Reform efforts in Taiwan have added a mandatory 'Scientific Inquiry and Practice' curriculum for all high school students, emphasising 'inquiry-based learning content' including observing and questioning, planning and carrying out an investigation, argumentation and modelling, and expression and sharing. The purpose of this study was to develop an…

The advantages of active learning approaches have prompted national recommendations for the development of inquiry-based laboratories to replace traditional laboratory classes. However, there is little consensus for the most-effective implementation strategies. Frequently, a single inquiry-based exercise is incorporated at the end of a traditional…

Now in a fully updated seventh edition, "The Teaching of Science in Primary Schools" provides essential information for students, trainee, and practising teachers about the why, what and how of teaching primary science. Paying particular attention to inquiry-based teaching and learning, the book recognises the challenges of teaching…

This study provides an example of a systematic professional development project designed to build capacity for the teaching of nature of science and scientific inquiry, while not sacrificing the learning of more traditional science subject matter. Specifically, this project examined the impact of a 5-year professional development project on K-12…

The Department of Chemistry at American University has replaced its junior- and senior-level laboratory curriculum with two, two-semester long, student-led research projects as part of the department's American Chemical Society-accredited program. In the first semester of each sequence, a faculty instructor leads the students through a set of…

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in…

Research projects conducted by faculty in STEM departments served as the inspiration for a new curriculum of inquiry-based, multiweek laboratory modules in the general chemistry 1 course. The purpose of this curriculum redesign was to improve students' attitudes about chemistry as well as their self-efficacy and skills in performing inquiry…

A wide variety of out-of-school time (OST) programs across the U.S. offer science education opportunities that cover many scientific disciplines and use diverse pedagogical practices (National Research Council [NRC], 2009). However, to improve youth's scientific literacy, OST educators need to "have the disposition and repertoire of practices…

Curriculum materials are important resources with which teachers make pedagogical decisions about the design of science learning environments. To become well-started beginning elementary teachers capable of engaging their students in inquiry-based science, preservice elementary teachers need to learn to use science curriculum materials…

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which greater than 50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in…

The defining task for undergraduate departments is the design of a major, including the number and content of courses as well as other requirements. Department members must weigh the desire to produce graduates superbly prepared for further study against the charge that the major requires too large a share of an undergraduate's course options.…

The emerging field of urban ecology has the potential to engage urban youth in the practices of scientists by studying a locally relevant environmental problem. To this end, we are developing curriculum modules designed to engage students in learning science through the use of emerging information technology. In this paper, we describe the impact…

Describes the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and explains the reasons for a curriculum change. Introduces CAPT-style labs which require students to identify a problem, ask questions, develop a hypothesis, design and conduct an experiment, analyze data, and draw conclusions. (YDS)

Explains the place of science process skills in a quality science program. Introduces activities for the basic and integrated science skills that will lead to an understanding of basic elements of scientific literacy. Presents definitions, sample activities, and assessment techniques for classifying, measuring, and using space and time…

Inquiry has been used to promote activity-oriented learning that reflects scientific investigation, specifically the observation, experimentation, and reasoning used by scientists. Understanding the roles of content and process in school science helps educators better understand and practice inquiry-based instruction. The relationship between…