Written in response to criticism of our work by Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, this position paper reaffirms and reinforces our position about the need to broaden and enrich the scope of nature of science (NOS) oriented curricula by exposing students to the voices of practising scientists. While Abd-El-Khalick's motivation for promoting the so-called…

Fostering interdisciplinary learning in biology will require significant changes in the way one teaches science to K-12 students. The perspective on interdisciplinary biology teaching and learning in this essay is based on the author's experiences as a former research cell biologist, high school science teacher, and developer of secondary science…

The notion of the road map, advocated by Black, Wilson, and Yao (2011), and the associated minutiae of the construct map have several powerful features. At one level these notions assist the teacher to select and embody a suitable sequence of constructs within a specified curriculum. Whatever disparate sequenced pathways individual learners may…

Argues that good science can be enhanced and enlivened, integrated with other curriculum areas, and made more relevant to a student's world through the use of the arts in instruction. Provides examples of art in science through music, poetry, science fiction, and visual art. (DDR)

States that learning is most effective when the learner has a basic understanding of established goals, when individual differences are considered, and when concept learning is enhanced by connecting first hand experiences. Advocates the use of social studies activities as a meaningful and logical way to enhance language and learning skills. (GEA)

Discusses how children get to the point where they can, in the school setting, begin to learn languages effectively. Argues that language awareness needs to be related to the aim of improving language learning and examines how language awareness might be incorporated into both elementary and secondary school curriculums. (SED)

Continuous Integration Techniques (CIT) encourage interdisciplinary study by focusing on strategies to synergistically combine information from two or more subject areas. These techniques may be more meaningful for students than schooling's normal unidimensional learning techniques because real life occurs within multiple contexts. Such techniques…

Contends that institutional education, concerned with standards and consistency of evaluation, should be balanced by the importance of raising awareness about environmental issues. Advocates experiential learning to give meaning to life which can help students adjust their behavior. Encourages teachers to model learning behavior with students,…

Argues the importance of the relationships among silence and literature, the arts, and other experiences that point toward transcendence. Suggests that English teachers can expand the repertoire of classroom activities and teaching techniques that make use of silence. (KEH)

History definition and interpretation often excludes many groups. History education should teach learning habits and thinking skills that produce legitimate historical generalizations supported by reliable sources. Student historians must change from passive accepters of others' interpretations to historians grappling to define, interpret, and…

Explores the use of computers in design-oriented learning and the need to reconstruct curriculum to accommodate the new technology. Mathematics, psychology, and music are highlighted, a musical computer design environment called Streamer is described, and implications of a design-oriented computer environment for programming and the structure of…

This paper considers how well today's young adolescents are prepared for their future roles as citizens, noting that the public schools have a unique opportunity to positively affect their students' civic knowledge, values, and behaviors. The paper contends that recent research suggests that the next generation of citizens may lack the knowledge,…

Suggests greater emphasis on middle school music education, both as part of general education and of the curriculum's exploratory component. Argues that music can add emotion to social studies and promote learning in all subject areas through rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. Calls for student opportunities to explore instruments and composition. (SG)

States that a real education should give health-technology providers the skills and understanding that enable them to be autonomous in the performance of their duties. Asserts that simultaneous multiskilling, providing skills in a number of areas, and the reintroduction of traditions of "master craftsmanship" better prepare students for the…

Based on the premise that environmental education should be taught in K-12 social studies classes, this document describes the eco/studies concept of the constant interaction between natural and human designed environments. The use of a model, through which students role play as researching social scientists, is described, along with the concepts…