Recent developments in computing and mobile technologies have enabled the mobile and ubiquitous learning approach, which situates students in an environment that combines real-world and digital-world learning resources. Although such an approach seems to be innovative and interesting, several problems have been revealed when applying it to…

This article explores the effects of continuing professional development (CPD) on teachers' and pupils' experiences of learning and teaching science in primary classrooms. During 2006-2007, quantitative and qualitative data were elicited from two primary teachers in Scotland using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video-stimulated…

Research on conceptual change indicates that not only children, but also teachers have incomplete understanding or misconceptions on science concepts. This mixed methods study was concerned with in-service teachers' understanding of four earth and space science concepts taught in elementary school: reason for seasons, phases of the moon, rock…

"Discover Primary Science" is a major project in primary science education in Ireland. In 2006-2007 it involves 2400 primary schools, 45 host centres, and two government departments. However, it started out as a local initiative taken by one state agency in 2002 involving four Institutes of Technology and 40 primary schools. The aim of…

Migrating animals do amazing things. Homing pigeons can find their way "home" across hundreds of miles; salmon return to their spawning location thousands of miles away; turtles travel over eight thousand miles to lay their eggs in the spot where they originally hatched. Scientists have studied how animals navigate around the globe and have…

The author describes how case study methods were used to understand the intricacies of curriculum adoption in one school district and the context in which an adoption decision was made. As data collection and interpretation commenced, understanding of the perceptions of the district stakeholders of their process of curriculum adoption became an…

The authors report an empirical pilot study of current models of elementary science instruction that utilize science specialists, and make a call for the participation of schools and districts that use a specialist model to assist in collecting the descriptive data needed to create the foundation for future research on the use and impact of…

As the authors approached a unit on magnets with their first-grade students, they decided to incorporate more inquiry into their district's learning module, Magnets: Elementary Science and Technology Module for Primary Grades (State College Area School District 1993). By restructuring their lessons, using science talks, and listening carefully to…

"On your mark, get set, go!" Elementary students love to hear these words as they participate in the annual Third Grade Better Boat Challenge. This highly motivational project started a few years ago as the author was developing the third-grade science curriculum to include a study that revolved around models, design, and problem solving. It has…

In this integrated unit, third grade students become spider scientists as they observe spiders in their classroom to debunk some common misconceptions about these intimidating creatures. "Charlotte's Web" is used to capture students' interest. In addition to addressing philosophical topics such as growing-up, death, and friendship; E.B. White's…

The authors provide activities through which teachers can share experiences in the outdoors with young children and teach them about herpetology, the study of amphibians and reptiles. Outdoor activities include observation, classification, and mapping. The authors also include activities for the classroom, including connections between the science…

The purpose of this study is to determine pre-service teachers' attitudes toward use of Vee diagrams in general physics laboratory. The sample of the study consists of 29 (16 girls and 13 boys) freshmen students enrolling to elementary school science education program at one of the universities in Turkey. To gather the data of the study…

The research reported in this paper is based on an exploration of the ways in which student teachers learn about the issues and concerns that shape their own professional learning. Shulman's process of pedagogical reasoning and action was used as a conceptual framework to systematically elucidate different critical incidents that student teachers…

Teachers' self-efficacy develops based on their appraisal of their experience with a task or similar tasks. Elementary science education should provide opportunities for students to experience science learning opportunities in authentic settings. This retrospective study describes one example of preservice teachers teaching elementary school…

In this article, we provide three examples of the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) in a 5th-grade classroom. Taken from Earth science (beach sand replacement), life science (the Canadian seal hunt), and physical science (speed limits), the examples show how teachers can embed scientific content in controversial social issues that engage younger…