Shares some ideas about facilitating inquiry-based learning in the classroom, in independent studies, in libraries, museums, communities, and all the arenas of life in which people attempt to make sense of experience and grow. Notes that the "Web-linked Inquiry Units" provide a tangible form of a community of inquiry as well as insights for future…

Explores the performance of n=142 high schools students at the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science test who are enrolled in a project based science (PBS) program as compared to a national sample of students. Recommends using inquiry-based approach such as PBS to implement reform in schools. (Contains 32 references.)…

Discusses current reforms and reform documents in science and mathematics education with regard to problem solving and inquiry. Considers assessment methods of inquiry to measure students' performance relative to current reforms. (Author/ASK)

Classroom observations and student interviews revealed that students perceived science as primarily a set of facts to be learned and did not view it as an inquiry method or a social process. Presents student and teacher perceptions and discusses recreating the learning environment to make it more consistent with contemporary perspectives on the…

Introduces the Technology-Based Learning in School Science (tBLISS) project which investigates the feasibility of technology-based science curriculum implementation and examines the science process skills of students. Water is the major theme of the curriculum. (YDS)

Reviews arguments both for and against the personal as/in academic writing, suggesting that even supporters of experiential writing generally fall short of establishing its argument-based role. Examines the advantages as well as the dangers of conjuring stories as evidence in order to argue for the necessity of establishing effective standards of…

Conducts an action research investigation to determine which type of student benefits more from inquiry-based science laboratories. Designs two labs on diffusion and osmosis using both traditional and inquiry-based approaches and assesses student learning in these settings. (YDS)

Presents a density study in which students calculate the density of limestone substrate to determine if the specimen contains any fossils. Explains how to make fossils and addresses national standards. (YDS)

Examines the tension between the particular and the general in art therapy and makes a case that the art therapist's concern with particularity does not obviate the need for research in the field. Consideration is given to two frequent stumbling blocks for beginning researchers: the use of statistics and the possibility of obtaining negative…

The language arts classroom is largely about leading students to become literate in their own voices and to see writing as a tool for thinking. I come to know my students through their writing and through class discussions about the texts we read and the texts we write. The challenge of good writing instruction is leading students to view their…

In the mid-1990s, educators began exploring ways to make effective use of the vast information resources that were rapidly emerging on the Internet. Rather than using these new Web-based materials for low-level scavenger-hunt types of activities, school library media specialists sought ways to promote higher-order thinking through authentic…

Just asking questions can lead to the best classroom experiences. After a three-week unit on living things, one of the authors asked their second-grade students what else they wanted to learn about plants. Their questions were the prelude to a three-week inquiry on plant growth. From question formulation to presentation of results, the students…

As one of the authors was warning the fifth-grade class about protecting clothes from spills in the lab, one student commented that his pants wouldn't stain because they were covered with some "nano stuff." The class tossed water on the pants and watched it bead up and roll off "like magic." The class's interest was piqued, and the questions…

Ask any elementary teacher to discuss the obstacles they face when trying to implement inquiry-based science teaching and you?re sure to hear hands-on materials mentioned. Where to get supplies and how to pay for them, how to organize and store the materials, and how to distribute the materials efficiently during the lessons are constant…

Scientific inquiry provides the framework for the content and strategies recommended in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 2000). It's a hot topic at workshops and conferences, and many feel a bit guilty that they aren't doing more of it. Why is scientific inquiry currently at the forefront of science education reform? Inquiry works!…