In the quest to tackle complex societal and environmental challenges, Norway stands as one of the nations that are increasingly incorporating and transitioning to renewable and green energy solutions, particularly solar energy and technologies. In this context, science and technology education, starting from an early age, have been highlighted as…

The goals of science education include providing students with real-world learning experiences that connect directly to learning objectives and deepen student interest in science. Learning experiences that occur outside of the science classroom can help science educators respond to these goals. To encourage the use of learning environments beyond…

Insects are extremely important for maintaining the natural environment, performing such essential ecosystem services as decomposition, dung burial, and soil aeration, as well as providing food for other wildlife. Insects are also important for human interests such as crop pollination. Though the advantages of using insects as teaching tools are…

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month's issue discusses how children think about the small-particle model of matter. What Richard Feynman referred to as the "atomic hypothesis" is perhaps more familiar to us as the small-particle model of matter. In its most basic form, the model states…

Positioned in the context of experiential learning, this paper reports findings of a virtual reality field trip (VRFT) in conjunction with an in-person field trip involving preservice teachers in an elementary science methods course to a local natural history museum. Findings included that virtual reality (VR) is best used after a field trip to…

Limited research has been done on the implementation of experiential learning to align with science and engineering practices. This research project developed an instrumental case study to examine the efficacy of an experiential education framework for teaching and learning water science and engineering practices in the elementary science…

Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire was built in 1784 and was one of the first water-powered cotton mills of the Industrial Revolution. While the machines are now powered by electricity, the water wheel still turns and the machines run. Linking the two are cogs, shafts and belts, so it is possible to see how the power of the river was captured and then…

Throughout the United Kingdom's (UK's) primary science curriculum, there are numerous opportunities for teachers to use the farming industry as a rich and engaging real-world context for science learning. Teachers can focus on the animals and plants on the farm as subjects for children to learn about life processes. They can turn attention…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs serving students from low socioeconomic areas are understudied in the literature. More research studies need to be conducted to make informed instructional decisions for students who may be at a disadvantage compared to their peers from higher socioeconomic areas. The purpose of…

Last year the author's local beekeeping association had over 700 children visit it. Every single one of them knew that there was a queen bee and all the children and their teachers wanted to see her. Children are fascinated by bees. The whole process of living in an apparently small community, making honey, visiting flowers, waggle dances, having…

Sai Pathmanathan writes in this article that, over the years, her experience working with early-years children (ages 3-5) has taught her that learning it is not about whether the children get the answer right, but more about nurturing their curiosity, encouraging play and learning through hands-on activities, promoting motor skills, group work,…

The author explores how using a child-centered approach to learning and a familiar context can help develop understanding. The placement school referenced in this article had an ethos that emphasized a child-centred approach, the importance of children being involved in every aspect of their learning. The author also shows that the school set a…

The aim of this study was to examine pre-service science teachers' views about laboratory applications in science education and how their views changed through laboratory applications that were carried out for two semesters. 63 (52 females, 11 males) pre-service teachers participated in the study. The study was carried out by using pre-test and…

In this article, the author addresses the issue of bias in language used in conventional training in scientific writing that encourages adherence to the rule: "don't use 'I' when writing science reports." Such writing is to be objective rather than subjective; it is to be dispassionate, detached, fact-based, and…

With the new focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, it's important to keep an open mind about incorporating technology into science lessons. In many cases, lessons that incorporate technology are not about the technology itself. Rather, the technology serves as a tool to enhance the lesson or add a new dimension to…