Advocates a collaborative model of sustained staff development for school improvement, rather than "quick-fix" inservice workshops. Describes the challenges one school faced, when making the transition from traditional staff development, in confronting established norms of teacher privacy and individualism. (SK)

Observes students in 6th grade science classes as they use the Web to carry out an inquiry-based assignment. Explores their understanding and enactment of the assignment to do research on the Web. (Author/CCM)

Analyzed the scientific-inquiry studies of 22 high school physics students for operational rules as they physically and mentally manipulated materials over 9 weeks. The study found six operational rules and determined that scientific activity could be described in terms of structural transformational rules and in terms of behavior, information,…

Explores technology-supported inquiry learning as an opportunity for integrating content and process learning using a design framework called the Learning-for-Use model. Describes a curriculum called the Create-a-World Project as an example of a technology-supported inquiry unit that engages students in open-ended earth science investigations…

Presents activities that use the Fibonacci sequence of numbers in nature. (YDS)

Explains the process of building a new high school science program driven by inquiry, design processes, and the interdisciplinary approach. Discusses the positive results of the program on students and the difficulties that teachers face. (YDS)

Most children require experience for effective environmental education and informational literature is not the most effective means. Uses stories to provide experiences in learning leading to inquiry in teaching and fostering the student imagination. Makes suggestions for the story selection process. (YDS)

The Web is mistakenly viewed by too many as the panacea for a teacher's ills. Sending students to the Internet for information has done little to turn the tide in students' perceptions of learning. The problem, though, is not necessarily that the Web is not loaded with excellent learning resources; rather the problem is in sticking to the…

This article describes a lesson in which students compare how artists have depicted rivers in paintings, using different styles, compositions, subject matter, colors, and techniques. They create a watercolor landscape that includes a river. Students can learn about rivers by studying them on site, through environmental study, and through works of…

Scanning my own academic work to discover hidden agendas revealed underlying issues that seemed important in cultural pluralism. They included the need for recognition and for public spaces in culturally pluralistic environments where the experiences of individuals from very different backgrounds are listened to and valued. It was particularly…

The ENVISION professional development model uses active teacher involvement in inquiry and inquiry-based teaching to enhance teachers' understandings about inquiry-based study of local environmental problems and teaching science using inquiry. Teachers also design and implement professional development for their school-based colleagues about…

In this article, we present two studies that helped us understand the kinds of support that students need to learn science successfully from design activities. Both were enacted in the context of an approach to learning science from design called learning by design (LBD). In our first study, we designed and integrated a paper-and-pencil…

This article describes an inquiry-based activity for high school students in which they determine the pH of the digestive compartment in "Paramecia" using different pH indicators. This lab activity introduces students to the challenges of research on the cellular level and illustrates one of the primary methods that scientists use to measure the…

When teachers ask upper middle school and high school students what they know about the Westward movement, the students usually draw on their experiences with simulation games. Rather than rely on simulation games or texts to help students understand that era, these authors advocate moving middle or high school students from a simplistic to a…

One dilemma science teachers face every day is balancing the content demands of state and federal testing requirements while providing opportunities for inquiry. Using the 5E learning cycle is a realistic, constructivist way to address this dilemma. The 5E learning cycle leads students through a sequence of learning in which they become engaged in…