Active participation in project-based learning (PBL) could develop students` knowledge and crucial learning skills across various disciplines. However, the implementation of PBL in the K-12 classroom is usually impeded by the stepby-step PBL cycle. Micro project-based learning (MPBL), which advocates and adheres to the learning principles and…

A detailed characteristic of teaching and learning approaches used within the new concept of Learning by Being (LBB) is given. The evolution of educational paradigms from Learning by Doing (LBD) and Learning by Understanding (LBU) toward LBB is analyzed. The basic idea of LBB is students' ownership on cognitive goals, or the assumption of learning…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] Developing a solid understanding of simple electric circuits represents a major challenge to most students in middle school. In particular, students tend to reason exclusively with current and resistance when analyzing electric circuits as they view…

Virtual water is the amount of water that we ignore in water consumption and is considerably higher than the visible water we see in daily uses. Realizing the water spent in the production processes of objects can cause us to change our consumption habits. In 1979, Joseph Cornell presented a four-step framework called Learning Flow to move nature…

Modern science education the world over deliberately remains in the objective, rational, positivist paradigm. In South African classrooms, this paradigm is often alienating for young learners who then stop learning science at the end of Grade 9. Literature indicates that an arts-rich education improves learner engagement, attitudes and test…

This article is concerned with the level of reasoning needed to complete state examinations in mathematics and science at lower secondary level in Ireland. The authors used Lithner's (2008) Creative Reasoning Framework to classify tasks in three years of mathematics examination papers. They adapted this framework to do the same for science. It was…

Regular class observations are one of the means to monitor factors and dynamics that influence quality learning. From 2016, the Rwanda education system introduced a new curriculum known as Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), which ensures fosters more the learner-centered approach. This study was carried out to assess CBC input after four years of…

In this secondary-level lesson, students will generate and prioritize questions about the novel coronavirus and evaluate scientific and/or technical information from multiple authoritative sources, assessing the evidence and usefulness of each source for answering their prioritized questions. This lesson consists of three segments: (1) connecting…

When the author's spouse identified as female (they had been assigned male at birth), she did not consider how it would change her practice as a high school biology teacher. However, her spouse's entrance into the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community has significantly changed her teaching approach.…

In self-determination theory, Ryan and Deci (2017) propose that psychological well-being is based on three innate psychological needs: relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The perception of autonomy in particular has positive effects on students' well-being and the quality of experience in educational settings. A positive effect of perceived…

Getting students to understand the particulate nature of matter is a major challenge for chemistry education. In upper secondary school students commonly struggle to distinguish between intra- and intermolecular bonding and analyse chemical bonding in terms of electronegativity. In this study, we explore how creative drama may be used in chemistry…

Open-ended investigative work is important for science at the high school level because it provides students with experiences approaching the authentic practice of scientists. In England context, some teachers provide opportunities for open-ended investigation, even though at post-16 (pre-university) A-Level they are no longer required to do so.…

Many studies investigate the effects of block vs. traditional class scheduling on the students' success in high-school science classes. However, it is rare for studies to investigate the interactive effect of class scheduling and students' average performance on the students' success. We investigated how block (B) vs. single (S) class scheduling,…

This research explored uppersecondary school students' approaches when they engage in planning and conducting science experiments. Approaches to science experiments are important because they provide insight into students' scientific reasoning and their enactment of scientific methods. An explanatory mixed-methods design was employed to determine…

The development of informed views of nature of science is considered to be a crucial aim for science education. This study assesses Portuguese prospective science teachers' views of the nature of science before and after an intervention programme that took place in the first year of their master. Nine prospective science teachers that will teach…