This study explores the perceptions of five in-service chemistry and mathematics teachers in using productive lesson study as a framework for teaching and learning. Introductory professional development workshops on horizontal articulation, productive pedagogy and lesson study were given to teachers at the onset of the project. Teachers were then…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a flexible framework for supporting a wide variety of learners. We report here on a conference that presented the UDL framework as a way to increase success of deaf and hard-of-hearing (deaf/hh) students in introductory biology courses. The Opening the Pathway conference was an NSF Advanced…

Background: Nature of Science (NOS) is defined to be the epistemology of science, and comprised of distinctive defining aspects. The representation of these NOS aspects in school science textbooks is likely to affect how students understand NOS. Representation of NOS aspects can differ between topics even within the same textbook and these topical…

Most of the physics (as well as the other sciences) taught in school can be described as well-established or consensus science. This is the kind of science knowledge that was mostly developed over a century ago. The inclusion of contemporary science research in compulsory school science teaching could be justified from a variety of reasons:…

Currently there is little guidance given to teachers in selecting focal issues for socio-scientific issues (SSI)-based teaching and learning. As a majority of teachers regularly collaborate with other teachers, understanding what factors influence collaborative SSI-based curriculum design is critical. We invited 18 secondary science teachers to…

Teachers' professional development is the primary element of curriculum implementation. Professionally trained teachers use appropriate teaching methods, instructional materials and assessment techniques during teaching. Current study was conducted to explore gaps between intended and enacted national curriculum for physics regarding teachers'…

Introductory electricity is a difficult topic for most lower secondary students, especially the development of an adequate conceptualisation of voltage is seen as a major obstacle. A few instructional concepts concerning the teaching and learning of physics have been proven helpful when it comes to constructing conceptual knowledge. For example,…

Chemistry education has an important role in creating a sustainable path forward for humanity. By connecting chemistry education to a fuller understanding of the world, citizens and scientists will be more effective in addressing the coming complex challenges. This article presents a new approach to introducing high school chemistry that links to…

In this article, a low-cost and pocket-sized setup for measuring CO[subscript 2] is presented. This setup is based on Arduinos, making it economic and open to modifications or improvements that satisfy other needs. It is composed of an Arduino board, a CO[subscript 2] sensor, an SD-card module, and a control panel. The device has been tested in…

We introduce a virtual physics laboratory, 'PhysLab', created using 3D video game technology suitable for advanced level physics courses in secondary schools. This comprises 32 simulated experiments covering a range of physics topics, selected in collaboration with practicing school teachers. PhysLab is made available at no cost for the physics…

DNA extraction from strawberries is a well-known procedure that allows students to visualize DNA and to recognize that living things contain DNA (NHGRI 2018, Science Buddies 2013). In this article, the authors describe a modification to the traditional DNA extraction protocol that promotes student agency in experimental design and also emphasizes…

Researchers have consistently demonstrated that studying multiple examples is more effective than studying one example because comparing multiple examples can promote schema construction and facilitate discernment of critical aspects. Teachers, however, are usually absent from those self-led text-based studies. In this experimental study, a…

Supporting student engagement in science practices requires rethinking how classroom learning occurs, specifically in terms of the interactions that help students build their own knowledge. The types of student-driven exchanges fundamental to the science practice of argumentation differ greatly from traditional classroom interactions. To help…

When students of the of the physical sciences transition from school to university, they discover that knowledge of calculus is as vital as arithmetic, and that there is precious little useful information written without calculus. However, the lack of calculus in pre-university physics studies persists, especially in its application to the…

The purpose of this study is to examine the salient characteristics of the 'Question-Answer Process' (QAP) in senior high school chemistry class between pre- and in-service teachers. We first developed the 'Instrument of Question-Answer Process' (IQAP), and then, applied it to compare salient characteristics of QAP between pre- and in-service…