The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of explicit instruction in the curriculum area of science where non-explicit approaches (e.g., discovery learning) are often used. While there has been a relative paucity of research on explicit instruction in science classrooms, we argue that explicit instruction, particularly when it is embedded…

This article critically explores the epistemic "practices" of bioscience, using creative writing and analyses of science studies to implicate the non-linguistic side of science where a "feeling for the organism" matters more, perhaps, than theoretical precision. It offers new critique of curricula in science which are so…

Increasingly, the science education community has recognized the need for curriculum resources that support student development of authentic scientific practices, rather than focusing exclusively on content knowledge. This paper proposes a tool for teachers and researchers to assess the degree to which certain curriculum resources and lessons…

Reactivity III is a new course that presents chemical reactions from the domains of organic, inorganic, and biochemistry that are not readily categorized by electrophile-nucleophile interactions. Many of these reactions involve the transfer of a single electron, in either an intermolecular fashion in the case of oxidation/reduction reactions or an…

Misconceptions are sometimes called "alternative conceptions" in acknowledgement of the fact that although these concepts are inaccurate, they are congruent with prior experiences. The idea that misconceptions must be addressed to improve learning is helpful to remember when developing a case study. Students will bring their existing…

This article draws primarily on a policy discussion hosted by the New Zealand Association of Research in Education's (NZARE) Science Special Interest Group at the 2016 national conference, arguing that an ecosystem view of science education is a useful metaphor when considering both what is being done to implement the vision for science education…

In the K-12 2010 report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the term "deeply digital" referred to comprehensive instructional materials for STEM education that "would use simulations, probes, multimedia, and other digital resources as needed" (p. 80). When used in a broader sense, deeply digital…

This research aims at describing the 2013 Curriculum implementation for science learning on the planning, classroom implementation, and assessment stages, as well as the obstacles faced by teachers and their efforts to overcome them. This qualitative research was by involving Grade 4 teachers, students, and the principal of a primary school in…

The article focuses on the analysis of curriculum documents from Taiwan to investigate how benchmarks for learning nature of science (NOS) are positioned in different versions of the science curricula. Following a review of different approaches to the conceptualization of NOS and the role of NOS in promoting scientific literacy, an empirical study…

Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE) is an innovative strand of the most recent Australian Curriculum: Science. The introduction of SHE is welcome and comes at a time when Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is under increasing scrutiny both in Australia and across the world, with some commentators identifying a…

A classroom exercise is described in which college students take part in creating and supporting an evolutionary hypothesis that explains effort grunting. The exercise holds their interest throughout and readies them to understand hypotheses of animal and plant evolution. It informs them about the dependence of cultural evolution upon biological…

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to describe a middle-level science teacher's transition to an inquiry-based, progressivist, student-centered model from a traditional, teacher-centered model as well to document the student-participants' perceptions of the new model. The study population consisted of one-hundred…

The inclusion of engineering in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as a key component of K-12 science learning has provided both opportunities and challenges for elementary teachers. One challenge is integrating the design thinking processes that undergird engineering with core science concepts and current issues facing scientists and…

Recent calls to reform undergraduate biology education, including Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education, have led biology departments to examine their curriculum to determine the extent to which it aligns with Vision and Change content and competency recommendations. The recently released BioSkills Guide translates the broad Vision…

This study measured the effect of an evidence-based science curriculum delivered in both English and Spanish using the preview-view-review (PVR) strategy, on the science vocabulary and content knowledge acquired by students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities who were learning English. The intervention was compared to the same…