Engaging students in both hands-on and minds-on experiences is needed for education that is relevant and complete. Many middle school students enter science classrooms with pre-conceived ideas about their world. Some of these ideas are misconceptions that hinder students from developing accepted concepts in science, such as those related to…

We redesigned the undergraduate introductory biology course by writing a new textbook ("Integrating Concepts in Biology" ["ICB"]) that follows first principles of learning. Our approach emphasizes primary data interpretation and the utility of mathematics in biology, while de-emphasizing memorization. This redesign divides biology into five big…

"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 purpose of this article is to focus on the development and refinement of a science instructional design program arguing for the feasibility and usability of integrated reading and science instruction as implemented in third- and fourth-grade science classrooms to meet the learning needs of diverse learners. These instructional components are…

This publication is third in a series prepared in cooperation with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. This document focuses on the…

This publication is part of a series prepared in cooperation with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. This document focuses on the…

Studies on science course improvement projects are synthesized, with reactions from several professional organizations. Other reports from the mid-1980s are noted. A brief summary of research findings is provided, with a longer discussion on the impetus for change, the conditions needed for change, and who decides. (MNS)

Discusses important tenets of the Scope Sequence and Coordination (SS&C) project and presents the SS&C high school project designed specifically to achieve the National Science Education Standards. Specifies the scope, sequence, and coordination of the natural sciences in grades 9 through 12 in support of general goals taken from the…

The purpose of this study was to document the iterative development of a design-based science curriculum called Learning Science by Designing Artifacts (LSDA). The study refers to the enactment of the Safer Cell Phones curriculum in a high school located in the Midwest. The curriculum was a 5- or 9-week unit in an 18-week science elective course.…

Describes efforts aimed at reforming physics courses for first-year engineering and science students at Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey. Discusses the establishment and working of the Physics Learning Center (PLC) and its impact on the retention and performance of students. (JRH)

Chemistry in the Community ("ChemCom") is a high-school level chemistry text developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) designed for the college-bound student. The purpose of this study was to identify students enrolled in a university-level chemistry course designed for the nonscience major who had experienced the ChemCom…

Describes the philosophy, development, content structure, and general instructional strategy of BioCom, an introductory biology curriculum for the heterogeneously mixed high school science classroom. Discusses recent recommendations by national commissions and science education research and similarities and differences between BioCom and ChemCom.…

Compares current science education reform efforts with those of the 1960s to enhance student learning. Discusses how an "alternative models" view of scientific explanation can contribute to reforms of course goals, social aspects of science learning, instructional practices, and roles for technology. Contains 50 references. (ZWH)

Presents a project-based curriculum, Foundations of Science (FOS), that integrates the physical and biological sciences. Consists of three years of integrated science based on: integrating science disciplines, project-based science, inclusion of authentic problems, and routine uses of technology. (nine references) (JRH)

Describes three programs designed to attract students to science education: Project 2061, developing curriculum models and blueprints for science teacher education; the Scope, Sequence, and Coordination Project, recommending that science be taught each year in grades 6-12; and the National Science Education Standards project, developing standards…