Innovation and ingenuity have long been hallmarks of the U.S.' economy. Our competitive strength is built on the legacy of great innovators--from Alexander Graham Bell and Lewis Latimer to the Wright brothers and Steve Jobs. The U.S. has prized its status as a leader in developing creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, but by many estimates, it is…

Recent calls for teacher preparation to become more grounded in practice prompt the questions: Which practices? and perhaps more fundamentally, what counts as a model of instruction worth learning for a new professional--i.e., the beginner's repertoire? In this report, we argue the following: If a defined set of subject-specific high-leverage…

Teaching is a complex activity that requires making ongoing multiple decisions and sporadic, responsive actions all while performing preplanned prescribed tasks. Evidence of certain aspects of teaching can be best assessed with a well-designed observation instrument. This instrument was designed to assess the enactment of the essential elements of…

In recent years, a number of National Research Council reports have emphasized the need to improve science education and enhance science literacy for all students. In addition, the newly released "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" advocates engaging students in scientific practices and disciplinary core ideas. Children are not learning…

This article examines the merits of WebQuests in facilitating students' in-depth understanding of science concepts using the four principles of learning gathered from the National Research Council reports "How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School" (1999) and the "How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom" (2005) as an analytic…

In France, project activities figure predominantly in technology education. The general idea behind learning based on project activity is to allow the pupil to get involved in the activity in question, with the pupil tackling real situations rather than ones of an abstract nature. But too often, we notice that the pedagogical strategies used by…

This article presents a model of collaborative inquiry for groups of science teachers who want to systematically improve their practice through analyses of student work. The five-phase APEX[superscript ST] (Advancing High-Leverage Practices by Examining Student Thinking) model is appropriate for students of all achievement levels. It focuses on…

Physics First--a movement to invert the traditional science course sequence to teach physics at the ninth-grade level--is gaining interest. However, there is limited literature exploring how to support teachers in successfully implementing Physics First. To address this, a professional development (PD) program supporting a cadre of teacher-leaders…

There exists a wealth of computing education literature devoted to interventions designed to overcome novices' difficulties in learning to write computer programs. However, various studies have shown that the majority of students at the end of a semester of instruction are still unable to write a simple computer program, despite the best efforts…

Urban schools serving low-income minority children face a variety of challenges related to teacher quality, resources and school infrastructure. Programs such as the GK-12 Fellows Program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), try to mitigate some of these issues by supporting partnerships between local school districts and institutions…

Reports on a survey which was undertaken to provide an overview of the biology content of a selection of General Certificate of Secondary Education science syllabuses. Lists syllabuses examined and the four themes in terms of which they were analyzed. Concludes that each contained a substantial biology component. (RT)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors a range of programs to fund innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Focuses on NSF's expectations for project evaluation beginning with a definition of evaluation and a discussion of why evaluation is needed. Also describes planning, formative, and summative evaluation stages and concludes…

The background of teaching science in secondary schools in Papua New Guinea is described in order to familiarize readers with the situation at Goroka Teachers' College (GTC) in the early 1980s where it was necessary to attempt to increase educational standards in science. Goroka Teachers' College was the main source of science teachers for…

Project ESTEEM (Earth Science Teachers Exploring Exemplary Materials) is designed to improve earth science teaching by providing materials and personnel to reverse the decline in activity-based instruction. During an intense summer program, precollege teachers examine and present activities for earth-science courses. These materials are assembled…

The intention of this guide is to consider the concepts, skills, facts, and attitudes of science which are taught in school; explore how content might be chosen; argue for a reduction in curriculum content; suggest major topics for science teaching; use examples to illustrate aspects of science content; and consider some of the implications of…