The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of inquiry-based pedagogy within the context of learning about environmental concepts and issues. The study was descriptive in nature and employed a single group, pretest-posttest design, surveying 367 students. The chi-square analysis indicated that 17 of the 29 survey items were…

Extending inquiry-based learning to allow students to develop their own questions and design and perform their own experiments can greatly enhance education. Students gain an appreciation of how knowledge is acquired and insights into evaluating data. Although easily applied to laboratory courses, the technique is also applicable to lecture…

This research reports on prospective middle school teachers' perceptions of a "best mathematics class" during their involvement in an inquiry-designed mathematics content course. Grounded in the prestigious Glenn Commission report (U.S. Department of Education, 2000), the study examined the prospective teachers' perceptions of effective…

Children love observing seeds change as they germinate and grow into tall healthy plants, but how can teachers make investigating plants an exciting and immediate event? Microscopy might just be the answer. Although most students have seen flowers, not many have looked closely at their various structures or seen their colorful designs only…

The science notebook is more than a record of data that students collect, facts students learn, and procedures students conduct. It is also a record of students' questions, predictions, claims linked to evidence, conclusions, and reflections--all structured by an investigation leading to an understanding of "big ideas" (not factoids) in science. A…

The article analyzes a constructivist view of music education. A constructivist music classroom exemplifies deep learning when students formulate questions, acquire new knowledge by developing and implementing plans for investigating these questions, and reflect on the results. A context for deep learning requires that teachers and students work…

Chromatography is a process by which mixtures can be separated or substances can be purified. Biological and chemical laboratories use many different types of chromatographic processes. For example, the pharmaceutical industry uses chromatographic techniques to purify drugs, medical labs use them to identify blood components such as cholesterol,…

Teachers must learn to learn, and thereby develop their abilities to engage in ongoing learning so as to survive and thrive in turbulent and uncertain learning environments. Here, Schechterl discuss the importance of collective retrospective learning as an inbuilt vehicle in the ongoing pursuit toward learning schools. They also explore on the…

Children are naturally curious, and try to make meaning of the world around them. They love to watch things grow and take note of dramatic changes in science and nature. The authors discuss how one can support children's investigations, as well as their growing capacity to notice and understand growth and change. The authors present some exciting…

The author examined the effectiveness of training in symbolic logic for improving students' deductive reasoning. A total of 116 undergraduate students (approximately equal numbers of men and women) enrolled in 1st-year university philosophy courses in symbolic logic participated in 2 studies. In both studies, students completed booklets of…

This elementary activity follows the 5-E Learning Cycle as described by Bybee et al. (1989) and integrates literature from Dr. Seuss. Students observe and identify characteristics of several slime substances and must make comparisons to determine which one most closely resembles the slime substance described by Dr. Seuss. To maximize this…

Although every student must take some science courses to graduate, understanding the process of science is important, and some students never seem to really grasp science. The National Science Education Standards stress process as a major component in science instruction. The standards state that scientific inquiry is basic to science education…

Land snails are common invertebrates that fascinate children. Unfortunately, they are seldom used for activities in the science classroom. Snails are inexpensive, take up little space in the classroom, and require only low maintenance, and their learning dividends can be enormous. For example, students can use them in inquiry-based activities that…

Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are hired to assume some of the teaching duties in large general chemistry programs. They serve as liaisons between students enrolled in the course and the professor in charge. Being assigned to teach immediately on arrival at graduate school may be overwhelming to novice graduate students. When sending them into…

South Carolina Reading Initiative (SCRI), a long-term professional development initiative designed to help teachers investigate research-based literacy practices and helps to build a knowledge base from which to inform instructional decisions. A model that shares stories about literacy coaches as learners and highlight engagements that believe to…