Part of the Delaware Department of Education's ongoing efforts to provide assistance and support to local school districts in their development of a standards-based curriculum, this document presents the eight science standards for middle school. The standards for grades 6-8 are: (1) nature and application of science and technology; (2) materials…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has produced a distance learning series of four 60-minute video programs with an accompanying Web site and companion teacher guide. This teacher guide accompanies the first video in the series. The story line of each program involves six ethnically diverse, inquisitive schoolchildren who…

This paper is a history of the adoption and implementation of "The Web of Life", an inquiry based biology course for senior secondary students in Western Australia. It focuses on the period from 1965 to 1990, outlines the issues at the time, events, and timeline of implementation and reflects on inquiry teaching and learning. It is a…

The number and range of instructional resources in mathematics and science education can be overwhelming to educators. The chief mission of The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) is to help educators sort through the confusion by identifying relevant resources such as print materials, software, kits, and…

This book, part of the Whole Language Umbrella Series, offers a critical reexamination of "inquiry" and "whole language" as tools for rethinking literacy, schooling, and humanistic citizenship in the complexities of today's multicultural world. The essays in the book explore the political implications of literacy theories and…

This book offers four standards designed to help students meet the various standards dictated by states, regions, and districts. The book is divided into four sections, one for each of the four standards: rigor, thought, diversity, and authenticity. Each section contains three chapters. The first chapter in each section introduces the standard and…

Qualitative inquiry is rich in personal interaction between participant and researcher. This research seeks to consider the issues related to conducting qualitative inquiries in online settings and the implications for using electronic means in interview and observation. Consideration needs to be given to the ramifications of online interview…

Philosophy for Children, a program incorporating teaching methods of inquiry among groups of students and designed to introduce students to philosophy through texts designed to generate discussion, has grown enormously since its inception in the late 1960s. Experimental research on the program's impact has demonstrated significant gains in…

Florida's Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is preparing all children for success in the mathematics and science, technology-dependent 21st century. Ongoing National Science Foundation funding catalyzed substantial changes in the systemic reform movement of mathematics and science education from 1994-99. The Miami-Dade USI produced…

This paper explores four students' attempts at teaching science in the real world classroom during their initial student teaching practicum including their struggles and successes. When pre-service teachers enter their initial practicum experience they are confronted with differing teaching philosophies of their own, university professors, and…

This how-to guide to classroom inquiry takes educators through the process step-by-step, from beginning to end, answering critical questions on developing the research plan, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing and publishing the results. Seven chapters include: (1) "Teacher Inquiry Defined" (e.g., what teacher inquiry is and how it…

This paper describes a qualitative study investigating the Capital Area Technology and Inquiry in Education (CATIE) model of situated professional development for technology integration in schools and classrooms. The CATIE model is called "situated" because it places educational technology experts in schools on an ongoing basis where…

This research reports on interpretive and cognitive approaches that were used in a unit of work with a final year high school biology class. The aim of the intervention was to promote students' awareness and communication of the biological, social, and ethical issues associated with cancer. Students were encouraged to use an inquiry approach. They…

This paper discusses the value of action research in professional learning, presenting political and practical questions from the work of a primary school teacher who conducted action research on literacy with at-risk students and an intermediate school teacher, now a program officer at the Ontario College of Teachers who is helping create…

This paper describes two cases that illustrate the role of collaborative reflection in developing a culture of inquiry and individual and organizational renewal in school-university partnerships. Three assertions underlie the study: that individual renewal leads to organizational renewal; that developing a culture of inquiry is a prerequisite to…