It is important to be able to make better informed decisions about issues such as sustainability and climate change that have both personal and global impact as early as possible in life. Primary teachers have a significant role in supporting students' learning and understanding of these concepts. One important teaching skill that needs to be…

A major part of developing concept-based instruction is the use of an overarching idea to provide a conceptual lens through which students view the content of a particular subject. By using a conceptual lens to focus learning, students think at a much deeper level about the content and its facts (Erickson 2007). Therefore, the authors collaborated…

Describes the evolution of an introductory astronomy course from fact driven to concept driven. Presents a rationale for a course designed to engage students in considering answers to the questions "what are we?" and "how do we know what we know?" (DDR)

The use of analogy can be the most effective way of helping science students successfully formulate hypotheses and develop understandings of concepts. (JR)

Argues that Venn Diagrams are powerful probes of students' understanding of the meanings of terms and the relations between concepts. Examples of the various classroom contexts in which the diagrams can be used are provided. (JN)

Reports on a replication study to determine the relative effectiveness of two methods of instruction in teaching classificatory concepts and to determine whether maturity of children was related to level of understanding. (GS)

Theory and research regarding four levels of concept attainment and three uses of concepts as specified by the conceptual learning and development (CLD) model are described. The strategy of a longitudinal intervention study is detailed. This study is designed to determine the effects of implementing both the model of instructional programming for…

Reported is a study to determine the feasibility of teaching selected concepts related to the particle nature of matter to students in grades 2-6. The lessons developed for this study did not require a high student reading ability, did not require more than one-half hour of time, included the use of analogous mechanical models whenever possible,…

This investigation was designed to test the hypothesis that the nature of the concept learned by a student is a function of the mode of instruction. Written materials were prepared to teach the concept "mib" to students in a remedial chemistry course. One set of materials presented the concept through a programmed text format consisting of 26…

Secondary and college level students were queried as to which fundamental physics concepts were the most difficult to understand. Concepts reported as most difficult included: difference between mass and weight, magnification, indirection, the idea of fields, and potential difference. (SL)

Using the Topic of electromagnets as an example, describes how science teachers can benefit from the work of Hilda Taba and her co-workers in the area of instructional design and in classroom techniques for developing concepts. (JR)

Illustrated and described is a convection box for classroom use to stimulate concept development in elementary school children. Other equipment and apparatus that may be used in open-ended science activites are listed. (CS)

Discusses problems encountered in formal procedures for examining concepts to determine how they might be taught and presents alternate formats for presenting concepts. Nine examples are included. (SL)

Examined are first-year medical students' (n=160) explanations of complex concepts in cardiopulmonary physiology following a lecture series. The results revealed systematic misconceptions by the students in developing a pathophysiological model of the problem. The implications for science instruction within a medical curriculum are discussed.…

Questions the approach used to the topic of energy in Nuffield Secondary Science. Indicates that 14-year-old children will not be able to generalize from the experiments to see a pattern energing, and the concept of energy involves understanding of other concepts that the children have not yet attained. (GS)