Introduces two trade books that can be used as an instructional tool to promote scientific thinking and science process skills among children. (YDS)

Uses the metaphor of a three-legged stool and how each leg serves as a specific function to describe the balance in science teaching, especially for elementary-level students. (YDS)

Presents activities that use the learning cycle to engage students in meaningful inquiries in the study of Mendelian genetics. Includes content-related background and teaching tips for each phase of the learning cycle. (JRH)

Outlines an approach to the problem of over- or underquantification for students by teaching science as a process of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data that naturally integrates with mathematics. (MKR)

Explains how games can be used to stimulate interest and aid conceptual understanding. Focuses on working with Year Six children and simulation exercises designed to support understanding of feeding relationships and food chains. (DDR)

Reports on how science teachers might work to improve their students' use of science process skills in ways that will contribute to their meaningful learning during laboratory activities. (Author/WRM)

Reports on a study of student understanding of the wave nature of matter in the context of the pattern produced by the diffraction and interference of particles. Errors made by students after standard instruction indicates the presence of similar conceptual and reasoning difficulties at three different educational levels. (Contains over 20…

Illustrates some of the possible uses of the CCD camera in science teaching. Starts with the introduction of Flexcam which is a type of CCD camera used primarily by biology teachers and uses Flexcam to demonstrate observations and scientific skills in connection with the TV monitor. (Author/YDS)

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)

Makes a case for why teaching about 'ideas and evidence' requires more attention to the teaching of argument in school science. Outlines various practical methods and strategies of local teachers through which this might be achieved. Explores difficulties and obstacles. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/ASK)

Discusses the results of a study that explored first year university students' ideas about measurement in the physics laboratory. Uses the 'point' and 'set' paradigms as a model to analyze responses to written probes. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

The purpose of this paper was to investigate students' views on models and modelling in science as well as the role that models play in learning, using a theoretical framework of models in learning. Students' views on models in science were investigated using a pencil-and-paper questionnaire given to 275 students from Grade 8 (13 years old) to…

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…

Learning to write well is a long process that comes through teacher modeling, instruction, practice, and feedback. Luckily, the writing process can be used to improve science learning, too. There is perhaps no better place than a science journal for students to develop informational writing skills. Daily journal prompts are one way to encourage…

In the spirit of the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996), many teachers attempt to have their students experience science in a constructivist, inquiry-oriented manner. The egg bungee jump activity will certainly support that mode of teaching, and has the added benefit of providing a concrete context within which students can explore…