Introducing students and teachers to the social structure of scientific communication as part of a hands-on, minds-on approach can increase students' knowledge and interest in the sciences. Describes SAM-Net which incorporates scientific communication, electronic networking, and scientific research as practiced by scientists into a K-12 science…

Explains the work of a primary-research group focusing on the practical aspects of the use of scale in science. Reports on three studies that look at the impact of the representation of scale in different areas related to the Standard Assessment Tasks (SAT). (DDR)

Focuses on the use of a science-based topic with children ages six and seven to explore ideas for developing children's use of descriptive language. Employs talk partners and circle time as strategies for developing language. (DDR)

Describes one teacher's experience taking Space Discovery courses that were sponsored by the United States Space Foundation (USSF). These courses examine the history of space science, theory of orbits and rocketry, the effects of living in outer space on humans, and space weather. (DDR)

Details the use of a grant to enhance science education and the science curriculum through a series of workshops and a resource program. Describes the development of interdisciplinary units. (DDR)

Constructivist learning, based on students' application of knowledge to solve authentic problems, is a culture, not a fragmented collection of practices. Constructivism places high demands on teachers' subject-matter knowledge, pedagogical skills, and design of independent student projects. Major changes in curriculum, scheduling, and assessment…

Describes an activity on charting 6th and 7th grade students' ideas about a potential science project. Summarizes a five week project on creating a new ride or redesigning existing rides in an amusement park, including research and sketches, final drawings, models of rides, and class presentations. (YDS)

Describes a simple, small-scale experiment that can be applied at any stage in a chemistry course, including acid-base reactions, solubility, reaction rates, equilibrium, and problem solving. (WRM)

Reviews three projects that use a graphing calculator linked to a calculator-based laboratory device as a portable data-collection system for students in chemistry classes. Projects include Isolation, Purification and Quantification of Buckminsterfullerene from Woodstove Ashes; Determination of the Activation Energy Associated with the…

Presents advice to teachers on how to help elementary students make decisions about their own scientific investigations. (Author/WRM)

Explores current developmental research that reveals similarities and differences in the behavior of antisocial adolescent girls and boys, the types of assessment procedures that are required to identify antisocial girls, and the treatment possibilities that spring from appropriate assessment, including hands-on learning and participation in…

Good science education depends on solid content and active learning. Effective teaching in all the physical sciences should have a similar focus on important concepts and effective learning experiences. Students of all ages benefit from experiential learning. Inquiry, which combines hands-on and minds-on learning, engages students in a process…

Reports on a study of the views of teachers and staff on the introduction of individual investigative work into the precollege, advanced-level chemistry courses in Great Britain. Contains 21 references. (DDR)

Details the experiences of a teacher who spent a month on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship. Reports observations of developing El Nino conditions and presents related classroom activities. (DDR)

Two studies involving 368 elementary and high school students and 29 readers were conducted to investigate reader consistency, score reliability, and reader time requirements of three hands-on science performance tasks. Holistic scores were as reliable as analytic scores, and there was a high correlation between them after they were disattenuated…