This investigation was guided by the following research questions: (1) how do teachers' understandings of the nature of science influence classroom practice?; and (2) what factors facilitate or impede the influence of teachers' understandings on classroom practice? An in-depth, year long assessment of the classroom practices and goals of five…

The "learning cycle" is not a teaching method but rather a teaching procedure that allows for many methods of teaching. If teacher preparation courses are organized and delivered as learning cycles, then preservice teachers will discover that the learning cycle is an instructional model that: (1) allows science to be taught as it is…

Past research in a high school genetics classroom has shown that groups of students solving computer-generated genetics problems differed in their application of assessment criteria to the tentative models they generated, and that consistent application of certain model-assessment criteria correlated with success in proposing adequate explanatory…

Presents a self-instructional package for medical students and graduate students and is intended to communicate the basics of ionic equilibria in a lecture format. The package deals with osmotic aspects of the Gibbs-Donnan Equilibrium and with ionic equilibria. (Author/SA)

Based on the example of the history of the photoelectric effect as a case in teaching introductory quantum theory, it is argued that the dilemma between "historical truth" and "didactic usefulness" may be circumvented by focusing on a few, carefully selected case studies. The early introduction of the light-quantum is…

Examines how, through discourse processes, a third grade teacher and her students came to situationally define science in their classroom. Uses a discourse analytical approach to examine the classroom members' experimentation logic, their explanations and scientific decisions, and their accounts of events. (Contains 82 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes an activity in which students determine where wind chime tubes should be supported and struck to give the best tone, then find the frequency of the tubes. This activity can be used to introduce ideas on significant figures, experimental error, types of variation, peer review of results, seeking empirical relationships with data, and…

This research was conducted to examine the conditions under which learner-generated illustrations serve as an instructional strategy promoting conceptual change. Specifically, the nature of students' misconceptions and the effects of student-generated descriptive drawings on conceptual understanding of scientific principles associated with the law…

Models and modelling are key tools for scientists, science teachers and science learners. In this paper we argue that classroom-based research evidence demonstrates that the use of models and analogies within the pedagogy of science education may provide a route for students to gain some understanding of the nature of science. A common theme to…

Trypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor (Kunitz inhibitor) can be used in a relatively simple and inexpensive student exercise to demonstrate the usefulness of enzyme kinetics. The study of enzyme kinetics is essential to biology because enzymes play such a crucial role in the biochemical pathways of all living organisms. The data from enzyme…

The conversation between myself and Professor Lederman took place in Malmö, Sweden on August 25, 2007. The purpose of the conversation was to elaborate on the past, present and future of nature of science research and also to provide insights for beginning researchers. In this text I am providing the questions about which we talked and my…

What is science for a child? How do children learn about science and how to do science? Drawing on a vast array of work from neuroscience to classroom observation, "Taking Science to School" provides a comprehensive picture of what we know about teaching and learning science from kindergarten through eighth grade. By looking at a broad range of…

A long experience in undergraduate vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) process design projects is shared in this paper. The VCM process design is shown to be fully compliant with ABET 2000 criteria by virtue of its abundance in chemical engineering principles, integration of interpersonal and interdisciplinary skills in design, safety, economics, and…

It is suggested that historical material concerning the model of the earth be utilised in the science classroom to construct narrative explanations. The article includes the various ancient models of the earth, the discovery of the spherical earth model, and the arguments and experiments coupled with it. Its instructional gain may lie in the…

This study was designed to examine preservice elementary teachers' beliefs about the nature of science, document changes in these beliefs over the duration of a year-long science methods course and embedded teaching practicum, and assess the impact of these beliefs on their classroom practice (Bright, 2001). The pre-test and post-test case study…