Conducts an action research investigation to determine which type of student benefits more from inquiry-based science laboratories. Designs two labs on diffusion and osmosis using both traditional and inquiry-based approaches and assesses student learning in these settings. (YDS)

Presents a density study in which students calculate the density of limestone substrate to determine if the specimen contains any fossils. Explains how to make fossils and addresses national standards. (YDS)

Examines the tension between the particular and the general in art therapy and makes a case that the art therapist's concern with particularity does not obviate the need for research in the field. Consideration is given to two frequent stumbling blocks for beginning researchers: the use of statistics and the possibility of obtaining negative…

The language arts classroom is largely about leading students to become literate in their own voices and to see writing as a tool for thinking. I come to know my students through their writing and through class discussions about the texts we read and the texts we write. The challenge of good writing instruction is leading students to view their…

In the mid-1990s, educators began exploring ways to make effective use of the vast information resources that were rapidly emerging on the Internet. Rather than using these new Web-based materials for low-level scavenger-hunt types of activities, school library media specialists sought ways to promote higher-order thinking through authentic…

Just asking questions can lead to the best classroom experiences. After a three-week unit on living things, one of the authors asked their second-grade students what else they wanted to learn about plants. Their questions were the prelude to a three-week inquiry on plant growth. From question formulation to presentation of results, the students…

As one of the authors was warning the fifth-grade class about protecting clothes from spills in the lab, one student commented that his pants wouldn't stain because they were covered with some "nano stuff." The class tossed water on the pants and watched it bead up and roll off "like magic." The class's interest was piqued, and the questions…

Ask any elementary teacher to discuss the obstacles they face when trying to implement inquiry-based science teaching and you?re sure to hear hands-on materials mentioned. Where to get supplies and how to pay for them, how to organize and store the materials, and how to distribute the materials efficiently during the lessons are constant…

Scientific inquiry provides the framework for the content and strategies recommended in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 2000). It's a hot topic at workshops and conferences, and many feel a bit guilty that they aren't doing more of it. Why is scientific inquiry currently at the forefront of science education reform? Inquiry works!…

Guided by a situated learning framework, this research examines the nature of teachers' technology learning when participating in a content-focused technology inquiry group, the ways teachers integrate what they learn into content-specific student learning activities, and how situated features of the learning context influence teacher learning.…

This article provides an overview of our work on the nature of metacognitive knowledge, its relationship to learning through inquiry, and technologies that can be used to foster and assess its development in classrooms as students engage in collaborative inquiry. To illustrate our theoretical ideas, we present examples from our Inquiry Island…

In the spirit of the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996), many teachers attempt to have their students experience science in a constructivist, inquiry-oriented manner. The egg bungee jump activity will certainly support that mode of teaching, and has the added benefit of providing a concrete context within which students can explore…

This comparative study of two pre-service teacher education programmes in England and in Canada focuses on the relationship between inquiry and the partnership structures within which the universities and schools work together. Despite the very different jurisdictions and cultures of the two systems, the two universities seem to experience similar…

This article provides a critical analysis and evaluation of how an inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach to learning and teaching was introduced into the curriculum of a large and well-established social work programme at a UK university. A rationale for the initiative is provided, in particular the rejection of the term problem-based learning…

This paper argues that the diverse curriculum reform agendas associated with science education are strongly and critically associated with the educational characteristics of the humanities. The article begins with a survey of interpretations of the distinctive contribution which the humanities make to educational purposes. From this survey four…