Presents arguments against lab dissection in the science classroom. Author discusses adult negative memories associated with earlier school dissections. Asserts that, for the early adolescent, dissection may be mingled with messages pertaining to sex, excretion, identity, and privacy. Suggests that dissection arouses a feeling of "defilement": a…

Authors describe a biology course for nonmajors that appealed to student interests while retaining content integrity. The other philosophical foundations of the course were to increase student involvement and to conduct at least half of the laboratory aspect of the course at field-based locations. Details of transportation considerations,…

Describes the study of sandy beach zonations as a seashore activity for either high school or lower-level college courses in biology, ecology, or marine biology. Students first draw a profile of a beach scene and then collect specimens from the zones of the shore. In a laboratory, students identify their specimens and relate them to the beach…

Reports study of college biology laboratory course where 604 students were placed in pairs based on their scientific reasoning ability (intuitive, transitional, reflective). Results indicate no significant difference between type of partner and laboratory score or posttest reasoning score. Survey results indicate reflective partner was viewed as…

Observes that there is as yet no comprehensive history of the Post-World War II "multiversity." Examines the development of Stanford University's Microwave Laboratory. Suggests a framework for the multiversity that includes large, well-funded laboratories, a department with weak central authority, and an emphasis on research over…

Describes an assignment and the results of having elementary school students design their own interesting and exciting science classroom environment. (PR)

Examines the development of a science center at a college, including the transformation of the physical facility and curricular changes. Provides a sketch of the facility and details about staffing the center. (DDR)

Uses a Vygotskian framework to examine students' (n=26) use of tools in a ninth-grade physical science classroom during a unit on electric circuits. Indicates that conceptual progress may be hindered by students' need to first understand the tools in terms of everyday application. Advocates selection of laboratory tools and activities that match…

Relays one school science technician's experiences in taking a course designed to improve and standardize technician credentials in the United Kingdom. (WRM)

Discusses the importance of feasibility studies when renovating a university science facility. Outlines how to establish a team, set goals, and develop the program. Describes some of the key issues in the process, such as carefully analyzing the existing space, and offers some considerations regarding costs. (RJM)

Compares students' perceptions of laboratory classes in chemistry and biology using the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI). Results indicate significant differences on the subscales of "integration" and "open-endedness." Suggests that the SLEI can be considered as a sensitive tool to measure students' perceptions…

Presents findings of the images of science drawn upon in laboratory work by upper secondary and university students in academic streams with a science focus. Questions required students to comment on laboratory investigations carried out by research scientists or science students. Shows that students' reasoning has an epistemological and an…

Discusses collaboratories, defined as Internet-mediated science in which scientists are connected to each other, to instruments, and to data, independent of time and location. Explores past and current collaboratory efforts, including K-12 collaboratories, to identify factors that predict success and failure, and assesses directions for future…

The question of facilitating inquiry in the context of whole-class interactions versus individual work in the laboratory is not a new issue in science education. Science teachers have always been confronted with the question of the value added by the time and expense required for individual work in the science laboratory versus inquiry…

Animal cell culture is a core laboratory technique in many molecular biology, developmental biology, and biotechnology laboratories. Cell culture is a relatively old technique that has been sparingly taught at the undergraduate level. The traditional methodology for acquiring cell culture training has been through trial and error, instruction when…