Worksheets are often used during field trips and utilize a learning cycle with three stages (exploration, concept introduction and concept application) to engage learners in the learning activities of observation and exploration. However, traditional paper worksheets do not provide multimedia and interactive presentations with physical objects,…

Purpose: In a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) program, Hellison noted that transferring responsibility values to areas beyond the gym was the most important aspect of a responsibility-based program. The purpose of this study was to examine how the use of guided discovery strategies in a TPSR program impacts and promotes how…

The main purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of science teacher candidates regarding the implementation of Discovery Learning-Based STEM Education in distance education with Applied Activities. The study was designed as a case study. Participants were first given basic chemistry education and introduced to the concepts of STEM,…

Students thrive when presented with tasks that are approachable, challenging, and interesting. Remembering to challenge all students is essential, not just those who excel in mathematics; teachers need to open the door to meaningful mathematics for every learner. In this exploration into subtraction patterns, teachers will see how curious young…

A total of 268 primary school children (age 8.75 ± 0.65) spent one day at a wildlife park attending environmental education aiming at high cognitive achievement and motivation alongside maintained discipline. To accomplish this at an out-of-school learning setting, we compared our preferred 'guided learning at workstations' (G) combining the…

Both exploration and explicit instruction are thought to benefit learning in many ways, but much less is known about how the two can be combined. We tested the hypothesis that engaging in exploratory activities prior to receiving explicit instruction better prepares children to learn from the instruction. Children (159 second- to fourth-grade…

An emerging consensus suggests that guided discovery, which combines discovery and instruction, is a more effective educational approach than either one in isolation. The goal of this study was to examine two specific forms of guided discovery, testing whether conceptual instruction should precede or follow exploratory problem solving. In both…

There is a recognized need for theoretical frameworks that can guide designers and educators in the development of engagement-rich learning experiences that incorporate emerging technologies in pedagogically sound ways. This study investigated one such promising framework, adventure learning (AL). Data were gathered via surveys, interviews, direct…

This study evaluates the effects of an interdisciplinary standards-based school garden-based education program on student learning. The objective of the program is to help students learn to be self-directed learners, community contributors, complex thinkers, quality producers, effective communicators, and effective/ethical users of technology. For…

Providing exploratory activities prior to explicit instruction can facilitate learning. However, the level of guidance provided during the exploration has largely gone unstudied. In this study, we examined the effects of 1 form of guidance, feedback, during exploratory mathematics problem solving for children with varying levels of prior domain…

We explore the immediate and longer term consequences of different types of instruction about a central topic in middle school science: the "Control of Variables Strategy" (CVS). CVS represents the procedural and conceptual basis for designing simple, unconfounded experiments, such that unambiguous causal inferences can be made. CVS…

Children possess a genuine curiosity for exploring the natural world around them. One third grade teacher capitalized on this inherent trait by leading her students on "A Geometric Scavenger Hunt." The four-lesson inquiry investigation described in this article integrates mathematics and science. Among the students' discoveries was the fact that…

With archaeologists continually finding new pieces of the past, students will undoubtedly see and hear of new discoveries in the media. By using archaeology as a context for investigating past cultures and using science methods, teachers can capitalize on students' interests while still addressing concepts recommended (or required) for their…

This exploratory study examined the feasibility of (a) a reading methods course promoting habits of inquiry in preservice teachers and (b) using "video cases" as a means of both promoting habits of inquiry and measuring the extent to which a preservice teacher has developed the dimensions of inquiry-based teaching. Three dimensions of inquiry were…

We report on an evaluation of the effectiveness of Project ARIES, an astronomy-based physical science curriculum for upper elementary and middle school children. ARIES students use innovative, simple, and affordable apparatus to carry out a wide range of indoor and outdoor hands-on, discovery-based activities. Student journals and comprehensive…