Research studies have indicated the role curriculum plays in the crisis confronting science education. Many states have begun to reorganize and evaluate their science curricula for a more coherent and improved educational program. Curricular changes have traditionally included teacher input through a local school district committee. Information…

This paper on science instruction for learners with mental disabilities reviews the limited literature base in the field and provides practical information on teaching science in special settings. To assist in implementing best instructional practices in science education, the paper discusses the curricular make-up of science instruction; various…

This publication is one in a series of 12 giving the recommendations that were made for a broad and balanced education program in science for young people. Section one of this guide deals with the factors that were the reason for the implementation of a review process, a listing of financial sponsors and other "in kind" help from…

This publication is one in a series of 12 giving the recommendations that were made for a broad and balanced education program in science for young people. Section one of this guide discusses consulting and negotiating both with colleagues and others. Sections two and three address the timetabling issue. Section four explains a strategy that a…

Project 2061 is a three-phase plan of action designed to contribute to the reform of science, mathematics, and technology education. Phase I was to establish a conceptual base for reform by spelling out the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that all students should acquire as a result of their experiences from kindergarten through high school.…

Curriculum mapping activities can be useful in analyzing curriculum goals and planning curriculum revision. This document is specifically designed using the Science Education Curriculum Goals articulated by the State of Oregon for grade 11. The goal areas include concepts, processes, manipulative skills, interests, values, interactions and…

Curriculum mapping activities can be useful in analyzing curriculum goals and planning curriculum revision. This document is specifically designed using the Science Education Curriculum Goals articulated by the State of Oregon for grade 5. The goal areas include concepts, processing, manipulative skills, interests, values, interactions and…

Based on the expertise generated by years of work in minority engineering program development, this handbook consolidates the experiences of program directors, industry sponsors, and school system collaborators. Its purpose is to provide quidelines for setting up a comprehensive precollege engineering program. Discussions include: (1) history; (2)…

This unit contains 15 lessons on dinosaurs for kindergarten children. It provides a materials list, supplementary materials list, use of process skill terminology, unit objectives, vocabulary, six major dinosaurs, and background information. Lessons are: (1) "Webbing"; (2) "Introduction to the Big Six"; (3) "Paleontology…

The purpose of this project is to help elementary school teachers get started using the computer to aid the teaching and learning of many scientific concepts in a meaningful way. The authors have developed their own software package, "Elementary Science Activities," and have selected several commercially available software packages that…

Many educators assert that the acquisition of thinking skills by students is of primary importance to science education today. This study was designed to examine the effect of an instructional approach on achievement in science process skills when compared to a more conventional method of science instruction. The DIAL(SPS)2, a directed approach to…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors responsible for the perceived decline in attitudes toward science observed in an intervention study designed to enhance scientific literacy. The literacy study focuses on a new freshman course in an urban Catholic high school. Negative attitudes toward science were found to be related to the demand…

Classroom teachers frequently express concern that textbooks and other curriculum materials are too difficult for their students. The objectives of this investigation were to develop a method for scoring the Level of Abstraction (LOA) of science reading material, and explore its relationship with certain other known methods for assessing…

The degree of predictive validity and the relationship with previous learning conditions were studied for measures used in admission procedures for upgrading courses in science and mathematics in Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. School results, achievement tests, aptitude tests, and ability tests were evaluated for students leaving secondary…

This report focuses on the proposals, materials, programs produced, and the results that occur when new teachers and their students become involved with exemplary science materials and with teachers judged to be exemplary. This project enrolled exceptional teachers who could work together in class groups with some common purpose as to science…