Offers a perspective on understanding the gap in science learning and achievement that separates low-income, ethnic minority children from more economically privileged students. Discusses how the relationship between everyday and scientific knowledge and ways of knowing has been conceptualized in the field of science education research. Considers…

Discusses using amphibians and reptiles as an excellent resource for students to observe and gain an understanding of the process of science. These animals are easy to maintain in the classroom and play important roles in ecosystems as the prey for many birds and mammals and as the predators of various organisms. (SAH)

Presents an activity to help students learn the basics of effective communication. (YDS)

Briefly describes the problem of graduate teaching assistants having little if any experience in inquiry teaching. Proposes solutions to this problem so it can be avoided in the future. (SAH)

Describes a successful simulation that explores animal camouflage and the fundamental idea that organisms depend on their environment. Uses a story from a basal reader to facilitate student learning; however, other trade books could also be used. (SAH)

Describes a case study of an expert teacher's questioning strategies during an open-inquiry engineering curriculum in a grade four and five classroom. Analysis provides evidence for the complexity of questioning that is characterized by the interactions of context and content of, and response and reactions to, questions. Contains 45 references.…

Presents suggestions for alternative presentations of some of the material that usually forms part of the introductory chemistry course. Emphasizes development of concepts from experimental results. Discusses electronic configurations and quantum numbers, experimental evidence for electron configurations, deducing the shell model from the periodic…

Explores the types of written questions students ask after reading one or more chapters from a textbook and investigates students' ability to improve their questions during the course of a single semester. Examines two comparable populations, undergraduate students who were taught in the traditional lecture format and students who were taught in…

Focuses on student capacity to develop and assess arguments during a high school genetics instructional sequence, and on the location distinction in argumentation discourse between "doing science" vs. "doing school" or "doing the lesson". (Contains 37 references.) (Author/YDS)

Examines the beliefs and practices of a high school biology teacher who developed an inquiry-based learning environment. Studies the process of day-to-day instruction, and analyzes classroom lessons and field trips to answer the question, How does a teacher establish an inquiry based learning environment? (Contains 36 references.) (YDS)

Science, Inclusion, and Growth in Norfolk (SIGN) is a Public Understanding of Science project that seeks to use the understanding of plant and soil science to demonstrate that people with severe learning difficulties can find the scientific method of inquiry a relevant and rewarding route to self-confidence and an understanding of the events that…

Describes how to effectively get students who have difficulty listening, reading, and following directions to pay attention. Presents activities on making iced tea and covering a book. Activities include a materials list and a list of procedures with extension activities and conclusions. (SAH)

Focuses on the curriculum movement. Discusses the educational conditions under which new courses would be developed. Explains the differences between the new science courses and traditional courses. First published in 1962. (YDS)

Presents a comparative analysis of three teacher educators using a curriculum designed for use with elementary teachers in an inquiry group setting. Examines the process and demands of supporting teachers' learning and teachers' efforts to reform their practices. The central demand of supporting teachers' learning through inquiry involved…

Adopts a sociocultural perspective to investigate the role of discourse in children and teacher mathematical meaning making in a 5th grade inquiry classroom. Examines the process whereby individual and group developmental trajectories are constructed and allows exploration of the relationship between discourse and knowing. Argues for a more…