This study purports to document, analyze, and interpret the learning that occurred across two university literacy courses in which faculty implemented a constructivist, critical literacy pedagogy. Findings explore what it means to share power in the classroom and the relationships between critical teaching and developing a literacy theory of…

In our science learning and teaching environment, how often do we present science as a body of facts, or at best, a compendium of knowledge to which we can add more information, if we ask the "right" questions? In reality, the nature of science is significantly more complex, and the number of iterations we go through to resolve a given…

This issue of "School Talk" brings together the ideas of purposefulness and intertextuality together in a teaching practice called intentional intertextual inquiry. "Making Inquiry Intentional and Intertextual" (Karen Smith, Sarah Diaz, and Silvia Edgerton) discusses the framework that combines inquiry-based learning and intertextuality within…

In the town of Madison, Indiana, the Mayor's Office started an initiative in 2000 called the Mayor's Eagles in partnership with Edward Eagleston Elementary School, known locally as the Eagles, using the historical expertise of Historic Madison, Inc., and the resources of the Madison Public Library. Through this program staff of Historic Madison,…

The purpose of this research paper is to detail how reflective journal writing can be used to facilitate science students' curiosity and engagement in laboratory work. This study advocates reflective journal writing as an instructional tool and a student-created learning resource that can serve additional formative assessment purposes. The…

Reflective learning is a standard and largely unquestioned pedagogy of initial in-service professional education. This case study problematises the processes of reflective learning and examines the constraints on beginning professionals' reflection. The paper outlines a theoretical framework to enable understanding of the nature of reflective…

This article looks at current university reforms in Japan through two slightly different social science prisms: how social science methodologies and theories can help us understand those reforms better and how social science teaching in universities will be affected by the current reform processes. (Contains 3 tables and 7 notes.)

This article examines dental health issues for African immigrant families of preschoolers living in the United States. The study was done within the framework of narrative inquiry and ethnographic impressionism. Through personal interviews and questionnaire completion, 125 parents of children ages 3 to 5 answered questions about ways in which…

For the past twelve years, the author has been teaching a lower division introductory historical methods course that uses active learning to introduce students to the issues and practices of historical methods, the "how to" of historical inquiry, research and writing. In her methods course, she is working to take into account the perspectives and…

In North American teacher education programs, preservice students typically complete a substantial proportion of time practice teaching in schools, experiencing the extent to which professional school communities of inquiry contribute toward improving teaching and learning. Although there is extensive research about the experiences of new…

As the upcoming school year approaches, many science teachers may be looking for new ways to incorporate inquiry in their classrooms. Fortunately, teachers have an array of inquiry activities at their fingertips. But with so many resources available, it can be challenging for a teacher to make an educated decision about which experiments to…

A/r/tography is an arts-based research methodology that inquires into educational phenomenon through artistic and aesthetic means. A/r/tographical research engages in pedagogical inquiry where the distinctions between researcher and researched become complicated, responsive, and undone. A/r/tography, the authors argue, develops the relationship…

Skepticism is one of the cornerstones of scientific learning. Some pseudosciences in domains such as astronomy or pharmacy use a host of issues in everyday life as pretexts for work in the classroom (e.g., astrology) or laboratory (e.g., homeopathy). Chemistry also offers opportunities to promote skeptical thinking in students. Commercial devices…

Recent studies of American science education have highlighted the need for more inquiry-based lessons. For example, when the National Research Counsel evaluated the Advanced Placement (AP) Biology program, it pointed out, "AP laboratory exercises tend to be "cookbook" rather than inquiry based. This criticism is particularly apt for the lab…

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. A truly global business, Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia…