Incorporating social justice into science curricula can attract and maintain the interest of students who shy away from science because of a lack of immediate relevance or role models, and permits them to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and what is portrayed in their everyday lives. (Contains 9 resources.)

This study defines some of the educational ecosystems that encourage students to discover science interests and science talent. Six interrelated constructs are discussed. Construct 1 consists of a skein of achievement-centered, goal-targeted environments that comprise the inspiring teaching and learning that can enhance the endowments of students.…

This booklet describes 14 student art projects to be used in science classes. Creative skills involved in the process of artistic expression seem to translate very well into the problem solving world of technology. Even in the elementary level it can help build confidence, as well as the development of abstract skills that so often lead to…

This document tackles issues in science education through the perspective of classroom practitioners and the philosophy of constructivism to attempt to provide a reasonable, positive rationale and description of current science education reform. Case studies are presented to provide an account of the ways that some primary classrooms function and…

The world faces two converging crises, a lack of biological literacy and a rapid increase in environmental degradation. In order to insure a secure and safe environment for future generations of organisms, all humans must be taught the basic biological and physical processes that sustain life. This project seeks to fill the chasm in the general…

To determine the current status of science education within special education school programs for students with mild disabilities, survey data were collected from over 300 teachers. Analyses focused on whether science was in fact being taught and, if so, the amount of instructional time devoted to it, the curricular basis and teaching approaches…

This paper reviews design teaching at a total of 15 chemical engineering departments across Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The emphasis is on the capstone Design Project, which can be viewed as a major transition subject for students as they move into the workplace. The study shows that this subject has evolved to act as an…

The 1982 Search for Excellence in Science Education project has identified 12 exemplary programs in elementary school science. Descriptions of the programs and the criteria used in their selection are presented. Chapter 1 reviews four goal clusters (developed during Project Synthesis) related to the desired state in elementary school science.…

Since the early sixties, general/introductory biology courses have evolved as a consequence of a multitude of forces which have been changing the face of our society. These forces are, in turn, consequences of a much greater phenomenon, the Scientific Revolution. Shortages of scientific personnel and the national fervor generated by the space…

A two-quarter Human Anatomy and Physiology course for health-science students has been developed which incorporates the principles of individualization while maintaining the lecture hall setting. The lecture method contributes the following components to the course: (1) no special equipment or supplies; (2) personal interaction between instructor…

A six-year project providing training for prospective elementary school science teachers is described. Phase one, a period of three years, involved a longitudinal study of a pilot group of students as they encountered science content and science teaching methodology, coupled with early and continued field teaching experiences. In the final three…

Shows how model rocketry can be included in physics curricula. Describes rocket construction, a rocket guide sheet, calculations and launch teams. Discusses the relationships of basic mechanics with rockets. (CW)

Identifies two stages in research on scientific literacy; a composite saturation stage in which definitions covered all objects of science education, and a stage when researchers focused on small manageable portions of scientific literacy. Describes formal, nonformal, and informal science teaching. (TW)

The study compared two approaches to content area instruction with intermediate grade learning disabled students (N=24). One treatment presented information using an advance organizer in the form of a visual spatial display, the other via text. Results indicated significant positive effects for the group taught with visual displays. (Author/JW)

A seminar which uses a case history approach and the Socratic method to evaluate legal aspects of geology is described. Water rights law, mineral law, and legal aspects of landslides, subsidence, sedimentation, erosion, and submergence are discussed. Students deal with hypothetical problems and participate in group projects related to these areas.…