In 1974 a program was undertaken at the university to improve instruction by means of providing small grants to faculty members to carry out promising proposals for instructional improvement. Eleven projects were conducted in the second year of the program and are described in reports. The projects were for : (1) computer-based instruction in a…

This videotape recording (20 minutes) and print profile illustrate how educators are using technology to help students with disabilities succeed in science. In the first segment of the video, several elementary classrooms in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are visited where students with and without disabilities carry out inquiry-based science with the…

This study investigated what is known about content area instruction for linguistically and culturally diverse learners (LCDLs) in mainstream social studies, mathematics, science, and language arts classes. A review of recent literature looked at three major areas: (1) the theory and practice of standards for this group; (2) theory and practice of…

In its use of complex, real-world problems to introduce concepts and motivate learning in an active and cooperative learning environment, problem-based learning is a powerful alternative to the passive lecture in introductory college science. Use of technology and multimedia instruction, focus on large classes, and use of interdisciplinary…

Described is a practical resource that ties the specifics of classroom chemistry content to the specifics of teaching practice. Listed are 135 lessons found on three videodisks which have 700 pages of supporting written materials. Notes that the full gamut of the traditional high school curriculum is covered. (MVL)

Describes Project ARTIST (Astronomy-Related Teacher Inservice Training). Using hands-on science experiences, an integrated curriculum, and translated materials, teachers can make space science accessible and interesting to elementary and middle school children. (ZWH)

Using ideas adopted from Project ARTIST (Astronomy-Related Teacher Inservice Training), a teacher develops a sixth-grade astronomy program which incorporates ancient folklore and sky stories from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. (ZWH)

This research inquiry explored the factors influencing successful science program delivery among early- and middle-years schools within a rural school division in central Canada. The study is framed by the author's personal inquiry into how psycho-social factors at the classroom, school and school division level influence science program delivery.…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intensive three-week science institute for preservice and inservice elementary teachers that was funded by an Eisenhower Professional Development grant and a Regents' Initiative Research grant. The institute was held in combination with a summer science camp for elementary children. Pre- and…

A Pennsylvania district used study groups to help teachers districtwide change their science teaching to standards-based practice of inquiry. Standards-based inquiry instruction requires that teachers have a deeper content knowledge as well as understand the process of inquiry. Making those changes requires support and a collegial environment.

ACT conducts the only nationwide curriculum survey that empirically identifies current instructional practices and postsecondary expectations in order to develop tests that measure critical skills and knowledge. Every three years, it surveys thousands of middle school/junior high school, secondary, and postsecondary teachers in English/writing,…

This manual is designed to provide teachers with practical information to assist them as they implement the Science 10 program in their classrooms. The introduction of the Science 10 program in Alberta provides an opportunity for teachers to move out of their particular discipline of expertise and explore with their students the larger area of…

One hundred and forty students in grades 6 and 7 were asked to process 32 science statements. Half of the statements were consistent with their prior knowledge, whereas the remaining facts were inconsistent with it. Half of the students were instructed to read the sentences for understanding (reading controls). The remaining students were…

To analyze a student's conceptual changes, analyzing transcriptions of writing and verbal statements may not provide enough information. In a study of 25 sixth graders learning about matter and molecules, concept mapping of students' stated ideas was used to analyze the kinds of organizational changes the students made to use new science…

This study reports the efforts of the Water and Molecular Networks Project (WAMNet), a program in which high school chemistry students use computer simulations developed at Boston University (Massachusetts) to model the three-dimensional structure of molecules and the hydrogen bond network that holds water molecules together. This case study…