A model of the teaching-learning environment, based on cognitive-constructivist theories of learning, is presented. The model consists of three dimensions. Dimension One (Opportunity for Constructivist Activity) represents the proportion of teaching-learning activity that is directed to encouraging self-reflection, mobilization of individual…

Presented is a description of a study done to assess an undergraduate science methods course. The subjects involved in the study were 82 elementary education majors at Louisiana State University. Students not in the course served as a comparison group. The treatment group participated in science activities selected from ESS, SCIS, and SAPA…

Using the Biomedical Sciences Preparatory Program (BioPrep) for illustration, this paper discusses an approach to educational improvement through the development of curriculum that emphasizes experiential learning and the involvement of students in real-life problems. Opening sections describe BioPrep, a program designed to prepare rural high…

This study examined how the science methods program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln affected pre-service elementary teachers' attitudes toward teaching science. A pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate the change in attitude over the course of the semester. Results of the study indicated that the methods course positively influenced…

Teaching science at the elementary school level requires an experiential approach to engage students' interest. One teacher at a small American Indian tribal school volunteered to teach one science lesson per week to each elementary class. Untrained in the techniques of teaching science to young children, he began with a discussion of the four…

This paper describes the design and results of a study carried out with elementary pupils ages 8-9 years on the topic of sinking and floating, with the aim of checking the validity of a general scheme for classroom activities based on a constructivist perspective. Children's "ways of looking" at buoyancy and the production of materials…

A significant alternative to the traditional text-based approach to elementary science has been represented by the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). Although the literature documents the process of the investigative approach, greater utilization of available programs and support from teachers are not evidenced. This investigation was…

Discussion about and reflection upon observations which produce cognitive conflict have frequently been promoted as a strategy to enhance conceptual development in science classrooms. As part of the Practical Mechanics in Primary Mathematics project, teachers were urged to elicit children's views and attempt to establish what is now called…

This paper focuses on the evidence of learning in children engaged in small-group discussion with a teacher. The children are considered to have learned if they show progress in the explanations they make, the language they use in the dialogue, or the understanding they show of the dialogue. Motives of the participants in this dialogue are…