Astronomy has great potential to attract children toward science and improve their scientific literacy. However, it has a relatively small presence within the school curricula worldwide. In Chile, home of the world's largest telescopes, astronomy is even more relevant in science education, but the presence of astronomical content within the…

Defining what is meant by 'life' seems, on the face of it, straightforward. But, as this article explores, once you delve below the surface you find that providing a definition that everyone agrees upon is nearly impossible. By first considering how biologists and philosophers of science debate the issue of defining life, the article then goes…

The new Curriculum for Wales seeks to develop young people who are ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world and committed to the sustainability of the planet. While the curriculum requires the integration of subject knowledge, the associated guidance fails to suggest a philosophy of knowledge to inform such integration. Having linked…

President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" initiative emphasizes training in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). More recently, arts have been added to STEM, resulting in the acronym STEAM: Science and Technology interpreted through Engineering and the Arts, based in the Mathematical elements. However, should the…

Current definitions of STEM skills are inconsistent and not specific enough to inform education and skill policies and initiatives, potentially leading to a number of unsubstantiated and uncoordinated responses. There is a danger of generating a domestic oversupply of graduates in science, mathematics, engineering and technology while ignoring the…

Purpose: The purpose of this scientific monograph is to show new and creative approaches to different school subjects in primary and secondary level. Methodology: Interdisciplinary and international comparative approaches were used. Now according to the 7th Framework Program, the preferred form of Science Education (www.scientix.eu) is preferred…

The paper is the fifth of a series of working papers developed by a project which conducted a cooperative study of existing student study team (SST) processes in nine California special education local plan areas. The working papers augment the final report by providing detailed descriptions of the methods used and the preliminary findings. This…

The mastery of the reasoning skills of observation, classification, serialization, and spatial relationships is not solely within the province of social studies but also falls heavily upon students' acquisition of concepts, skills, and operations in mathematics. Each of these skills, as they relate to social studies and math, is discussed. (RM)

This paper argues that because estimates of the number of people with developmental dyslexia range from 3% to 20% of the population, it is imperative that educators be knowledgeable about dyslexia, including being up-to-date on the neuroanatomical dyslexia research. It then reviews neuroanatomical research, including findings from seminal research…

This current response to a 1968 article by Ray Barsch (EC 602 662) notes lack of progress in defining and classifying learning disabilities and in determining appropriate interventions to help students with learning disabilities. The paper distinguishes among three types of learning problems and notes the need for individualized transdisciplinary…

This commentary on a reprinted 1968 article by Ray Barsch (EC 602 662) considers each of Barsch's perspectives on learning disabilities (history, disciplines, education, teacher preparation, province, and time) and concludes that a perspective comparing now to then finds that students with learning disabilities are now significantly better served.…

Reviews the debate from the standpoint of entitlement about the education of children who are classified as seriously emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted. It examines how research has supported or contradicted the notion of entitlement from the standpoint of prevalence, classification, intervention, and cost. Ethical guidelines are…

The paper presents a discussion of human mental processes as they relate to learning disabilities. Pathognomonic symptoms associated with disturbances to brain areas or functional systems are discussed, as well as treatment procedures. This brain behavior relationship is offered as a basis for a classification system that is seen to more clearly…

Mastery learning research focuses on learner-oriented and instruction-based factors that relate the concepts of time as a variable and high student achievement as a constant. This research emphasis encompasses optimistic assumptions about the capability of students to learn if: (1) alterable variables are optimized, and (2)…

This guide defines the basic competencies in reasoning and describes how to incorporate them into the educational program at all grade levels. Reasoning is the ability to approach day-to-day problems with intelligent decision-making skills. It is important for students to begin developing reasoning skills at an early age and in all subject areas.…