Inquiry-Based Teaching Practice (IBTP) is an essential component of science education, and promoting its implementation is at the heart of various reform efforts. Even though science teachers regard IBTP as an essential pedagogical method, they rarely use it for various reasons. This study utilizes Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework to examine…

Developing the future scientists of tomorrow requires that the science teachers of today be well versed in the languages and practices of science. This may require in-service teachers to shift the way they think about learning and the role they play in their classrooms. One approach to helping teachers gain a sense of comfort with current science…

The interdisciplinary aspect of natural disasters requires their correlation with more than one discipline and orientation for understanding and teaching the inevitable nature of disasters. This study aimed to design a teacher training program called the Interdisciplinary Disaster Education Program (IDEP) and reveal its effect on improving…

The eight science and engineering practices outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are key to student science learning. However, there is limited guidance for teachers on what these practices should "look like" in instruction across different grade ranges and topic areas. This paper describes the development of two…

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education is gaining popularity in schools across the United States and in parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. Despite its popularity little empirical data exists to guide effective instructional practices, and even less is known about the challenges associated with instruction.…

STEM faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) have partnered with teachers and administrators in the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) to implement a Teacher-Researcher Partnership Program. This program establishes resources and infrastructure that engage K-12 science teachers in scientific research experiences. In the first implementation of…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are composed of three intertwined dimensions--disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts--that provide a foundation for what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels. The eight science practices outlined in the NGSS are critical components…

This record of study (ROS) explores the perceptions of three high school biology teachers who implemented a form of the Japanese originated Lesson Study Professional Development (LS PD) model. Additionally, this ROS reports on the perceptions of the internal stakeholders with regard to the model's viability as a potential solution to a proposed…

The 2010 National Educational Technology Plan argued that online communities of practice should be an integral component of the future of professional learning for educators. Building on at least two decades of existing scholarship, this report summarizes three years of exploratory research conducted by the Connected Educators project and…

Designing effective professional development experiences for technology-enhanced inquiry instruction is the goal of the Technology Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) NSF funded Center for Learning and Teaching. In order to provide this type of support to a large number of teachers, we devised a "targeted professional development approach."…

As part of national evaluation of Eisenhower Professional Development Program, examines management and implementation strategies contributing to high-quality inservice teacher professional development in mathematics and science. Finds higher quality professional development is related to management and implementation strategies such as continuous…

The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) is implementing a professional development program for science teachers to enact science curricula in a systemic reform initiative. This paper proposes a design approach for professional development in science education as a valuable way to re-conceptualize the process of fostering…

In 1994-95, an Arizona Math and Science Eisenhower Grant helped a Northern Arizona University-sponsored project train 20 K-12 Arizona science teachers in telecommunications applications and science curriculum integration. Preservice teachers also participated. Problems encountered were differences in teachers' workplace telecommunications…

This paper summarizes a 1982-83 descriptive evaluation of first year implementation of 15 regional teacher service agencies in California, referred to as Teacher Education and Computer Centers (TECCs). Self-report data and case studies from three regions were used to describe the configuration of the centers, their service delivery, and perceived…

WCU Micronet is a telecommunications network outreach program of Western Carolina University. What started as an aid to local high school science teachers has become a statewide K-12 multidisciplinary computer network with Internet listserv and Web capabilities. WCU Micronet also provides printed support and workshops for inservice and preservice…