Jamestown is at the heart of any teaching and learning of colonial American history. Stories of John Smith and Pocahontas are learned by elementary and secondary students across the United States. In Virginia, Jamestown is first taught in third grade and revisited five more times from historical, political, economic, and geographic perspectives.…

There is a growing consensus that simply learning enough science to decipher public debates on socioscientific issues will not make citizens better equipped to handle the complex and ill-structured problems these controversial issues present. This study highlights the interaction and complex interplay between youth authored and appropriated frames…

Since the industrial revolution, technological innovation and the application of basic scientific research have transformed society. Increasingly, critical conversations and legislation regarding national and international public policy have sophisticated scientific underpinnings. It is crucial that we prepare scientists and engineers with an…

Discusses reasons why nuclear power/technology should be taught. Indicates that the subject is not strictly science-related, the issues offering material for lessons in geography, history, politics, and economics. Also suggests presenting both sides of the nuclear power argument. (Author/JN)

This paper reports a qualitative study on students' informal reasoning on a controversial socio-scientific issue. Twenty-two students from four science classes in Norway were interviewed about the local construction of new power lines and the possible increased risk of childhood leukaemia. The focus in the study is on what arguments the students…

One of a series of units designed to acquaint secondary school students with business issues, this packet focuses on the complex and controversial topic of energy technology. In a 5-day simulation, students play the roles of energy commission members, and business, local, and public interest group witnesses who must determine whether to build a…

Designed to accompany a 30-minute seminar televised over the Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN), this handbook contains 4 readings on energy for high school students. Following an introduction on energy policy formulation, the first selection outlines the role of nuclear energy in America's future. Included are insets on the operation…