using inquiry. Teachers also design and implement professional development for their school-based colleagues about…

Presents a model of expert reasoning practices that focuses on constructive modeling, a tacit dimension of the thinking practices of expert physicists. Draws on historical cases and protocol accounts of expert reasoning in scientific problem solving and argues that having expertise in physics requires facility with the practice of constructive…

Models occupy the content core of physics, and modeling is a major process for constructing and employing physics knowledge. A model is characterized by its domain, composition, structure, behavior, and organization. Problem solving is a schematic modeling process consisting of model selection, construction, validation, analysis, and deployment. A…

Applies Kuhn's model of the structure of scientific revolutions, Popper's hypothetic-deductive model of science, and Lakatos' methodology of competing research programs to a historical biological episode. Suggests using Kuhn's model (emphasizing the nonrational basis of science) and Popper's model (emphasizing the rational basis of science) in…

This study is a synthesis of practice and research related to use of behavior analysis to train teachers. An idealized model for training science teachers is presented with research related to the model categories reviewed and analyzed. Results (based on meta-analysis) which support the idealized model are presented and discussed. (Author/JN)

This article discusses problem solving and how science educators can integrate problem solving into their instruction. The Search, Solve, Create, and Share (SSCS) model was developed based on the findings of problem solving research. (YP)

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)

Reviews literature on conceptual conflict as facilitator of student learning and alternative conceptions, describes theories explaining occurence of alternative conceptions and conflict role in conceptual change, discusses a model of learning as conceptual change and its instructional implications, and presents results of studies which apply the…

Suggesting that learning be considered as a generative process, attempts to: (1) place generative learning ideas in the context of other viewpoints of learning; (2) explicate key postulates of the generative learning model; and (3) examine implications of these theoretical ideas for teaching, learning, curriculum development, and research. (JN)