We describe the development, design, implementation, and preliminary classroom results of an innovative curriculum, "Focus on Energy," that supports learning about energy in Grades 4-5. The curriculum is grounded in the concepts of science as practice, model-based reasoning, and learning progressions, and builds on students' pre-existing…

It is known that students face daily life problems in the life sciences course in primary school; therefore, it is particularly important to use empathic skills in resolving these problems. However, research has determined that the teachers allocate only limited time to empathic activities, and there also very few such activities in textbooks.…

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in…

Nicky Waller and Chris Baker believe that change can be a good thing and explain how their training has helped others to adjust to the new science curriculum. In September 2013, teachers across England received the definitive version of the new primary curriculum "Leading Change in the Primary Science Curriculum." This course aimed to…

Thirty preservice teachers enrolled in a field-based science methods course were placed at a public elementary school for coursework and for teaching practice with elementary students. Candidates focused on building conceptual understanding of science content and pedagogical methods through innovative curriculum development and other course…

Federal educational policy, "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001", focused attention on America's education with conspicuous results. One aspect, "highly qualified classroom teacher" and "principal" (HQ), was taxing since states established individual accountability structures. The HQ impact and use of data-informed…

This study used innovative assessment practices to obtain and document broad learning outcomes for a 15-hour game-based curriculum in Quest Atlantis, a multi-user virtual environment that supports school-based participation in socio scientific inquiry in ecological sciences. Design-based methods were used to refine and align the enactment of…

The authors analyze some problems met in the attempt to implement an elementary science curriculum involving the use of Elementary Science Study units. The highly organized large scale effort at implementation seemed to have considerable impact at first, but it is now hard to identify lasting effects. The organization of workshops and use of…

This study assessed the efficiency of the current science radio programs in Uganda, determined whether there exists any significant difference in performance of students who receive radio lessons in science and those who do not, and assessed problems associated with the utilization of the science radio programs in primary classes. Data were…

IT-INSET (Initial Training-In-Service Education of Teachers), is sponsored by the Department of Education and Science. It supports curriculum development by local teachers, providing them with initial-year education students as aides. The operation of the project at one junior school and the science curriculum developed are outlined. (SJL)

This evaluation report investigates the effectiveness of the Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) program during the academic year, 1973-74. USMES is a curricular program designed to develop the problem solving abilities of students attending grades one through eight. The goal of the program is the development of 32…

Year one of a three-year curriculum implementation effort focused on facilitating curriculum implementation through diagnostic-prescriptive staff development guided by the concepts and tenets of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model. This curriculum implementation effort involved 12 kindergarten through sixth grade generalist teachers in an isolated…

One hundred eighty studies of science inservice projects reported in the literature from 1973-1980 were reviewed. Sixteen of these studies contained sufficient data for meta-analysis (technique by which treatment effects can be quantified, standardized, and compared using a "size effect" statistic). The magnitude of the effect of the…

This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the UNESCO Primary Science Project being piloted in Grade 5 in selected Malawi schools. Specific objectives included determining: (1) differences in performance and attitudes between students following the UNESCO program and students following the old primary science program and (2) problems…

Population education has been introduced into school curricula in a large number of countries in most regions of the world. The purpose of this document is to help various national population education program leaders to share information and learn from each other. The publication is the result of a cooperative effort involving the participation…