In July, 2005, the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology at the campus of the University of Bordeaux, France, hosted a focused week of seminars, workshops, and discussions around the theme of "teaching signal transduction." The purpose of the summer school was to offer both junior and senior university instructors a chance to…

New teaching methods are needed to match the industrial team oriented environment and to accommodate a variety of learning styles. A novel approach used at Washington State University replaces most lectures with a combined cooperative, hands-on, active, and problem based learning pedagogy. Students work in structured groups, with hands-on modules…

The third edition of this guide for teaching chemistry at all levels to students with disabilities covers classroom adaptations, testing and evaluation, computers in the classroom and laboratory, laboratory design, and laboratory safety. The needs of the growing population of students with learning disabilities are addressed, along with the needs…

This combined student workbook and instructor's guide contains nine units for inplant classes on basic chemistry for employees in the cement industry. The nine units cover the following topics: chemical basics; measurement; history of cement; atoms; bonding and chemical formulas; solids, liquids, and gases; chemistry of Portland cement…

This report describes the findings of the 1990 National Science Foundation (NSF) Workshop on the Dissemination and Transfer of Innovation in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, and the resulting recommendations for action to the NSF, to university administration and faculty, to professional societies and journals, and to industry. The…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to create and test questions on stoichiometry with number ratios for quick mental calculations and to identify students' problem-solving strategies. The present study was a component of a more comprehensive investigation in which 7,441 German senior high school students were asked to work on 154 test items…

Within high school chemistry the topic of acids, bases, and pH is particularly challenging because robust understanding of the topic depends heavily on the student possessing deep concepts of atoms, molecules, ions, and chemical reactions. Since knowledge is acquired and stored in a dynamic structure, it was investigated in this study how…

The main purposes of this study were to determine: (1) how high school students represent the physical phenomena of phase changes; (2) how they modify their representation of these physical phenomena to accommodate new observation; (3) what factors lead to student difficulty in modifying representations; and (4) how the…

A learning cycle consists of three phases: exploration; conceptual invention; and expansion of an idea. These phases parallel Piaget's functioning model of assimilation, disequilibrium and accomodation, and organization respectively. The learning cycle perceives students as actors rather than reactors to the environment. Inherent in that…

Using available data and analyses on the current situation in science and technology education, it was determined that science and technology education in the United States is lacking in two critical areas: recruitment and training of scientists and engineers, and nurturing a general scientific/technological literacy useful in all facets of daily…

The effects of a 3-week summer workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and seven seminars held in the following academic year on the learning environments of 40 participating teachers' high school biology and chemistry classes were assessed. In this 1988-89 program, the 40 teachers visited 10 industries and agencies to observe…

The high percentage of students who have difficulty in solving free-response problems related to the mole concept was addressed by implementation of reading skill strategies and computer assisted instruction. Frayer models, semantic mapping, and graphic organizers from Reading in the Content Area (RICA) were used to increase student understanding…

Suggestions for instructional improvement are offered for science teachers in this compilation of research summaries on specific areas of science education. This series includes the articles: (1) "Improving Students' Understanding of the Nature of Science" (discussing the relationship between teachers and students conceptions of science…

Eighteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Effective Second Language Reading in a Cross-Cultural Society" (Irma Zaslansky); "A BA Degree in Social Sciences at the Israel Open University" (Ruth Beyth-Marom); "Establishing a Theological Education by…

This study investigated the seating patterns of target students in science classrooms to see if there was an action zone or t-zone present. Fifty-six physical science and chemistry classes were observed using the Brophy-Good Teacher-Child Dyadic Observation System. Target students were identified and their interactions were compared to non-target…