This paper describes and discusses the unique chemistry course opportunities beyond the advanced placement-level available at a science and technology magnet high school. Students may select entry-level courses such as honors and advanced placement chemistry; they may also take electives in organic chemistry with instrumental methods of analysis;…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the environmental teaching efficacy and outcome-expectancy beliefs of elementary preservice teachers. The study also evaluated the importance of ethnicity as a construct in influencing teachers' beliefs toward environmental education. Among groups, participants involved in the Global Learning and…

The idea that formative assessments embedded in a curriculum could help guide teachers toward better instructional practices that lead to greater student learning has taken center stage in science assessment research. In order to embed formative assessments in a curriculum, curriculum developers and assessment specialists should collaborate to…

Changes in teacher efficacy and attitudes toward teaching were examined throughout a teacher education program as teachers worked to integrate new skills into their science curriculum. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the changes. Positive correlation was observed between changes in attitude and self-efficacy. Negative correlation was…

An investigation of Web-based versus in-class learning environments indicated that student's environmental knowledge, beliefs, opinions, and self-perceptions were equivalent prior to participating in an introductory environmental science course. However, by the end of the 16-week course, students from the in-class group had significantly improved…

One reason we have difficulty finding sustainable solutions is in part because we are unable to see the bigger picture. Capra (2000) argues, "To become ecologically literate we must learn to think systemically--in terms of connectedness, context and processes" (p. 270). We have attempted to structure connected learning experiences through our…

This case study examines the motivational structure of a group of male students (n = 10) in a grade 11 General Science class at an independent single-sex school. We approach the concept of motivation through the integration of three different theoretical approaches: sociocultural theory, future time perspective and achievement goal theory. This…

Curriculum analysis, modification, and enactment are core components of teacher practice. Beginning teachers rely heavily on curriculum materials that are often of poor quality to guide their practice. As a result, we argue that preservice teachers need to learn how to use curriculum materials for effective teaching. To address this concern, the…

Project LOGgED ON was a project supported by the U.S. Department of Education that maintained two initiatives, a.) to provide online case based professional development for teachers in gifted education, b.) to provide online advanced science curriculum for underserved gifted students. For the purposes of this study, the author will examine the…

In this study, we analyzed the quality of students' written scientific explanations found in notebooks and explored the link between the quality of the explanations and students' learning. We propose an approach to systematically analyzing and scoring the quality of students' explanations based on three components: claim, evidence to support it,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions about watersheds. Specifically: (1) What are students' conceptions of a watershed? and (2) In what ways might students' conceptions vary by grade level and community setting? This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross-age design involving the collection of…

This paper presents and discusses examples of works of art which, if included in science curricula, could prompt an understanding by students of some concepts in optics through a discussion of the context in which they were created. Such discussion would elucidate the meaning of the artworks and, at the same time, challenge students'…

There are no fewer than three dozen scientific groups dealing with problems of the development of methods of teaching physics, chemistry, and biology in this country; they are working in pedagogical and classical universities and in institutes of the Russian Academy of Education. Innovative schoolteachers are involved in this endeavor as they…

This article explores the tensions embedded in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that pose both opportunities and challenges for biology instruction with implications for all the sciences. It highlights issues that may arise as biology instruction is adapted to "fit" the NCLB mandates with specific focus…

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse has prepared a series of publications, entitled A Perspective on Reform in Mathematics and Science Education, to support national reform efforts to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. This publication, Monograph #2 in the series, focuses on the activities of the American Association for…