Robertson discusses the "perceived dichotomy" that permeates science teaching: teachers can either stress inquiry learning with lots of hands-on experiences or stress content knowledge and swap hands-on inquiry for direct instruction. Although a curriculum of unstructured hands-on science activities leads to shallow content knowledge, it is…

Describes some recent science education developments that might make scientific literacy a reachable goal for all students, not just the academically elite. Instead of inculcating "factoids," educators must stress depth over breadth, link concepts to instructional themes, and engage students through direct experiences and cooperative learning.…

A new science program for elementary schools (developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) emphasizes concrete experiences, providing students with opportunities to observe phenomena, record their observations, and discuss them with other students. Cooperative learning is a primary program component because it enhances children's ability…

Reviews some of the more important components in the curriculum development process that have evolved over 30 years at the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Outlines the process involved in the revision and restructuring of the tenth-grade biology curriculum. Includes references. (MD)

Summarizes 25 years of teaching research, highlighting changing implications and developmental continuities. Discusses process-outcome research, including school effects and teacher effects inquiry, and research on teaching for understanding and use of knowledge, meaning construction, subject matter teaching, indepth study of fewer topics, and…

Science education should be effective as "Science for All" but the science curriculums introduced in the 1960s and 1970s were inadequate and only served a science "elite" while teaching the majority of students that science was not for them. Science must be reexamined and curriculum developers should emphasize exciting examples and everyday…