With teachers continuing to report challenges in classroom management and difficulties in implementing scientific inquiry, the current manner in which science practical work is conducted in schools suggests the need for added teacher support. In this regard, we can leverage computer vision to provide instructional support by relieving teachers of…

Classroom discourse can affect various aspects of student learning in science. The present study examines interactions between classroom discourse, specifically teacher questioning, and related student cognitive engagement in middle school science. Observations were conducted throughout the school year in 10 middle school science classrooms using…

Experiments, as we all know, are especially important in science education. However, their impact on improving thinking could be even greater when applied together with the methods of inquiry-based learning (IBL). In this paper we present our observations of a high-school laboratory class where students used computers to carry out and analyse real…

The purpose of the observational study was to investigate whether spaces in Second Life (SL) displaying interactive scientific exhibits can become potential avenues to promote inquiry in teaching scientific concepts. 42 SL spaces (islands) were selected using inclusion/exclusion criteria out of 155 spaces that were found using three different…

This article focuses on the potential of free tools, particularly inquiry tools for influencing participation in twenty-first-century learning in science, as well as influencing the development of communities around tools. Two examples are presented: one on the development of an open source tool for structured inquiry learning that can bridge the…

Investigated the appropriateness of microcomputer-based laboratories (MBLs) for elementary school students. Reports that children expanded their repertoire of graph-making and interpreting skills and MBLs supported scientific inquiry for and by the children. (28 references) (Author/JRH)

Contains six articles on various aspects of British science education. Deals with problem solving, the common examining system and the science curriculum, a comparison of girls and physics in Australia and the United Kingdom, energy education, the use of observations in science and science teaching and science software. (TW)

This facilitator's guide, and the videotape it accompanies, is designed to demonstrate ways in which the new visions of science education for the 21st century might be translated into classroom practice. The National Research Council's (NRC) National Science Education Standards, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks…