D. Klahr and M. Nigam (2004) make a case for the superiority of direct instruction over discovery learning in students' mastery of the control-of-variables strategy central to the scientific method. In the present work, we examine acquisition of this strategy among students of the same age as those studied by Klahr and Nigam, as well as follow…

A notebook is perhaps the single most important piece of equipment a naturalist takes into the field. But notebooks are not only for use by field scientists: They are also excellent tools for helping students record observations outdoors, develop communication skills, and mirror the work of real scientists. They may contain observations and…

Concepts must not only be learned in an inquiry-conceptual program; they must also be put to use in observing, classifying, generalizing, and other processes. Both analytic (general) and integrative (particular) concepts should be used as needed in a given study or inquiry. (CK)

Have you ever had an experience too good to be true; one that you could not wait to share with your friends? In this article, the author describes such an experience that she had last summer when she was a part of the "Passport to Discovery" tour offered by CRIZMAC Art and Cultural Education Materials, Inc., and led by founder Stevie Mack and…

Students in elementary gifted class use discovery to learn about life in industrial New England. Taking multiple days to analyze this topic, students use artifacts (chairs), discussion, and primary sources to explore the politics of the 1830s. They examine the workings of Hitchcockville, Connecticut, and a Massachusetts Shaker colony. Students…

Dynamic inquiry learning emphasizes aspects of change, intellectual flexibility, and critical thinking. Dynamic inquiry learning is characterized by the following criteria: learning as a process, changes during the inquiry, procedural understanding, and affective points of view. This study compared the influence of open versus guided inquiry…

Growing science apathy at the K-12 education level represents an alarming development with potentially devastating consequences at individual, societal and economic levels. Technology has been incorporated in science education without fundamentally improving test scores or student attitudes. We claim the core of the problem is how technology is…

This article explains a two-part plan, created by the people at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), to help staff members keep up with the sea change of technology. A core competencies training program was developed. This keeps workers afloat by providing them with the technology skills they need to support the change…

The population growth together with the unsustainable consumption pattern is putting increasing stress on the planet's natural resources. The increasing realisation that humans are harming the environment is taking the form of a global movement intended to change behaviour towards sustainability, now recognised as a framework that links humans to…

The role of the teacher in discovery teaching is discussed; examples of non-directed and of directed discovery methods are provided. (DT)

Emphasizing the importance of open, non-structured space, this article asserts that it is in using these spaces to act out their fantasies that children bring life and meaning to the worlds of literature and legends and learn to experience the spice of danger, adventure, and mystery. (JC)