Fieldwork is a meaningful and authentic learning experience that is rarely included in undergraduate chemistry courses. In this laboratory, we visited a hot spot of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) contamination identified in 2012, in Binbrook, Ontario, Canada, a 1 h drive from the University of Toronto. The persistence and unique environmental…

We developed and implemented the Galapagos Volcanology Field Camp, a 3 week, 3 credit hour course for upper-level university students with a major course of study in geology. The course is offered by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, is open to any student, and is usually populated by students from many universities across the U.S.…

The place of fieldwork in both geography and science qualifications across the 14-19 age range remains contested, unclear and sometimes under threat. This article explores these issues for science education and was informed by a one-day, invitation-only workshop, which cut across geography and the sciences, that we ran at the behest of the Field…

Encouraging nonprofessionals to participate in ecological research through citizen science programs is a recent innovation and an effective strategy for gathering ecological information across broad geographical areas. In this paper, we demonstrate how reporting field-based observations through eBird, a citizen-based birding and data-recording…

Through the examination of the experiences of a pre-service teacher participating in a field-based science methods course, we make evident the ways in which a combination of collaborative teaching experiences and reflexive dialogues allowed for the evolution and transformation of her identity. This teacher is Johaira Lara, the second author of…

The current rapid decline of Earth's biodiversity represents an enormous crisis for humanity. Among the factors producing declines in biodiversity, changes in land use may have the greatest effect in the near term. It is well known that land-use history produces strong, lingering effects on biodiversity. This phenomenon has become known as the…

In this article, the authors describe their ongoing experience with the Herpetology Project. Through this field study, students catch and track amphibians and reptiles in the Assabet River area, record and analyze data, share their findings with the community, and ultimately, work toward protecting turtles' habitats. The authors chose to focus on…

This paper describes the evolution of assignments in a course for students preparing to teach secondary science, mathematics, and agriculture science. We describe and analyze work done by preservice students in two different years to look for developing teacher knowledge, explicate how we have come to understand teacher knowledge as it was enacted…

Dubbed a "dialogue of life," community immersion in preservice science-teacher education aims at providing a true-to-life and empowering opportunity for prospective science teachers (both elementary and secondary) to become active participants in community life through field and service-learning experiences. It consists of a three-unit…

"Hard Science" is designed to teach 1st grade gifted students accurate and high level science concepts. It is based upon their experience of the world and attempts to build a foundation for continued love and enjoyment of science. "Hard Science" provides field experiences and opportunities for hands-on discovery working beside experts in the field…

Describes a unique field experience, an outgrowth of a partnership with Seton Hall University and The Liberty Science Center (New Jersey), that immerses K-12 teachers in innovative methods of learning and teaching science. Notes the program helps teachers gain firsthand experience, use interactive exhibits at a science center, and adopt the…

Describes the pilot of a field-based research experience in earth science teacher education designed to produce well-prepared, scientifically and technologically literate earth science teachers through a teaching- and research-oriented partnership between in-service teachers and a university scientist-educator. Indicates that the pilot program was…

Describes the design and logistics of a one-month, 1600 km bicycle tour field trip in which the travel, not the stops, is the major teaching tool. Provides a map and a summarized itinerary of the geology experience of southern California and Nevada. (RT)

Explains methods for teaching geology in an enjoyable way through a multidisciplinary, multimodal approach which highlights applications and relevance in an integrated manner. States that it does not endanger formal course content. (RT)

Discusses instructional innovations in science education, including interdisciplinary environmental studies programs, autotutorial open laboratory techniques, and programed research projects provided in investigative laboratory settings. Describes applications of these innovations at community colleges, as well as the increased use of modular,…