The authors' experiences with electronic bulletin boards are recounted. Begun in 1986, the Physics Forum bulletin board for Massachusetts high school physics teachers spent its first few years as a resource of limited use only. In 1989, however, the National Science Foundation awarded the Five Colleges/Western Massachusetts Partnership a grant…

This report describes an evaluation study designed to examine two major aspects of a partnership program sponsored by the Science and Mathematics Network of Central Ohio. Those aspects are: (1) changes in partners' perceptions about partnering; and (2) science and mathematics education and the impact of partnerships on the instructional process.…

This study takes a holistic perspective towards inquiry teaching by examining the alignment among teacher intentions, teaching practices, and student perceptions of teaching practices. The first part of the study examines the alignment between teacher intentions for instruction and classroom teaching practices. The second part of the study…

This paper states and discusses general guidelines in teaching for conceptual change. Several important factors that seem to be necessary in meeting the guidelines in normal classrooms are considered. The factors relate to the teacher, student, and the classroom climate. The guidelines are illustrated using examples drawn from a fifth-grade…

This study defines some of the educational ecosystems that encourage students to discover science interests and science talent. Six interrelated constructs are discussed. Construct 1 consists of a skein of achievement-centered, goal-targeted environments that comprise the inspiring teaching and learning that can enhance the endowments of students.…

Investigations of changes in conceptions during physics instruction are the logical and necessary steps to follow successful international research on students' preinstructional conceptions. The theoretical perspective integrates currently available frameworks of cognition, cognitive states, and cognitive processes in physics. Particular emphasis…

The Texas Poll of Elementary School Teachers was a statewide telephone survey designed to accurately describe the current science teaching practices in Texas public elementary schools, and the extent to which these elementary teachers feel prepared for the task. This paper focused on the survey sampling procedures and questionnaire design used in…

Research on student use of digital resources identifies the challenges associated with utilizing the World Wide Web (WWW) while involved in on-line inquiry activities in the science classroom. On-line materials alone do not suffice in providing the guidance students require to effectively ask questions, plan searches, and analyze the results of…

This paper describes a model for utilizing national science reform initiatives in an elementary science methods course. By focusing particularly on Project 2061 benchmarks, the reform movement initiated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), teacher candidates were able to successfully analyze, integrate, and utilize…

This interpretive overview of the "Science Report Card" provides a description of the ways in which science can empower and enrich the lives of students. This booklet also contains: (1) statistics which provide a picture of the state of science learning in the United States; (2) specific data that help provide a sense of the status of…

Any number of successful teaching strategies use a mixture of methods rich in language use to enhance conceptual learning. Not all language-rich teaching leads to equivalent conceptual gain. A year-long study was conducted in three high school physics classes to provide empirical support for the existence of effects of varying level of…

This guide offers Spanish-speaking parents ways in which they can help their children learn about science at home and in the community. Science is a way of looking at the world. It uses everyday techniques such as observation and classification to give us information about things and how they work. Advice to parents that want to support their…

A study determined if using specific reading strategies would improve students' grades in science. Subjects, 21 fifth-grade students in an urban area school, studied four units of science--two units using the strategies outlined in the series teacher's manual, and two units using semantic mapping, cloze exercises, graphic aids, and vocabulary…

This booklet provides an understanding of science education for young children in terms of both a theoretical basis for planning and a selection of practical experiences. The theoretical and practical sections are organized separately, and readers are advised that an understanding of the theoretical approach is essential prior to implementing the…

This project provided access to telecommunication networks and research databases at 13 sites in the Mid-Atlantic region from May 1 to June 4, 1993. The project objectives were to pilot a regionally-developed education database; to provide access to this database and the Internet; to train participants to use telecommunications technology; to…