This study investigated teacher-child interaction within small-group science activities in a fourth-grade classroom. This qualitative study revealed three "zones of interaction," or teacher-child interaction categories: Individual Zones of Interaction, Multiple Zones of Interaction, and a Collective Zone of Interaction. Each zone was further…

The model organism, "Caenorhabditis elegans," in addition to being well suited to genetics and cell biology teaching applications, can also be useful in the physiology laboratory. In this article, the author describes how students in a junior level college Comparative Physiology course have made use of "C. elegans" in semester-long,…

While simulations have widely been used to facilitate conceptual change in learning science, results indicate that significant disparity or gap between students' prior conceptions and scientific conceptions still exists. To bridge the gap, we argue that the applications of computer simulation in science education should be broadened to enable…

In this article, the author points out the decision of U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III, issued Dec. 20, regarding the constitutionality of Dover, Pa., district's policy that promotes "intelligent design" in public school sciences. In the ruling, Judge Jones not only found the district's policy promoting intelligent design…

This research explores and compares primary student teachers' attitudes, subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in physics in two institutions in England and Finland, using a practical physics activity and questionnaire. Teaching of physics activities was rated unpopular both in Finland and England, although English students…

Today's "out-of-school learning" is dominated by PC games, videos, and TV. These media provide children with optimal conditions for nurturing their visuospatial intelligence. In "chemistry" and biochemistry, over the past 125 years, thinking has shifted from the "logical-mathematical" to the "logical-visuospatial." In chemistry visuospatial…

Integration of molecular modeling into General Chemistry lab encourages students to dually process molecular concepts both verbally and pictorially. When students are tested utilizing questions not previously encountered the dual processing of information can contribute to a transfer to knowledge. General Chemistry students utilized molecular…

Visual representations play a critical role in the communication of science concepts for scientists and students alike. However, recent research suggests that novice students experience difficulty extracting relevant information from representations. This study examined students' interpretations of visual representations of DNA replication. Each…

Many mainstream content teachers are encountering, for the first time, K-12 students who are in the process of learning English as a second language (English language learners or ELLs), and this new population presents a significant challenge. Teachers are already familiar with many of the techniques available to help their ELLs comprehend…

To increase preschoolers' science and mathematics learning experiences both within and outside the classroom, we developed age-appropriate materials containing general questions and instructions that teachers and parents could use when interacting with their students and children. The questions and instructions were related to a specific science…

This study investigated prospective secondary science teachers' understandings of and intentions to teach about scientific modelling in the context of a model-based instructional module. Qualitative methods were used to explore the influence of instruction using dynamic computer modelling. Participants included 14 secondary science prospective…

As testing becomes more prevalent as a policy tool in the Anglo-Saxon world, debates continue as to whether it supports central reforms of instruction or leads to a kind of 'teaching to the test' that invalidates results and undermines more challenging instruction. This paper reports on a three-year study of mathematics testing of nine-year-olds…

Computer-aided modelling and investigations can bring the real world into classrooms and facilitate its exploration, in contrast to acquiring factual knowledge from textbooks. Computer modelling puts a whole new "spin" on science education, redefining and reshaping the classroom learning experience. The authors used information and…

Creative Partnerships in Education UK (CAPE), funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), worked with the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University and The Centre for the Understanding of the Built Environment (CUBE) to devise and manage this project in 10 primary and secondary schools in Leeds…

There is much that is healthy in school science in the UK but recent years have seen a worrying decline in the numbers choosing to study physical sciences after the age of 16. In an attempt to ensure that this doesn't also happen to the biological sciences, the Biosciences Federation set up a working group to explore how more young people might be…