Describes the use of a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) in teaching the concepts of heat and temperature to eighth grade students. Discusses the advantages of being able to instantly display the results of their experimentation with the use of temperature and light probes, and heat pulsors. (TW)

Discusses recent research in cognitive psychology that identifies how students are likely to respond when controversial issues are included in course content. Points out that controversial material may lead to misunderstandings and forgetting. Provides teaching ideas to enhance student learning and remembering, to deal with emotions, and to foster…

The use of programs on the topic of dinosaurs in interdisciplinary exercises which may include mathematics, science, history, and language arts is described. Reviews of 16 different computer programs are included. Possible misconceptions and how they are dealt with in various programs are discussed. (CW)

Focuses on the conceptual change processes of 17 fourth-grade students as they grapple with the abstract concept of human rights. Discusses limitations and successes in students' learning within the framework of conceptual change and motivation research. (CFR)

The "at-risk" designation attached to low-achieving children frequently sets them up for failure. Remedial programs are often ineffective, and skill drills rob students of in-context reading opportunities. Models like Success for All are so prescriptive that students cannot participate in open-ended discussions of literature. Unjust…

In a two-day workshop, 12 teachers who had not previously used graphics calculators not only learnt how to use a calculator but also completed calculator tasks designed to explore their misconceptions and then learnt about students' difficulties. Observation of lessons taught subsequently by 6 of the teachers, and interviews with 15 of their…

Education researchers suggest that teacher education candidates be taught that meaningful learning is essential and that conceptual understanding be infused into all lessons. However, many teacher candidates are unable to successfully develop conceptual level lesson plans and some are unable to differentiate between skills and concepts. The…

This is the second and final part of a review of educational research on children's ideas about gravity. The first part concerned students' understanding of how and why things fall. This article picks up the trail of research studies that address students' understanding of the more complex ideas of projectile motion and orbits and examines how the…

This paper describes the design and results of a study carried out with elementary pupils ages 8-9 years on the topic of sinking and floating, with the aim of checking the validity of a general scheme for classroom activities based on a constructivist perspective. Children's "ways of looking" at buoyancy and the production of materials…

While problem-based learning (PBL) has a relatively long history of successful use in medical and pre-professional schools, it has yet to be widely adopted by K--12 teachers. This may be due, in part, to the numerous challenges teachers experience when implementing PBL. In this paper, we describe specific hurdles that teachers are likely to…

As a part of a doctoral thesis considering the history of teaching physical and chemical change, 641 chemistry/science textbooks have currently been examined. These books are from many different countries and date from the eighteenth century to the present time. The books have described a wide variety of experiments to illustrate the difference…

Discusses the use of analogies and other instructional strategies (problem solving, demonstration, group labs, and large group discussion) in dealing with students' preconceptions in physics. (PR)

Presents 13 examples in which the intuitive approach to solve the problem is often misleading. Presents analysis of these problems for five different sources of misleading intuitive generators: lack of analysis, unbalanced perception, improper analogy, improper generalization, and misuse of symmetry. (MDH)

Describes junior high school students' understandings of some common non-technical words used in science classes and compares results for students in Botswana and England. Finds that considerable concerns remain about the way in which teachers use words in science. Concludes that the greatest problems occur with second-language students in…

This study investigates the effect of a conceptual change approach over traditional instruction on students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts (e.g. dynamic nature of equilibrium, definition of equilibrium constant, heterogeneous equilibrium, qualitative interpreting of equilibrium constant, changing the reaction conditions). This…