If you have not yet come across Practical Action's teaching resources, this article will open your eyes to a wealth of free high-quality materials that will support your teaching of science within a real-life global context. The potential benefits and importance of this approach, both for increasing student engagement in science and for the future…

The "Framework" (NRC 2012) and "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) require science teachers to think differently. Specifically, NGSS's performance expectations now require that three domains (disciplinary core ideas (DCI), crosscutting concepts (CCC), and scientific and engineering practices (SEP)) be…

Groundwater contamination is a serious environmental problem, given that all living things depend on this essential resource. Groundwater represents less than 1% of all water found on Earth, but nearly 90% of the freshwater used comes from groundwater (USGS 2016). The problem-based activity described in this article actively engages students in…

Science teachers are often content to leave creativity to the arts and humanities classes. Fostering creativity in science, if attempted at all, is a challenge often relegated to the gifted classroom. But not just the privileged few have the capacity to be creative. Simply restructuring existing lessons can help promote creativity in all science…

How can we use new technology to support and educate the science leaders of tomorrow? This unique book describes the design, development, and implementation of an effective science leadership program that promotes collaboration among scientists and science educators, provides authentic research experiences for educators, and facilitates adaptation…

Project-based science (PBS) instruction can simply be defined as a student-centered science teaching approach, in which students produce tangible learning outcomes by posing and answering research questions that are relevant to their own lives and communities. In a PBS classroom, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own…

Problem based learning is a successful teaching and learning strategy used to engage students in deep rather than surface learning and where the learning is student focused rather than teacher focused (Biggs, 1999; 2003). The strategy is also successful in aligning university courses with the real-life professional work which students are expected…

A science education center at a university medical school had grant funding to develop a genetics curriculum unit, but needed a dissemination plan. A statewide science teacher organization that provided professional development training was facing decreased funding. These two groups combined their efforts, and created a unique partnership, called…

This paper reports on the experiences of a small collaborative inquiry group consisting of a high school science teacher, Deidre, and two university researchers, the authors of this paper, as they explored an active, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning referred to as Problem-Based Learning or PBL (Barrows, 1994; Barrows & Tamblyn,…

Recent events, such as the anthrax scares and the SARS outbreak, have forced teachers to focus on issues such as disease control and bioterrorism in their own backyards. Students are aware of the current biological issues in the news and are curious about infectious diseases and the issues relating to biological warfare. In order to address the…

When most teachers hear the phrase "professional development," skepticism clouds their faces. But research-based professional development can provide interesting experiences and valuable content knowledge. The Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, helps "facilitate professional development of…