We describe the design rationale and structure of a Methods for Teaching Physics course that was redesigned as a project-based learning (PBL) environment, and the entailed learning process it fostered. The projects consisted of the design and teaching of physics lessons with predefined content and pedagogical focus and were structured as a guided…

A novel didactic sequence is proposed for the teaching of chemical equilibrium. This teaching sequence takes into account the historical and epistemological evolution of the concept, the alternative conceptions and learning difficulties highlighted by teaching science and research in education, and the need to focus on both the students'…

This paper describes a secondary school experience which is intended to help students to think profoundly about some energy-related concepts. It is quite different to other experiences of mechanics because the focus is not on the quantitative calculation of energy conservation but on the qualitative understanding of energy degradation. We first…

In this article we describe current educational research underlying a comprehensive model for building a scientific classroom discourse community. We offer a professional development activity for a school-based professional learning community, providing specific science instructional strategies within this interactive teaching model. This design…

In this article, the authors describe a lesson that uses the 5E Learning Cycle to help students not only understand the atomic model but also how Ernest Rutherford helped develop it. The lesson uses Rutherford's gold foil experiment to focus on three aspects of the nature of science: the empirical nature of science, the tentativeness of scientific…

The flashlight is a simple device that is composed of a lightbulb, usually two cells connected in series, a housing, a switch, and a reflector for the light. All flashlights essentially use these parts to complete a circuit that converts the stored chemical energy in the cells to light energy. In this lesson, students will take apart an…

This paper provides an introduction to the concept of pedagogical link-making in the context of teaching and learning scientific conceptual knowledge. Pedagogical link-making is concerned with the ways in which teachers and students make connections between ideas in the ongoing meaning-making interactions of classroom teaching and learning. First…

Since 2004, middle and high school students have been monitoring the effects of ground-level ozone by collecting data on observable leaf injury on cutleaf coneflower ("Rudbeckia laciniata") and crownbeard ("Verbesina occidentalis") in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This project is part of an ongoing citizen-science effort in which…

This article describes some of the underlying conceptualizations that have gone into the work of the BEAR Center in the development of learning progressions. The core of all of these developments has been the construct map, which is the first building block in the BEAR Assessment System (BAS). After introducing the concept of a learning…

Although teachers in principle are prepared to make use of science centers, such excursions often fail to facilitate learning processes. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the link between science centers and schools. The design and evaluation of valuable outreach projects may enhance students' out-of-school science learning. In our study, we…

A group of high school students and chaperones boarded a bus for historic Oakland Cemetery located in downtown Atlanta. Students explored the site and made observations of the gravestones, many of which were old and run-down. Upon leaving the cemetery, students--based on their interests--developed various chemistry investigations aimed at…

The authors used the 5E learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) and a pulmonary carbon dioxide mystery to introduce eighth grade students to the study of chemistry. The activity engages students in measurement, data collection, data analysis, media and internet research, research design, and report writing as they search…

Describes a curriculum development project in which the Science Education Center of the University of Oklahoma and the science department of Norman (Oklahoma) High School prepared and classroom tested complete courses in biology, chemistry, and physics using the learning cycle principles of exploration, conceptual invention, and discovery. (JN)

Suggests incorporating three-phase learning cycle into laboratory teaching to foster formal reasoning skills. Describes five types of laboratories, each of which offers experiences necessary for the initial phase of the learning cycle. Indicates importance of presenting concepts in a way that progresses from concrete to abstract. (JN)

Describes the learning theories of G. Stanley Hall and Edward L. Thorndike and their impact on physics instruction in the twentieth century. (SK)