Scientists, and science in general, move from the unknown to increasing levels of certainty. Teaching students about science means encouraging them to embrace and investigate the unknown, make reliable scientific claims, justify those claims with evidence, and evaluate the quality of the evidence. In all areas of science--and especially in…

This article outlines the Space Academy programme led by the National Space Centre from 2008 to 2011 with the stated goals of harnessing the inspirational contexts of space and climate change to support GCSE, A-level and vocational students in their curriculum studies as well as to enhance STEM teacher effectiveness and increase the awareness of…

This article describes how the Science Department at Shoeburyness High School in Essex introduced a space-themed year 8 (ages 12-13) science course to increase student engagement and motivation. As well as discussing the rationale for such curriculum change, it describes the processes of planning and resourcing the course, and the barriers that…

With recognition of the importance of scientific literacy for the nation and yet the increasing students' disinterest in science through school science curriculum, the Korea Science Foundation launched an innovative program called "Everyday Science Class (ESC)" in partnership with universities and local government offices in 2003. In…

There are a plethora of opportunities for pupils to write across the curriculum. Each academic discipline may well provide chances for pupils to develop skill in writing, science being no exception. The science teacher needs to develop pupil knowledge in science as well as using the contents in written work. Learning to write and writing to learn…

To bridge the gap between science and policy, future scientists should receive training that incorporates policy implications into the design, analysis, and communication of research. We present a student Science and Policy course for undergraduate science majors piloted at the University of California, Berkeley in the summer of 2011. During this…

In this article, Michael E. Wysession comments on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS), which are based on the recommendations of the National Research Council and represent a revolutionary step toward establishing modern, national K-12 science education standards. The NGSS involves significant changes from traditional…

Modern robots, like today's smartphones, are complex devices with intricate software systems. Introductory robot programming courses must evolve to reflect this reality, by teaching students to make use of the sophisticated tools their robots provide rather than reimplementing basic algorithms. This paper focuses on teaching with Tekkotsu, an open…

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of inquiry-based instruction and to outline components of inquiry-based instruction key to ensuring that students with disabilities in inclusive science classrooms acquire core concepts. The use of collaboration, big ideas, knowledge and retention strategies, and formative assessments are…

This paper considers the adoption of general science courses in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec, during the 1930s. In Ontario, a few science teachers had followed the early general science movements in the United States and Britain with interest. During the 1930s, several developments made the cross-disciplinary, applied thrust of…

This study investigated a sample of isiXhosa mother tongue-speaking science teachers', their pupils', and adult local community members' awareness of Xhosa indigenous knowledge. It also investigated what aspects of this knowledge they value and think should and could be integrated into the school science curriculum and their reasons for suggesting…

Newton's law of gravitation is a central topic in the first-year physics curriculum. A lecturer can go beyond the physical details and use the history of gravitation to discuss the development of scientific ideas; unfortunately, the most recent chapter in this history, general relativity, is not covered in first-year courses. This paper discusses…

We report on a three-year study of teachers' experiences of a major reform of the science National Curriculum for 14- to 16-year-olds in England. Teachers' responses to this curriculum reform were guided by: "personal" aims and biography; "internal" features of their workplace such as departmental collegiality; and…

This paper examines learning of science in 15 grade nine classrooms by analyzing the type of talk that teachers engaged in. Using transcripts from audio recordings that are part of the Singapore Corpus of Research in Education database, annotations were carried out on the phrases of teacher talk using Mortimer and Scott's framework for meaning…

Biotechnology constitutes one of the most challenging, cutting-edge, and rapidly growing fields in science today. Both the practical implications and the hands-on nature of this "modern science" make the topic of biotechnology an attractive addition to the high school science curriculum. The current study is the first of its kind to…