Owing to the popularity of tablet computers and smart phones, e-books have become an important medium for both formal and informal learning. However, conventional e-books are mainly designed to provide information in the form of multimedia, implying that students spend most of their time memorizing and comprehending what they read from e-books,…

This paper examines the learning experiences of 291 Year 5 and 6 Indonesian primary school students, across four schools in North Jakarta, who participated in an integrated STEM project that used a 3-phase "Makerspace" approach: exposure, engagement and experimentation, and evaluation and extension. The Wiggle Bots project involved these…

This article describes an instructional model for integrating children's literature and language arts into the elementary school science curriculum. This science-literacy instructional model is an adaptation from the original 5E model of scientific inquiry. The model demonstrates how reading, writing, listening, and speaking can be incorporated…

This study explored the use of wikis in a science inquiry-based project conducted with Primary 6 students (aged 11-12). It used an online wiki-based platform called PBworks and addressed the following research questions: (1) What are students' attitudes toward learning with wikis? (2) What are students' interactions in online group collaboration…

This article describes a two-day lesson in which fifth-grade students took on the role of marine biology scientists, using their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to explore human impact on the blue crab ecosystem. The purpose of "Crabby Interactions" was to help students understand the impact of human activities on the local…

Striving for sustainability requires a paradigm shift in conceptualization, thinking, research and education, particularly concerning the science-technology-environment-society (STES) interfaces. Consequently, "STES literacy" requires the development of students' question asking, critical, evaluative system thinking, decision making and problem…

Different approaches to the teaching of elementary science are discussed. These include discussion inquiry, the counterintuitive approach, pictorial riddles, inventions, experiments, and demonstrations. (RLV)

SCIENCE UNITS CONSTRUCTED TO DIRECTLY TEACH CRITICAL THINKING ARE COMPARED WITH CONVENTIONAL SCIENCE UNITS FOR EFFECTIVENESS IN THE TEACHING OF CRITICAL THINKING. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 1,554 FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS TAUGHT BY 65 TEACHERS IN FIVE DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEMS. TEACHERS OF THE 469 STUDENTS IN THE RESEARCH GROUP WERE…

The purpose of this research was to measure the effectiveness of two methods of automated instruction in teaching sixth grade students selected problem solving behaviors, namely observing, comparing, classifying, interpreting, analyzing, making assumptions, summarizing, and critical thinking. Two treatments (one visual and one auditory) were…

This is a satire on students' ability to think. Children can in fact think, but teachers often don't give them a chance or encourage them to do so. Questioning techniques are very important in getting children to think. A good starting point for children's thinking is their observations. (BR)

Outlines a model which describes the processes that a learner goes through in attempting to solve problems, and suggests ways to assist students in reaching a solution when they are confronted by an apparent impasse. (JR)

Reading is a skill that can complement a hands-on approach in learning relevant facts, concepts, and generalizations pertaining to different units of study. Teachers should guide students to have the ability to identify unknown words prior to their actual reading of subject matter in science. Pupils tend to make minimal mistakes in word…

Outlines a format using Bloom's taxonomy of educational processes to create critical thinking centers in the classroom. A sample unit on birds is presented along with guidelines for implementing the unit. The method has been successful and is used monthly by the author. (DH)

An investigation designed to test the effectiveness of a computer program is described. The purpose was to determine whether the use of a simulation referred to as "The Factory" leads to higher scores on a standardized test of problem-solving ability. The procedures, results, and implications for science teaching are included. (KR)

Provided is a list of the needs of gifted and talented children. Delineates the concomitant relationship with science instruction and the stages in the model that are instrumental in meeting these needs. (RT)