Teaching and learning about geospatial aspects of energy resource issues requires that science teachers apply effective science pedagogical approaches to implement geospatial technologies into classroom instruction. To address this need, we designed educative curriculum materials as an integral part of a comprehensive middle school energy…

The purpose of this study was to develop, scale, and validate assessments in engineering, science, and mathematics with grade appropriate items that were sensitive to the curriculum developed by teachers. The use of item response theory to assess item functioning was a focus of the study. The work is part of a larger project focused on increasing…

During 2011, a team from the Centre for Science Education (CSE) worked with four local schools and five Sheffield city region engineering organisations on a project to identify ways to increase the input into young people's awareness of engineering that comes from activities they do in school science. The project also tested an hypothesis that…

The revised National Curriculum for Science for key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11-16) in England provides the opportunity to develop a new coherent approach to teaching about the carbon cycle, the use of carbon as a fuel and the resulting issues. The Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU) intends to develop a new workshop to support the teaching of this…

"Science for all" is not just a theme that befits the democratic society. It also exemplifies the best methodology for teaching science to children at the middle school level. For many years, teachers have grappled with trying to determine what type of grouping would most benefit their students. This article presents a strategy that highlights why…

This article describes an after-school program at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf (HMS), the oldest public day school for deaf students in the United States, where almost half of the student body imagined and created bridge and robotic machines. The Deaf Robotics Engineering and Math Team, or the DREAM Team club, included HMS students in…

The paper reports a study of the project practices of four Indian middle school teachers, elicited through semi-structured interviews of individual teachers. The teachers also responded to a proposal to modify four aspects of existing project practices, viz. subject integration, assessment, group work, and management of resources. The aspects were…

A practical exercise for developing a simple cost-effective solar ultraviolet radiation dosimeter is presented for use by middle school science students. Specifically, this exercise investigates a series of experiments utilising the historical blue print reaction, combining ammonium iron citrate and potassium hexacyanoferrate to develop an…

There is a dynamic synergy between the visual arts and the natural sciences. For example, science relies heavily on individuals with visual-art skills to render detailed illustrations, depicting everything from atoms to zebras. Likewise, artists apply analytic, linear, and logical thinking to compose and scale their work of art. These parallel…

This article describes the experiences of one Minnesota middle school that implemented a year-long integrated STEM program with the cooperation of graduate student fellows from a local university. The authors, two of whom were among the graduate students involved in the project, describe their impressions of the program, share some lessons they…

This case investigation followed the progress of middle students with disabilities, their peers, and teachers in co-taught science classrooms where a hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum was used. Students with disabilities (n=21), including learning disabilities, mild intellectual impairment, and mild autism were placed in co-taught classes with…

The many activities contained in this teaching guide emphasize hands-on involvement, prediction, data collection and interpretation, teamwork, and problem solving. The guide also contains background information about aeronautical research that can help students learn how airplanes fly. Following the background sections are a series of activities…

This case study outlines a program developed by a group of 6 teachers' college lecturers who volunteered to provide a technology program to year 7 & 8 children (11- and 12-year-olds) for a year. This involved teaching technology once a week. As technology education was a new curriculum area when first introduced to the college, few lecturers…

The Algebra Project DR K-12, funded by the National Science Foundation as a Research and Development Project, addressed the challenge of offering significant STEM content for students to ensure public literacy and workforce readiness. The project's primary purpose was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a model for establishing four-year…

Scientific concepts and processes are best developed in the context of technological problem solving. However, even some of the best secondary science curricula are weak in technology education and visa versa. A goal of technology and science education is to integrate student learning of science and technology. The relationship between science and…