This book contains the student edition of the Environmental Inquiry curriculum series developed at Cornell University. It is designed to teach learning skills for investigating the behaviors of non-native and native species and demonstrate how to apply scientific knowledge to solve real-life problems. This book focuses on strange intruders…

This kit introduces the basic concepts of habitat through challenging and engaging interdisciplinary, hands-on activities. The material is designed for K-8 educators working in traditional and non- traditional classrooms with the goals of increasing awareness of the ways habitats work and why they are important. This kit consists of four…

The National Research Council (NRC) initiated the first reform movement in 1994 in order to increase student achievement, provide curriculum reform, and involve teacher enhancement programs. This document reports on a study with qualitative and quantitative components that evaluated the results of the impacts of teacher enhancement and curriculum…

This short article consists of some thoughts derived from a longer paper (Palmer, 1992), together with some more recent ideas. I became interested in buckminsterfullerene (Buckyballs) as a result of an E-Mail discussion of the topic in 1991. The chemistry of buckyballs is now evolving very rapidly and is gradually creeping into school…

This Evaluation Brief examines the BSCS approach to improving secondary science education, and illuminates some of the lessons learned from its five years of work with districts across the nation. It highlights selected findings from the full study report and discusses the broader implications for the field. Specifically, this Brief examines the…

Understanding the structure and function of proteins is an important part of the standards-based science curriculum. Proteins serve vital roles within the cell and malfunctions in protein self assembly are implicated in degenerative diseases. Experience indicates that this topic is a difficult one for many students. We have found that the concept…

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Education awarded three-year grants to five states and the District of Columbia for the development of curriculum frameworks in mathematics or science for grades K-12 together with new approaches to teacher education, certification, and professional development. This final report on the Dwight D. Eisenhower State…

This CD-ROM is intended to serve as a resource for those concerned about educational equity related to K-12 mathematics and science education. Information on the content and structure of the CD-ROM are presented initially. The content information contains the theoretical underpinnings of the issue of equity in the school setting. Stories and case…

The purpose of this document is to assist district and state level people in developing new science and/or mathematics curriculum frameworks and/or revising existing frameworks. This analysis tool is intended to stimulate discussion among state and local groups about potential components of a curriculum framework and to assist in the process of…

This report is designed as a guide for the production of science books for primary children. Section I contains presentations on the topic of how to produce primary science books, including: an essay on the development of physics theories, the roles of science books, editing science textbooks for primary schools, editing photographic science books…

The paper identifies possible factors associated with changes in style and presentation of diagrams of lunar phases and eclipses in school textbooks and other resources. Science curriculum resource materials used extensively during the past two hundred and fifty years in North America and Australia provide insights into teaching and learning of…

The Comprehensive Unified Physics Learning Environment (CUPLE) is a project that brings together innovative uses of the computer for physics teaching into a single, multi-purpose learning environment. The status of college-level introductory physics teaching is reviewed. In these courses, physics instructors have been forced to be satisfied with…

This report is divided into five parts. Part One entitled "Science Education for Contemporary Society: Problems, Issues and Dilemmas," explores the contemporary relationship between science and society and studies how current practices in science teaching are based on a number of myths or assumptions that are not always justified. It…

This study was undertaken to examine prospective elementary teachers' learning about science inquiry within the context of an innovative life science course developed specifically to meet the unique needs of elementary education majors. As part of the course, prospective teachers not only engaged in an extended science investigation, but also…

Over the last ten or so years this researcher's educational focus has been on providing a science education program that is both liberating and empowering for students. Although there have been a number of motivating themes, the central one has been his work with student images of the future. He has taken these seriously and used them to inform by…