Long before the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") were formalized, sensors and other probeware engaged students in science and engineering practices (Metcalf and Tinker 2004). A new generation of probeware based on modern Internet of Things (IoT) technologies is beginning to expand the ways that students can…

American classrooms are increasingly heterogeneous linguistically. If all students are to engage in three-dimensional learning, how are educators making classroom assessments accessible and meaningful for emergent bilingual learners? There are few classroom assessment exemplars that embody the NGSS three-dimensional vision of the…

The National Research Council's recent publication "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011), which is the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards now being developed, places unprecedented focus on the practices involved in doing scientific and engineering work. In an effort…

International comparisons help us explore the assumptions made about U.S. schools, students, and pedagogy. That is why the author decided to spend five months in the Czech Republic teaching science education courses at Palacky and Ostrava Universities and learning about the Czech education system. As a result, the new context challenged his…

Initiatives in education reform emphasize inquiry-based active learning and real-world relevance to increase science literacy nationwide. Active teaching and learning approaches yield rapid intellectual development and may increase interest and motivation to learn science. Incorporating the topic of drug use with neuroscience, biology, psychology,…

Discusses the concept of multicultural education and argues that the curriculum must reflect the cultural diversity of the school's population and must treat as worthwhile the contributions of all groups to the American society. Presents examples of current policies and opinion on multicultural education. (JRH)

Discusses the changes in science instruction resulting from one school's move to block scheduling. Longer class periods were found to increase the amount of concepts taught and time for activities. Figures contain a sample student schedule, goals for restructuring, rationale for block scheduling, and a sample density experiment. (LZ)

Describes a project at the Corvallis High School in rural Montana that combines three educational reforms--inclusion of students with diverse academic needs, inquiry-based teaching techniques, and instructional strategies for learning. Discusses project outcomes, including student achievement levels, student attitudes, and student expectations.…

This article describes some typical 90-minute lessons in biology and chemistry designed for use with block scheduling. The lessons illustrate the benefits of block scheduling to science instruction. Contains an example of one day's block scheduling of science and mathematics courses. (LZ)

Describes the Electric Vehicle Education Program (EVEP) validated by the Georgia Department of Education and evaluated by the University of Georgia. Discusses the potential for the curriculum and training program and the program's impact on students and communities. (KHR)

Describes the grassroots approach of the California Scope, Sequence and Coordination Project that was designed to achieve widespread and persistent change in public school science education. (PR)

Inquiry instruction is a hallmark of the current science education reform efforts. Science teachers know that inquiry is important, yet most teachers lack a practical framework of inquiry to inform their instruction. Defining inquiry and assessing how much inquiry is supported by a particular activity or lab can be difficult and confusing. This…

Discusses important tenets of the Scope Sequence and Coordination (SS&C) project and presents the SS&C high school project designed specifically to achieve the National Science Education Standards. Specifies the scope, sequence, and coordination of the natural sciences in grades 9 through 12 in support of general goals taken from the…

Substantial growth of Hispanic and Asian immigration in the United States during the past decade has begun to affect almost all school systems, not just those in urban or coastal areas. This realization has led the author to choose Developing a World View for Science Education as the theme for his National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)…

Discusses the need for integration of the learner's culture into the academic and social context of the science classroom to aid and support academic learning. Presents a typology of cultural inclusion that enables science teachers to determine the extent that currently used instructional strategies, curriculum, textbooks and other resources,…