Although teachers' instruction has been extensively studied, there is a dearth of research investigating how teachers design lessons and integrate new information into their existing lessons. This study utilized a case study approach to examine how teachers engaged in a nanoscale science professional development experience integrated new science…

As elementary schools across the U.S. continue to adopt new science education reform, attention is needed to understand how teachers make sense of using engineering design to teach science in their classroom settings. This study examined fourth-grade teachers' sense-making with learning to integrate engineering design-based science instruction and…

Recent national reforms focus on learning disciplinary core ideas through engaging in science and engineering practices. These reforms also call for students and teachers to use crosscutting concepts (CCCs), or analytical lenses, that support scientific sensemaking and connections across disciplines. The "Framework for K-12 Science…

Socioscientific issues (SSI) have been found to improve scientific literacy skills among K-12 students. Elementary preservice teachers (PSTs), however, are reluctant to implement SSI due to a lack of confidence with content knowledge concerning SSI and pedagogical abilities. Existing research focuses on helping PSTs overcome these concerns through…

We investigated six preservice secondary science teachers' implementation of reform-based science, in particular, their teaching of the "Next Generation Science Standards' (NGSS)" science and engineering practice of "using mathematics and computational thinking." A modified version of the Task Analysis Guide in Science served…

While some researchers have argued for science classrooms that embrace open-inquiry by engaging students in doing science as scientists do (cf. National Research Council [NRC] 1996; Driver et al. in "Sci Educ" 84:287-312, 2000; Windschitl et al. in "Sci Educ" 87(1):112-143, 2008), others have argued that open-inquiry is impractical, ineffective,…

This paper explores one district's attempt to implement a blended science and English Language Development (ELD) elementary program, designed to provide English language learners opportunities to develop proficiency in English through participation in inquiry-based science. This process resulted in blended program that utilized a combined…

Teachers involved in the implementation of a curriculum innovation can be prepared for this task through a professional development program. In this paper, we describe essential characteristics (identified empirically and theoretically) for such a professional development program that promotes the acquisition of competences by these teachers. The…