A review of representative instructional strategies and programs which focus on Science-Technology-Society (STS) themes is presented in this digest. A rationale and specific recommendations for the inclusion of an STS component in the science curriculum are offered. The options which exist for instruction of STS themes are identified and examples…

The first in a series of booklets on using outdoor education methodologies to enhance the academic curriculum, this guide is written to help teachers of grades K-8 develop activities to enrich science instruction. The introductory sections define outdoor education and provide a rationale for outdoor science teaching stressing the opportunities it…

Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL), the use of microcomputers for student-directed data acquisition and analysis, represents a promising new development in science laboratory instruction. This descriptive study determined the impact of MBLs on middle school students' understanding of graphs of distance and velocity. The study was based on the…

This four-part guide provides suggestions to help teachers and students get the maximum benefit from a visit to the La Mauricie National Park in Quebec Province, Canada. The first part contains introductory comments, program objectives, an overall view of the park (including its features and services available), use of an appended exploration map,…

This booklet was developed to provide Honolulu (Hawaii) students with an activity-oriented opportunity to learn more about water and water conservation. It contains inquiry-based games, puzzles, and activities dealing with: (1) how we use water; (2) where water comes from; (3) surface water; (4) groundwater; (5) population growth and its effect on…

Descriptions of 13 software programs suitable for use with kindergarten students include curriculum area, title, producer, hardware requirements, program description, teaching objective, and competencies. Prerequisites and introductory, developmental, follow-up, and evaluation activities are also provided for seven instructional sequences designed…

This study examined the effects of animation and practice on factual and application learning in computer based instruction (CBI), and the extent to which animation and practice promoted near and far transfer of these learning outcomes. Subjects were 192 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, and the CBI content was an elementary physics lesson in…

The purpose of this guide is to provide teachers and other educators with classroom lessons and instructional techniques that build a fundamental understanding of the environment. The guide is aimed at grades kindergarten through sixth and consists of eight instructional units and six action projects. Each unit is organized around a theme and the…

When children are curious they are willing to investigate the less self-evident properties of matter. It is hoped as deeper explanations and relationships are explored, children learn analytic, critical, and creative skills for later application to phenomena encountered in life. A concern of elementary science teaching is motivating learning or…

This practicum addressed the problem of limited science instruction by primary teachers. The goals of this study were: (1) primary teachers would spend more time teaching science to young children; (2) primary teachers would develop expertise in their ability to teach science; and (3) students would have a positive attitude towards the subject of…

The demand for more valid and useful educational indicators has grown significantly as national, state, and local agencies have moved to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education. At the national level, there is a growing need for more systematic information about student performance in mathematics and science, about the content of…

This document submits that the existence of objective knowledge and the possibility of communicating it by means of language have traditionally been taken for granted by educators. This paper presents a brief outline of an alternative theory of knowing that takes into account the thinking organism's cognitive isolation from "reality."…

Institutions of higher education in the United States appear to many to have the capacity to provide enough scientists and engineers to meet the nation's needs. However, many researchers, employers and policymakers are concerned that the future supply will be inadequate. In the early 1990s the United States will experience a decline in the number…

These activities and activity ideas are designed to reinforce energy concepts when only short periods of time are available. They require little teacher preparation, and take only a few minutes to complete. Some activities can be extended for longer periods of time. The activities have been separated into the following general categories: (1)…

The education pipeline in the United States from prekindergarten through the Ph.D. is failing to produce the workers needed to meet future demand. In the year 2000, 85 percent of new entrants to the workforce will be members of minority groups and women. The number of capable persons with disabilities will also rise. These three groups have…