"Potemkin schools" is used as the phrase to capture what a US science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) public speciality high school becomes as a result of its institutional branding. By way of an examination of the efforts of one teacher drawn into school branding through his "inquiry-based reform" of an Advanced Chemistry course,…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--focused on science teaching/learning in New Zealand primary schools. Project goals included the identification of major problems of classroom teaching and learning and the study of factors which promote or limit individual children's learning of science. This…

Two booklets were developed by the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--to help teachers adopt an approach to primary science teaching which would enhance children's understanding of floating and sinking. Both booklets were designed to enable teachers to reconceptualize their teaching task from activity-driven, didactic teaching to…

Two booklets were developed by the Learning in Science Project (primary)--LISP(P)--to help teachers adopt an approach to science teaching which would enhance children's understanding of floating and sinking; the strategy enables teachers to reconceptualize their teaching task from activity-driven, didactic teaching to conceptual-change teaching.…

Creating a game for third-grade students that school librarians and teachers can use in their school libraries and classrooms is a unique challenge, especially if that game is based on teaching anatomy. But that's exactly what an instructional team from Auburn University in Alabama decided to do. The team--which consisted of a school librarian who…

A strong, recent movement in tertiary education is the development of conceptual, or "big idea" teaching. The emphasis in course design is now on promoting key understandings, core competencies, and an understanding of connections between different fields. In biochemistry teaching, this radical shift from the content-based tradition is…

The aim of the Learning in Science Project is to: (1) investigate science teaching/learning at the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14); (2) identify some of the key difficulties in this subject area; and (3) find ways of overcoming such difficulties. The project is seen both as an evaluative and a research project in that it is concerned with…

The first working paper of the Learning in Science Project, "An Initial Framework," outlined what was then seen as the major aims of the project and suggested how these aims might be achieved by three phases of research: exploratory (to observe teaching/learning in Form 1 to 4 science classrooms and to identify difficulties perceived by…

An alternative teaching model has been proposed by the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P). The model uses a six-step approach (outlined in an appendix) which fosters an environment in which children can ask questions about a situation, offer explanations, carry out investigations, and report their findings. This paper reports on the…

Two booklets were developed by the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--to help teachers adopt an approach to primary science teaching which would enhance children's understanding of floating and sinking. Both booklets were designed to enable teachers to reconceptualize their teaching task from activity-driven, didactic teaching to…

This inventory of science education projects for minorities in the United States contains a survey of efforts made since 1960 to improve the science education of minority groups and to increase their participation in science and science-related careers. All levels of science education are included in the survey; physical and biological sciences,…

Described is an earth science course in which students develop projects throughout the school year. Essential behavior goals, a description of projects for developing cooperative group skills, and a student evaluation form are included. (KR)

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--was designed to examine problems and difficulties in primary science and to explore ways of overcoming these problems. Early research led to a proposal that children's questions and explanations could form the basis of an alternative teaching approach. However, several issues were raised which…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--developed a handbook for a unit on "floating and sinking". The handbook contains information about ideas children and scientists have about the topic and several investigations and projects designed to help teachers move children gradually from intuitive explanations toward those which…

Science programs provided for primary school have not always been successful. A major reason suggested is that some programs place demands on teachers which many teachers find difficult to meet and which give rise to concerns which restrict their development as teachers of science. Based on the work of the the Learning in Science Project…