Investigates 5th and 6th grade students' learning when taught with the aid of dome and computer planetaria. Finds both planetaria equally effective with female pupils. Recommends the use of planetaria, which might enable females to catch up with males in areas that place heavy demands on spatial ability such as astronomy. (Contains 16 references.)…

Describes the MAOF physics education program which is designed to relate large parts of mechanics and electromagnetism to each other via the key concepts of field and potential, while at the same time treat students' conceptual difficulties. Finds that students who studied with the MAOF program significantly improved their physics knowledge…

Presents ideas for teaching elementary school children about scientific inquiry methods. Recommends a Planning Board to scaffold students' thinking as they plan and conduct scientific investigations. (WRM)

Science, writing, and art activities can be productively integrated in the elementary classroom. Presents sample learning activities that are coded for the types of experiences they provide for students. These include direct, intuitive, remembered, imagined, mediated, or qualities and relationships experiences. (WRM)

Provides an overview of curricular and instructional adaptations, modifications, and methods that have been used to provide science instruction to students with learning disabilities. Strategies are described within the context of a textbook-based unit on the solar system. (Author/DB)

Explains a professional development model that is informed both by constructivist and sociocultural theory. Focuses on professional development, personal development, and social development. Contains 26 references. (DDR)

Details a collaborative reform effort between a school district and a university that includes an elementary teacher preparation program with an emphasis on science, mathematics, and technology. Contains 48 references. (DDR)

States that constructive thinking about variables seems to be a key to accelerated learning in science and that computer modeling can enable this. A taped sequence of a group in the exploratory use of a model reveals the potential of such activity. (Author/ASK)

Describes how elementary teachers are integrating children's literature into content lessons. Describes three reasons for the use of picture books in content classrooms and describes specific ways that various books can be used in teaching a range of content area subjects. Lists resources for teachers, children's literature for specific content…

Describes use of the Learning Spiral and its stages--engage, investigate, share, and assess--to create a developmentally appropriate, child-centered learning environment for science instruction. Focuses on second-grade students' investigation of owls' behavior. Considers the learning partnership between teacher and students and the individual…

A computer-based concept mapping system was developed that provides two learning environments: "construct-by-self," where the system provides students with evaluation results and hints for feedback, and "construct-on-scaffold," where students also receive an incomplete concept map. The "construct-on-scaffold" had better effect for learning…

Describes an exercise for a lecture class that breaks the monotony of note taking and requires active student thought and participation. Helps students grasp the idea of geologic time as it relates to the erosion of a prominent local landmark, Massanutten Mountain. (Author/SAH)

Surveys completed by 147 rural Missouri secondary science teachers indicated that only 70 percent were certified in their teaching area, lectures were the dominant teaching strategy, student interest in science was low, the use of inquiry in teaching was low, laboratory facilities and funding for supplies were inadequate, and teaching materials…

Examines the effect of 3 different types of multimedia simulation (physical, procedural, and process) for teaching the concept of energy to 14-year-old students. Pre- and posttest results showed significant, consistent cognitive gain for the physical simulation; and a more complex and varied pattern of interaction between type of simulation and…

Presents an overview of the science/mathematics reform movement in elementary/secondary and higher education institutions, emphasizing the roles of interactive learning and technology. Describes a distance learning project at Florida Community College at Jacksonville where five faculty plus a learning theorist developed and taught two basic…