This paper describes a university program designed to upgrade the presentation of course content in the sciences and mathematics to prospective elementary classroom teachers. Presented in the paper are data on efforts to evaluate implementation and perceptions of the science and mathematics faculty (n=5) who played an instructional role in this…

Data from a distance education project, Integrated Science 7 (IS7), were used to compare block designs with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for their ability to increase statistical power. The IS7 program enables students in grades six through eight to study science via satellite. A sample of 1,802 students from a pilot of the program yielded data…

This document is written to encourage college faculty to use a student-centered, activity-related, approach to science instruction. Suggestions are provided for methods that can be used by faculty and administrators to develop alternatives to lecturing. The major sections of this document include the following: (1) Is There an Alternative to…

These supplemental units contain four laboratory exercises that can be used to enhance the labs in "Physics for the Technologies." The four units (one mechanical, two thermal, and one electrical) are designed to enhance labs in presenting specific concepts. Each unit can be used as an example of how the concepts behind the theory apply…

To provide practical suggestions based on solid theory, this book emphasizes using newspapers in the context of broader classroom methodologies that have proved successful in the education of language minority students. In developing these practical activities, the book stresses three main elements of research in this area: (1) how second-language…

Spacewalking has captured the imagination of generations of children and adults since science-fiction authors first placed their characters on the moon. This publication is an activity guide for teachers interested in using the intense interest many children have in space exploration as a launching point for exciting hands-on learning…

Educational reform is and has been an ongoing process throughout the history of science education. However, with the notion of reform comes constraints or barriers to these proposed changes. Without addressing these constraints reform cannot be full realized. This study was conducted to identify the most significant constraints inhibiting a…

A study investigated changes in prospective elementary teachers' conceptions about projectile motion. The preservice teachers (enrolled in reading methods courses) were either told or not told that they were expected to teach a videotaped lesson on projectile motion. In addition, they either participated in a combined demonstration-reading or in a…

Writing activities can be used to cultivate students' enthusiasm for learning. This book shows teachers how to introduce their students to the benefits of writing in a variety of subjects including math, language arts, science, social studies, and art. Each chapter in the book includes an observation that allows readers to enter a classroom and…

This booklet provides information and five worksheets for elementary students studying the solar system. Fact sheets provide information on the sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and comets. The worksheets are entitled: (1) Astronomical Unit; (2) Solar System Trivia; (3) Solar System Flash…

This research investigated the teaching of concrete chemical concepts and procedures to beginning chemistry students. Data were collected for this study from students enrolled in a university-level course for nonscience majors (n=171). In the topic studied, chemical bonding, four different teaching strategies were investigated: remediation of…

A Congressional hearing was held at the New River Community College in Dublin, Virginia, to address the challenges of achieving quality science education in southwest Virginia. Speakers representing the subcommittee included Rick Boucher, Chairman, Subcommittee on Science; and Dr. Luther S. Williams, Assistant Director for Education and Human…

The study reported in the paper attempted to compare the science laboratory teaching practices and the learning environments of secondary schools in some developing and developed South Pacific countries. This study combined qualitative (observation, interview, and case study techniques) with quantitative methods. Analysis of data found similar…

Investigated as predictors of preservice elementary teachers' attitudes toward the teaching of science were scores on the science subtests of the C-BASE and ACT, number of college science hours, and college GPA. The Science Attitude Scale for Preservice Teachers, measuring comfort/discomfort of teaching science, science as a basic need, time…

An ethnographic study examined the personal and professional life experiences that contributed to a science teacher's beliefs about science and science teaching, and how these experiences interacted to affect the teacher's decisions about content literacy strategies. The teacher in question was a veteran of 16 years of teaching chemistry and…