Discusses the importance of using interdisciplinary instruction in science education. Suggests ways for successful interdisciplinary instruction, developing science skills through language, and getting the most out of nonfiction books. (Contains 21 references.) (ASK)

Discusses using amphibians and reptiles as an excellent resource for students to observe and gain an understanding of the process of science. These animals are easy to maintain in the classroom and play important roles in ecosystems as the prey for many birds and mammals and as the predators of various organisms. (SAH)

Three fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms (147 students) were observed over 10 weeks. Science was taught either through (1) short, in-class projects; (2) an ongoing gardening project; or (3) teacher-oriented expository method. Participation in agriculturally oriented experiential activities, such as the projects, had a greater effect on science…

Cites research to support the idea that field trips are more successful for students if they receive a process skills orientation as opposed to a cognitive orientation to the field trip experience. Provides details on planning and preparation for a trip to the zoo. (DDR)

Describes a method for empowering biochemistry students to think critically about research data. Encourages students to formulate their own opinions by removing the usual dominant expert commentary. (Author/CCM)

Presents an inquiry-based science laboratory on the harmonic motion of the pendulum aimed at middle and high school students. Explains the appropriate assessment procedure for the laboratory. (YDS)

We describe a new educational program developed by the Cornell Institute for Research on Children (CIRC), a research and outreach center funded by the National Science Foundation. Thinking Life A Scientist targets students from groups historically underrepresented in science (i.e., girls, people of color, and people from disadvantaged…

Reading comprehension skills promote achievement in science, so how can teachers help students to develop these skills? Research indicates that students who read well are more likely to be successful in school and in life (Belk 1999). Furthermore, there is a direct link between science skills and reading skills (Carter and Simpson 1978). There are…

The authors identified factors affecting problem finding depending on degree of structure of problem situation--either ill or moderately structured. Fifth-grade students (N = 115) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 60) accomplished the ill-structured task; Group 2 (n = 55) performed the moderately structured task. Results indicated…

The reading of science-related, historical nonfiction alone does not necessarily lead students to make personal connections to science or understand science as a human endeavor interdependent with culture, society, and history. Teachers must structure students' reading to ensure that they consider specific aspects of science while reading and…

This paper sits within the research on the affordances of new technologies in the mathematics classroom and focuses on a specific feature that is available in dynamic geometry environments, i.e. measuring tools, within the context of conjecturing and proving in open geometry problems. We develop a classification of different modalities of…

This article discusses the role of imagination in science education. It provides a justification for imaginative thinking in the context of school science, as well as some strategies that can be implemented by science teachers in their classrooms.

The purpose of this study was to describe Turkish preservice chemistry teachers' beliefs about the importance of teaching chemistry in high schools. For this purpose, 45 pre-service chemistry teachers were administered a questionnaire involving open-ended questions which asked what the importance of teaching chemistry is, and why we teach…

This paper will present a review of design-based research conducted over the past 10 years that has modeled and promoted students' reasoning, conceptual change and argumentative dialogue processes and practices through designing a number of digital dialogue games. This line of work was inspired by some challenges and insights that emerged during…

Science educators agree that an undergraduate research experience is critical for students who are considering graduate school or research careers. The process of researching a topic in the primary literature, designing experiments, implementing those experiments, and analyzing the results is essential in developing the analytical skills necessary…