When comparing performances across four versions of Computer as Lab Partner curriculum, increases in understanding were found when students predicted outcomes and reconciled results, and students used a heat-flow model of thermodynamics to integrate their experimental results. Argued is that curriculum must explicitly motivate students to…

Lists 10 lies commonly told about educational quality and reform. Not recognizing that a problem exists is the main reason why educational reform is pursued casually. Meaningful change requires time, restructuring, and the active participation of teachers, but schools alone cannot provide all that children need. (SLD)

Analyzes problems with traditional teacher education, reviews the basic elements of the constructivist learning views, and discusses the advantages of a constructivist approach to science teacher education. (PR)

Mainstream media in the United States, the press in particular, continue to misrepresent African-American life and culture. Provides specific examples of omissions and neglect in reporting the truth behind news accounts about or affecting African Americans. Unidentified or "reliable" sources in stories about African Americans must be…

Explores the contributions of social scientists to the popular image of African Americans as natural athletes and subhuman beings. A review of social science literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries finds the present image perpetuated by sportscasters firmly rooted in this literature. (SLD)

(PR)

This study (n=192) examined the use of analogical instruction to overcome misconceptions about conservation of matter. Students who understood the concept conservation of matter when iodine was evaporated were able to transfer their understanding to the evaporation of acetone. This indicates that teaching by analogy can be an effective tool in…

Reports a study (n=41) of the effectiveness of in-depth, conceptually integrated instruction delivered via a videodisc program in eliminating children's alternative frameworks in science. This curriculum, which did not directly address alternative frameworks during instruction, changed 92% of the alternative frameworks held by students to…

Although increased attention to testing has resulted in improved guidelines for measuring skills and interpreting test results, educators are confused about certain testing problems and appropriate ameliorative strategies. Changing from multiple-choice formats to authentic performances will not reform education. Highly valuable outcomes such as…

Describes an interview-a-scientist assignment for preservice elementary teachers. Preservice teachers realized that scientists frequently repeat experimental work, that science is not neat and tidy, and that science requires patience and perseverance. (PR)

Students experience the distinction between observable fact and scientific theory by taking a critical look at how spaghetti can be sucked up into the mouth. A demonstration shows that air is needed to suck up the spaghetti but that the scientific explanation is not as simple. (MDH)

Three teaching experiments are reported which study aspects of a diagnostic teaching methodology. An experiment in the field of directional quantities showed a positive relationship between the intensity of discussion and amount of learning; one on fractions and another on geometric reflections showed good two-month retention under the…

Discusses the results of a four-year study of the conceptions of energy held by science teachers in training. Concludes that the group held a number of different alternative conceptual frameworks. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Many South Chicago schools are successfully using older technologies, including photomechanical language-lab consoles, revamped and networked PCs, and "ancient" software packages rivaling today's expensive, repackaged products. Re-use is cost-effective. Schools should differentiate among computers' capabilities. Despite big industry's…

Despite six decades of leading researchers' research findings upholding progressive, whole-language reading approaches, consensus is lacking. Pundits tend to discredit educational research. News media promulgate tougher standards while overlooking progressive classroom successes. Parents may fear children's exploration of a wide variety of books…