"Nature at Your Doorstep" is an outgrowth of a successful environmental education program offered as a school field trip at a Nature Discovery Center. It was developed and used with thousands of students throughout Bellaire, Texas and the surrounding Houston metroplex. The purpose of this program is to kindle students' curiosity and…

Exploratorium Science Snacks are miniature versions of some of the most popular exhibits at the Exploratorium, San Francisco's (California) museum of science, art, and human perception. Nearly 100 teachers worked with Exploratorium staff members to create scaled-down versions of exhibits that teachers could make using common, inexpensive,…

Discusses rationale for developing the Exploratorium at San Francisco's Museum of Science, Art, and Perception. Describes typical exhibits, hands-on nature of exhibits, and function of Explainers. Presents information about Exploratorium workshops (currently oriented toward upper elementary/junior high teachers), emphasizing the nature of science…

This document reports on a doctoral-level practicum designed to train volunteers as docents to assist in the programs of the NOVA Children's Museum located on the Cedargrove School campus (Covina, California). Docents were found to be essential for more in-depth science learning to take place during hands-on museum experiences which promote the…

The Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) at the Western Australian Institute of Technology offers two graduate courses: Graduate Diploma in Science Education and the Master of Applied Science (Science Education). Three distinct groups of students engaged in these SMEC programs can be identified based on their interests/expertise in…

This study examines the limited literature on zoomobile programs and suggests that remarkable uniformity exists between such variables as types and lengths of programs offered, animals used, staffing, area served, and funding. It notes a common set of problems, from practical ones such as animal stress and liability insurance, through…

Science programs which take place outside the traditional classroom and beyond the usual school hours are listed. The programs (designed for all ages and educational levels and scheduled after school, on Saturdays, evenings, and during summer months) are offered in multidisciplinary science centers located in larger cities, small town museums,…

The Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) was established in 1979 in the Division of Engineering and Science at Western Australian Institute of Technology. The establishment of an autonomous SMEC, physically located in a science/mathematics environment, is helping to bridge the gap between secondary science/mathematics teachers and…

Although science centres and museums are important educational resources, school trips to these places are not often conducted in a manner that could maximise learning. In addressing this issue, a Framework for Museum Practice (FMP) is proposed, derived from the perspectives of Cultural Historical Activity Theory, theories of intrinsic motivation,…

The purpose of a study was to explore the link between conceptual understanding, free exploration of hands-on science center exhibits, and Piagetian cognitive developmental levels. In this primarily qualitative study, which is based upon interview and observational data, patterns in children's behavior relating to specific hands-on science center…

A variety of science and mathematics education activities are reported in two sections. These activities include: conferences (both past and future); innovative projects/programs and initiatives at the primary, secondary, and teacher-education levels; instructional materials development/use; instructional strategies; science education research;…

This curriculum guide for the Plano Intermediate School District (Texas) Outdoor Learning Center is divided into three major sections. Section I provides information on the numbered stations/posts found along the perimeter and inner trails of the center and includes brief comments on the philosophy of environmental education and the history…

This document contains the abstracts of the presentations made at this conference. Topics of presentations included: (1) linking research and science teaching using community resources; (2) planning science teacher workshops; (3) school-related recycling programs; (4) improving student attitudes toward science; (5) rural science teaching; (6)…

This bulletin addresses the topic of out-of-school science education (OSSE) as it is occurring and developing in the countries of the Asia and Pacific region of Unesco. Out-of-school programs/activities are both complementary of and supplementary to science education in the schools, providing activities that the constraints of schooling usually…

The design of today's science facilities for elementary and secondary schools reflects trends toward education's growing emphasis on dynamic student-teacher interaction and toward a growing national sensitivity to social and environmental needs. The modern science facility exhibits a primary concern for individual student involvement in the…