How do scientists make inferences for something they cannot directly observe? The Black Box approach seems ideal to help students understand how scientists work. Black Boxes are sealed units; their interior is not accessible. The effort to determine their possible content (internal structure) demands successive modifications in hypothesis,…

Project-based learning (PBL) in the science classroom provides an opportunity for students to investigate socioscientific issues that are current, authentic, and relevant. In a typical PBL unit, the teacher designs a narrative plan and acts as a facilitator who helps gather and organize student ideas. The framework of the Next Generation Science…

In this article, the author discusses the CHANCE (Connecting Humans and Nature in the Costa Rican Environment) program, a coordinated effort between The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education that trains 9th- through 12th-grade teachers to be more like scientists and develop a unique, pedagogical tool for…