This forum paper offers alternative insights into Pei-Ling Hsu's "'It's a magic circle'! Using cogenerative dialogues to create a safe environment to address emotional conflicts in a project-based learning science internship." In her paper, she presented how cogenerative dialogues can be used to create an emotionally safe environment for…

Despite advances in active learning pedagogy and other methods designed to increase student engagement in the chemistry classroom, retention and engagement issues still persist, particularly with respect to women and minorities underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Relevancy also remains elusive in…

This webinar explored how the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide an instructional framework to support professional growth and inform teacher evaluation systems for science instruction. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Wilson and Jody Bintz following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint…

Describes the design and development of a method for high school physics instruction which actively engages students in understanding the physical world by constructing and using scientific models to describe, explain, predict, and control phenomena. Presents evidence for the effectiveness of the modeling method. Concludes that effectiveness of…

Explores how science could be better taught at the undergraduate level, particularly the incorporation of active learning and an interdisciplinary approach, and the role of learning communities in improving science instruction. (EV)

Presents a paper based on the Northwest Region Presidential Address given at the Manchester Metropolitan University that makes the plea that science should be at the top of the science teacher's agenda. Asserts that learning is a continuing process for both teachers and pupils. (JRH)

Synthesizes current thought in neuropsychology, philosophy of cognition, and science education. Suggests that dualistic views and those based solely on biological structural-functional analyses may be insufficient to explain the active role of the learner. Presents 10 principles of neurocognition as a context for analysis of learner-centered…

Describes how one activity can lead students to investigate and understand science concepts. Example provided involves ripping of a newspaper and the resultant discussions on saws, fabric, meat, and newsprint. Suggests that this activity can be a bridge to study in language arts, career education, graphic arts, mathematics, science, and…

Active engagement in the classroom is one of the best tools available for overcoming conceptual difficulties. Science educators agree that students of all ages learn more by participating actively in the interpretation of scientific phenomena (NAS 2003; NSF 1998). In this article, the authors describe demonstrations in class using paper wads as an…

Schoolyard wildlife habitats aren't just for beauty and fun--they are outdoor classrooms where real science learning takes place. Schoolyard habitat projects involve conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat; however, the learning doesn't have to stop there--outdoor classrooms can foster many kinds of active learning across the curriculum…

In traditional science teaching, teachers expect the average student to implicitly learn and apply subtle concepts and to connect seemingly disjointed information. Teachers expect them to actively assemble the building blocks of critical thinking, often without example (Meyers 1986). The critical analysis of issues and problems is second nature to…

Illustrates developmentally appropriate physics activities for young children. Addresses ways that teachers can use the environment to teach physics and answers the questions: What is the value of physics for young children? What are criteria for developmentally appropriate physics activities? How does one integrate physics into a project or unit…

An instructor contemplating a course transformation to incorporate a student-centered learning environment may feel faced with what seems like a high-wire balancing act--a constantly renegotiated compromise between students' legitimate needs for structure, well-understood expectations, and good grades and instructors' foreknowledge that the path…

Suggests ways in which a teacher or visitor can tell whether children are gaining from their science activities: classroom presence of real things to learn from, children working with these materials, and more talking by students than by the teacher. Lists observational questions about student work, behavior, and communication that can be used to…

Argues against the merely descriptive presentation frequently used in teaching biochemistry and in favor of a constructivist approach called heuristic-teleonomic, which unites the process of discovery with adaptation to functional ends. Discusses difficulties inherent to the nature of biochemistry, including the conflict between acquiring…