Although there is a need for continued pedagogical advancement in science undergraduate education, what is needed more urgently is more widespread adaptation of pedagogical practices that research has already shown to promote learning. Those practices include interactive engagement pedagogies such as active learning and inquiry-based learning. The…

Teachers play a central role in inquiry science classrooms. In this study, we investigate how seven teacher variables (i.e., gender, experience, perceived importance of inquiry and traditional teaching, workshop attendance, partner teacher, use of technology) affect student knowledge integration understanding of science topics drawing on previous…

This study explored the lived experiences of community college students who successfully completed developmental reading courses. The purpose of the study was to identify common experiences of successful students. A narrative inquiry was used and data were collected through individual interviews. The researcher concluded that successful students…

This study made analysis of how the integration of creative drama into a science enrichment program enhanced the learning of elementary school students' understanding of sound physics and solar energy. The study also sought to determine if student attitudes toward science could be improved with the inclusion of creative drama as an extension…

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More…

Many new teachers do not feel adequately prepared to face the challenges ahead of them in the classroom. As a result, formal induction programs have emerged as the primary response to the needs and concerns of beginning teachers. However, while there are components of induction that have shown to be successful, questions remain as to the actual…

This volume examines the assessment of higher order thinking skills from the perspectives of applied cognitive psychology and measurement theory. The volume considers a variety of higher order thinking skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, argumentation, decision making, creativity, metacognition, and self-regulation. Fourteen…

While politicians and other pundits may not agree on how to improve schools, there is agreement that many areas require attention from improving student achievement, to ensuring effective instruction. As school districts struggle with these and other complex issues, there is a growing demand for executive level leaders who have knowledge and…

The article reports phase 2 of a two-year study, dubbed the Smart Information Use project, the focus of which was appropriate seeking and use of information by students at various stages of their high school education, along with the avoidance of plagiarism. In four Australian high schools, teacher librarians and classroom teachers developed and…

Nowadays, there are lots of digital resources available to teachers. Tools such as Teachers' Domain, an online digital library (see "On the web"); interactive whiteboards; computer projection devices; laptop carts; and robust wireless internet services make it easy for teachers to use technology in the classroom. In fact, in one…

This research project aimed to introduce WebQuests to train special education preservice teachers in Singapore. The following research questions were posed: (1) Does the use of WebQuests in teacher preparation promote special education teacher understanding on Universal Design for Learning in accommodating students with diverse learning needs? (2)…

The present study seeks to explore middle school students' perception of the kind of science instruction going on in their classrooms and its relevance to their daily lives outside the classroom. Data were collected using a five point Likert type survey instrument that was administered to 262 middle school (Grades 6, 7 & 8) students in six…

When children look at works of art they tell stories, share experiences, imagine, and explore. This book provides teachers with the skills, and freedom, to design rich and open-ended art experiences for young children. The author looks at the work of a variety of artists and offers guidance for using these artworks as taking-off points for…

This paper describes a series of experiential educational exercises developed to better engage and more effectively educate master degree students in the necessary foundation skills that comprise a true scholar. It was developed from the atmosphere of viewing the initial disengagement of my students while at the same time recalling, as a student,…

"Visualization" of chemical phenomena often has been limited in the teaching laboratories to the sense of sight. We have developed chemistry experiments that rely on senses other than eyesight to investigate chemical concepts, make quantitative determinations, and familiarize students with chemical techniques traditionally designed using only…