Argues that scientific knowledge in school is a social construct in which curriculum proposals are simply points of departure that are transformed by the social interaction that takes place within the classroom. Considers discourse as playing an important role in knowledge construction. Contains 31 references. (DDR)

Presents guidelines to be considered by teachers planning interdisciplinary studies that integrate the arts with environmental education themes. Focuses on one such project with a rivers theme. Details are given on brainstorming, theme selection, curriculum development, and student assessment. (DDR)

Describes Project JUST (Join Underrepresented in Science and Technology), an initiative whose goal is to create an atmosphere of systemic change within an urban school district that results in minority students excelling in upper level math and science courses. Discusses leadership, governance, and management; a standards-based curriculum;…

Summarizes a research study performed to assess curriculum changes in engineering education. Discusses the implications of the various curriculum strategies and initiatives and identifies the necessary socio-technological ingredients for world-class education of engineers. (DDR)

Examines the implementation of Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE), which can incorporate modeling tools and hand-held devices. Describes WISE design team practices, features of the WISE learning environment, and patterns of feature use in WISE library projects. (SOE)

Details the development of a professional development program by teachers, for teachers focused on the use of a pond ecosystem. Explores watersheds, water flow, and water composition. (DDR)

Describes a study of college women (n=20) who participated in an experimental version of an introductory physics course that used a Physics Careers Web site. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

Reports research that investigates the encoding that students use to develop molecular models at the undergraduate level. Focuses on the translation between symbolic and subatomic representations of molecules. (Contains 31 references.) (DDR)

Points out that course planning for a student-learning course must address cooperative learning and other strategies as well as how to integrate the instructional strategies. (Contains 23 references.) (DDR)

Details the use of online homework assignments designed to more actively engage students in a general education geoscience course. Concludes that students come to class better prepared and that both groups benefit from a problem-based learning approach. (Contains 17 references.) (DDR)

Explains how basic mapping skills are taught in a large lab space using various arrangements of books to portray structural information. Reports an increase in student confidence and ability to synthesize data during field work. (DDR)

Examines the results of The Draw-A-Scientist Test given to Hong Kong Chinese students (n=675) to explore their images of scientists. Focuses on differences across grade levels and between male and female students. (DDR)

Explores whether exposure to increasingly sophisticated mental models at different points in a chemistry education class showed up in patterns of preference and use of models in interpreting physical properties and phenomena. (Contains 92 references.) (DDR)

This qualitative evaluation study explored the active classroom practices that early years teachers adopt when they introduce kindergartners to science in Greece. Findings indicated a considerable gap between the proposed and implemented curriculum. Findings also identified a number of factors that were not optimal and confirmed that early years…

Describes a course developed for undergraduate students that includes an environmental science lecture and laboratory section. Focuses on the laboratory section as the critical component with activities that are real-world related, hands-on, problem solving-based, and use cooperative learning approaches. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/YDS)