Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for integrating knowledge and practice in learning experiences in K-12 science education. "PlantingScience" (PS), an ideal curriculum for use as an NGSS model, is a computer-mediated collaborative learning environment intertwining scientific inquiry, classroom instruction, and online…

Describes a project on labwork at upper secondary and undergraduate levels that was launched in 1996 and funded by the European Commission. Presents new research questions focusing on three objectives: (1) conceptual; (2) epistemological; and (3) procedural. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/YDS)

School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about…

Recent calls for teacher preparation to become more grounded in practice prompt the questions: Which practices? and perhaps more fundamentally, what counts as a model of instruction worth learning for a new professional--i.e., the beginner's repertoire? In this report, we argue the following: If a defined set of subject-specific high-leverage…

Describes evaluative data obtained during the Colorado Elementary Science Project which used elementary teachers to provide inservice training for other teachers after intensive experience with one of the national elementary science projects. Makes recommendations for implementation and change of this diffusion model. (AL)

Examined interactive effects of direction source (teacher, student, or group direction), allocated time, reading ability, and study orientation on student achievement (N=1108) on three Individualized Science Instructional System (ISIS) minicourses. Results (among others) indicate superiority of student-directed approach over teacher/group-directed…

Compared performance on Piagetian tasks to determine differences between students (N=52): (1) external subjects having access to manipulatives and those not having access, and between internal subjects having access to manipulatives and those not having access. Indicates access to manipulatives benefits those exhibiting externality with respect to…

Described and assessed was the teacher's role in three elementary school science programs which included hands-on learning experiences for the students. Results indicated that this role varied with the manner in which hands-on materials were used in the program. (CW)