Examines how specific aspects of cases and the case-discussion process can foster informed, strategic inquiry among elementary mathematics teachers, focusing on development of one's own understanding of mathematics, use of the student perspective for feedback, recasting of the familiar as strange and the simple as complex, and a critical…

Describes an Australian teacher education program in educational psychology that promoted preservice teachers' intellectual functioning in terms of developing critical and reflective judgment; tolerance of doubt, ambiguity, and complexity; and awareness of self-agency. Data from questionnaires, interviews, and measures of intellectual development…

Describes attempts to adapt collaborative-learning techniques and a problem-solving approach to large introductory organic chemistry course sections at the University of Alberta. (WRM)

Describes an introductory undergraduate astronomy course in which the large-lecture format was moved to one in which students were immersed in a technologically-rich, inquiry-based, participatory learning environment. Finds that virtual reality can be used effectively in regular undergraduate university courses as a tool through which students can…

Although most constructivist classrooms feature active, social, and creative learning, different kinds of knowledge (inert, ritual, conceptually difficult, and foreign) invite varied constructivist responses, not one standard approach. Constructivism is pragmatic and should be viewed as a toolbox for problems of learning; teachers should use…

Describes a study of the effects of instructional practices recommended by the National Science Education Standards on individual achievement. Finds that whereas the instructional policies suggested in the Standards may be associated with higher achievement overall, they are equally likely to have the unintended consequence of contributing to…

Discusses ways teacher educators can help preservice early childhood teachers connect reflective inquiry to teaching practice. Shows how coursework in the early childhood education program at Eastern Michigan University encourages reflection on children, content learning, preprofessional teaching experiences, and popular opinion. Includes sample…

In this chapter, the authors review three distinct theoretical discourses--educational measurement, hermeneutics, and sociocultural studies--to support the development of validity theory for the routine use of assessment by professionals working in complex, dynamic, and always partially unique educational environments. They review validity…

In the new biology-learning curriculum for Israeli high schools, known as Biomind, students experience "open-inquiry." This paper describes a qualitative action research project that was performed in order to investigate the characteristics of the open inquiry learning process. Specifically, the research investigates this process in…

A lot of good elementary science involves studying solids, liquids, and gases, and some inquiry-based activities that are easy to set up and do. In this article, the author presents activities pertaining to simple phase change. Using water as the example, these activities introduce upper-grade students to the idea of the arrangement of molecules…

While few disagree that science fair projects have great potential for student learning, the preparation and execution of projects can be stressful for teachers, students, and parents alike. While working as a fourth-grade teacher, the author's goal was to provide students with a science fair experience minus the pressure of trying to figure out…

In this article, the authors present hands-on activities and demonstrations using readily available materials that help students learn how to prevent soil erosion. With this series of active-learning exercises, the students will be able to practice scientific inquiry while learning about soil as a valuable resource. After demonstrations on the…

Having facilitated, read, and collected more than 200 teacher research pieces written by prospective and practicing teachers, the authors conducted a systematic analysis of the domains and contents of teachers' questions as they embarked on their first research study. Focusing on the questions teachers ask led to the generation of a typology of…

The authors argue for integrating Boyer's four domains through the pursuit of public scholarship.

The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council [NRC], 1996) call for a greater emphasis on scientific inquiry in K-12 science classes. The Inquiry Standards recommend that students be engaged with scientific questions in which they collect and interpret data, give priority to evidence to construct explanations, test those…