Skilled scientists in all fields of study are critically needed to begin resolving ecological problems resulting from human impact. Time is an essential element in creating a proper conceptual foundation and training should begin early in a student's education. As of 2010, the California State Standards for Science for grades six through eight do…

Using the narrative inquiry research method, this self-study of my teacher education practices examines the influence of four simultaneous accountability reviews--a national accreditation review, a regional accreditation review, a university system review, and local campus review--on my personal experiences and identity within academia. The…

For an inquiry-based alternative to lectures and recall tests, I encouraged learners to become "geotourists"; that is, learners researched and developed a geologic guidebook to a United States National Park of their choice. Over the course of a semester, students wrote chapters on plate tectonics, the rock cycle, geologic history,…

This paper builds on an inquiry process initiated during a session at the 2008 Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference. The goal was to promote scholarly research on teaching, learning, and educational development in Canadian post-secondary institutions by identifying and prioritizing research issues, and emerging…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the application of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) program in middle schools reduced the gaps found between students' CRT scores; specifically, did the gaps found in the CRT scores within the respective subgroups race, gender, SES, and special/regular education…

This study took place in the online 3D virtual world Second Life[R], a recreational environment designed for world-building and socializing, and intended for individuals 18 years old and older. It described learning from the perspective of Second Life[R] Residents and focused on their world-building activities. As a virtual ethnographer, my avatar…

This research develops a narrative of incidents of intentional learning by students studying undergraduate economics as represented in their written reflective journals. The deliberate integration of learner reflection, reflective practice and reflective writing into the pedagogy may facilitate transfer learning (Sousa, 2006). Transfer has been…

While many robust library programs engage students in problem-finding, inquiry-rich curricula, other programs might benefit from addition of a few key strategies. Discussion strategies might be used during read-alouds or as enhancements to an instructional strategy like jigsaw. Writing strategies might be integrated into research projects or might…

The teaching profession has come a long way in developing frameworks that encourage and structure student inquiry. This article features the KWL (We Know, We Want to Know, We Learned/Still want to learn) framework that the author has developed for over 20 years, as a graphic organizer tool to encourage inquiry and student questioning. This…

Crystals are beautiful structures--yet they occur naturally in dirty and remote places. In the inquiry-based activity described here, students will enjoy the process of creating their own crystals and using microscopes to examine them. It demonstrates the process of mineral concentration and deposition. Upon completing this activity, students…

Research with young people who "do not fit the mould" requires innovative and unconventional methods, but what are the implications of such methods for scholarly representation? This paper reports on the development of such a method with students diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and offers one view of the borderland…

School leaders have been given an important role in initiating and implementing school improvement, which demands new forms of leadership. This invokes the question of the basic competences for leadership that are presently required. This article focuses on the formulation of competences for school leaders in the Netherlands with the aim of…

The model of agricultural and industrial education for African Americans in the United States was created by Samuel Chapman Armstrong, founder of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. Armstrong developed a paternal approach to educating African Americans and developed the Hampton Institute curriculum with moral education as its base. Booker…

The specific objectives of this study were to identify the attitudes of U.S. agricultural education teacher educators toward using scientific inquiry as an instructional method and to determine their level of comfort and awareness with new information and teaching methodologies in science. A mailed survey was sent to all agricultural education…

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice science teachers' use of an interactive display system (IDS), consisting of a computer, digital projector, interactive white board, and Internet connection, to support science teaching and learning. Participants included 9 preservice biology teachers enrolled in a master of teaching program…