Describes a program in which biology students study animals in pet shops to learn about animal behavior. Lists general guidelines for starting a partnership and presents two sample student activities. (WRM)

Summarizes a complex study of a science-teacher-education program whose goal was to graduate teachers who held conceptual change conceptions of teaching science and were disposed to put hem into practice. Concludes that there are influences on prospective teachers from their content coursework that have significant implications for how they view…

Reports on the results of a survey meant to ascertain the views of 16- to 18-year-old students (n=778) on using animals in medical research. Suggests that students have no greater objection to the use of genetically engineered animals over naturally bred animals in medical research. Contains 16 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes a study of college students who designed and conducted experiments involving control of variables after being assigned to one of four versions of a computer-based biology simulation learning environment. Finds that reason-justification prompts directed students' attention to understanding the employment of experimental design principles…

The GenTechnique project at Washington State University uses a networked learning environment for molecular genetics learning. The project is developing courseware featuring animation, hyper-link controls, and interactive self-assessment exercises focusing on fundamental concepts. The first pilot course featured a Web-based module on DNA…

Discusses curriculum reforms and appropriate teaching methods for adult learners. Explains a curricular material called "LifeLines Online" which was developed for two-year college faculty to test problem-based curricular materials. Presents a scenario on an alternative way of teaching ecology with Investigative Cased-Based Learning…

Presents the historical background of how medical illustration was incorporated into a science, math, and technology curriculum. Describes the four-week, adapted graduate medical illustration program that aimed to provide a more realistic understanding of graduate school experience to high school students. Describes student development while…

Considers the opportunities and ethical issues involved in genetic testing. Reviews the history of genetics from the first discoveries of Gregor Mendel, through the spurious pseudo-science of eugenics, and up to the discovery of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick. Explains how genetic tests are done. (MJP)

The in-house development at Iowa State University of 30 scientific animations for biology instruction is described, from conceptual drawing board to actual use in lecture halls and computer labs. Recommendations for the design, creation, and implementation of animations are outlined. Production is guided by practical technical considerations as…

Describes an intensive three-week experience for 10th and 11th graders in a National Science Foundation Young Scholars Program. Two weeks of biology instruction precede one week of field research. The curriculum includes life histories of birds in the Chesapeake Bay area, reproductive ecology, aquatic ecology, entomology, and statistics. (DDR)

Results from 291 first-year Australian college students with learning and writing difficulties (language minorities or students from other countries) suggest a direct effect of those difficulties on performance in first-year biology. College language and learning services that address areas in which students recognize their difficulties may…

Describes the historical development of the field of ecology. Maintains that the ecological revolution, which began quietly in America, unleashed powerful forces of concern for the world and its future. (Contains 14 references.) (WRM)

Speculates about reasons for the lack of use of concept mapping as an instructional strategy. Concludes that the two main barriers to its extensive adoption are the epistemological beliefs of classroom teachers and the underlying philosophy of the curriculum. (Contains 45 references.) (DDR)

Despite the seminal studies of response differentiation by the method of successive approximation detailed in chapter 8 of "The Behavior of Organisms" (1938), B. F. Skinner never actually shaped an operant response by hand until a memorable incident of startling serendipity on the top floor of a flour mill in Minneapolis in 1943. That occasion…

In the new biology-learning curriculum for Israeli high schools, known as Biomind, students experience "open-inquiry." This paper describes a qualitative action research project that was performed in order to investigate the characteristics of the open inquiry learning process. Specifically, the research investigates this process in…