An international survey of geoscience education has been carried out jointly by UNESCO and the International Geoscience Education Organisation (IGEO) to address the question of 'How does school-level Earth science education compare across the globe? The survey gathered data from experts in 51 countries, comprising more than half the global…

Science teaching and learning in the United States are at a pivotal point. "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012b) and the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"; NGSS Lead States 2013) shift science educators' focus from simply teaching science ideas to helping students figure out phenomena and…

Despite significant pressure to reform science teaching and learning in K12 schools, and a concurrent call to reform undergraduate courses, higher education science content courses have remained relatively static. Higher education science faculty have few opportunities to explore research on how people learn, examine state or national science…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore two elementary teachers' implementation of engineering design over two academic years and to describe how their teaching practice changed over the two instructional cycles. This study used field notes and audio transcripts of the teachers during their engineering design teaching, written…

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was tasked with identifying the key science concepts for science literacy in K-12 students in America (AAAS, 1990, 1993). The AAAS Atlas of Science Literacy (2001) has organized roughly half of these science concepts or benchmarks into fifty flow charts. Each flow chart or strand map…

This report presents the findings from Project Tomorrow's 2007 Speak Up Survey, informing international discussions about how to improve science learning in the 21st century through an exploration of student, teacher, parent, and school leader attitudes about science education. Project Tomorrow administered its survey in all 50 United States, the…

This digest discusses the inclusion of "sustainability" concept in environmental education. Topics included are: (1) definiton of sustainability; (2) inclusion of the concept in the curriculum using interdisciplinary approaches; and (3) a list of instructional materials containing the concept at the elementary, secondary, and college…

Suggests ways of incorporating astronomy into the elementary and secondary school science curriculum, including field trips, science clubs, and the development of astronomy sections for British school syllabi. (SK)

To prevent increasing personal injuries and property loss, teachers need to educate themselves and their students about geological hazards. The author discusses earthquakes, downslope movement, dam failures, shoreline erosion, and other geologic hazards. Information on suggested teacher resources is provided. (DS)

Several new objectives for science education are discussed as a means of categorizing research findings. They include: definition, accommodation, oversimplification, exemplification, association, and representation. The objectives will require new styles of verbal interaction between science teachers and their students. (Author/JN)

Presents several examples of the interface of science teaching and politics. Supports the notion of a double function in teaching biology: (1) to educate a young person for critical observation, independent judgment, and responsible action; and (2) to prepare him for the future. (CS)

A curriculum assessment instrument designed to determine how well curriculum materials reflect the accepted goals of environmental education is presented. The instrument is divided into the following goals: ecological foundations, issues and values, investigation and evaluation, environmental action, and teaching methods and practices. Directions…

A project to develop science curricula for high-ability learners in grades K-8 reviewed curriculum materials and developed criteria for assessing curriculum materials, science concept papers, a scope and sequence model, and exemplary curriculum units. The curriculum centered on the role of students as investigators. Implications of the project are…

This guide consists of examples and blank worksheets to aid Oklahoma schools in assessing their science curriculum on a continuing basis. Worksheets focus on: (1) philosophy and rationale of science curricula; (2) expected student outcomes; (3) educational programs (topics covered and concepts emphasized); (4) student skills; (5) program…

A major study sponsored by the National Science Foundation says most science education is characterized by traditional teaching of the contents of textbooks. (Author)