In scientific practices, students are frequently asked to conduct investigations to produce data that will serve as the basis for evidence that meets the goals of an investigation. But however, assisting in the formulation and implementation of students' investigations is often a difficult task for many teachers because authentic investigations…

Elementary science is chock-full of wonderful experiences for students. Do children see iPads as a tool for learning about science? Using Prensky (2010) as a guide, the researchers decided to see if "assessing students with their own" tools (p.178) using iPad apps would support learning discrete knowledge for electricity and light…

This seven to eight week hands-on Marine Debris Clean-up Project used a service project to provide an introduction of marine science ecology, watershed interrelationships, the scientific method, and environmental stewardship to 8th grade middle school students. It utilized inquiry based learning to introduce marine debris sources and impacts to…

Very little has been published about the amount and nature science teaching in Australian primary schools and that which has is largely based on written surveys completed by teachers and principals at a sample of schools. This study was designed to follow these surveys into the classroom. I observed fourteen science lessons, interviewed twelve…

This paper describes the need for "learnscapes" on schoolgrounds. Learnscapes are places where a learning program has been designed to permit users to interact with an environment. They may be naturally built; inside or outside; located in schools, near schools, or beyond schools; relate to any one or many Key Learning Areas; and must be…

The schoolground is a small and vital piece of earth--a microcosm of a diverse and sustaining world. Promoting an environmental ethic in this location is a challenging opportunity for educators. This paper shows that natural places in schoolgrounds can provide the venue for exciting and ongoing teaching and learning opportunities in this outdoor…

This study investigates science teachers' attitudes toward inquiry-based teaching and the influence of student participation in science activities on these attitudes. There were 45 teacher participants who taught upper elementary through high school. The three guiding questions of the study were: What are teachers' views of science inquiry? What…

The results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) published in 1977 suggested that the achievement of New Zealand students in science could be considerably improved. A significant barrier to improving achievement, particularly in the physical sciences, was identified as a lack of teacher knowledge of the scientific…

This paper is a report on the teaching experiment conducted in the Introduction to Engineering I course at PUC-Rio's Technical-Scientific Center (CTC) during the two terms of 1997. The idea was to test and develop hands-on teaching methodology as set forth in "Hands-on Teaching and Concurrent Teaching: Relations and Difficulties" (Carmo…

Using an interactive method to teach middle school students can address the needs of this diverse population. Electrofiles provide opportunities for students to be actively engaged in learning. Students can build content knowledge in electrical circuits by designing an electrofile or they can review other content area knowledge through a variety…

This study assessed the impact that reflective journals used in an introductory college science course had on preservice teachers' science literacy. Fourteen preservice teachers enrolled in an introductory physical science course taught using a variety of constructivist instructional methods (hands-on activities, cooperative group work,…

The nature of science encompasses the entire world and within that realm, patterns of life can be observed, interpreted, and organized into a sensible arrangement of understanding. By discovering, through an intricate process, how shapes and images form into a complete design or sequence, students related similar scientific patterns to their own…

Observation in schools by college supervisors indicates a gap between what a teacher knows on a theoretical level and what is actually done in classrooms on a practical level. This study was to determine where teachers perceived encountering encouragement or discouragement for lessons involving hands-on activities in science. A questionnaire was…

This paper presents the experiment being conducted in the Electric Circuits II course (ELE1103) at PUC-Rio's Electrical Engineering Department since March 1997. This experiment was held in both the fall and the spring semesters of 1997. The basis for the experiment was concurrent teaching methodology, to which the principles of entrepreneurship…

A suite of networked computer tools within a pedagogical framework was designed to enhance earth science education at the high school level. These tools give students access to live satellite images, weather maps, and other scientific data dealing with the weather, and make it easy for students to make their own weather forecasts by creating…