In the framework of a curriculum reform in the Netherlands, an interdisciplinary open inquiry assignment has been introduced as a part of the final secondary school examinations. We developed and evaluated a preparatory open inquiry assignment to be used in science and mathematics departments of schools, in collaboration with each other: the…

IDENTIFIED IN THIS MARINE SCIENCE HANDBOOK ARE 5 MAJOR TYPES OF NATURAL HABITATS--(1) OPEN BEACH AND ANY OTHER SEAWARD-FACING, UNPROTECTED STRAND, (2) GROINS, JETTIES, PILINGS, AND ROCK BULKHEADS, (3) SAND AND/OR MUD FLAT, (4) SALT MARSH, AND (5) UPLAND COMMUNITIES. EACH HABITAT IS DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF TYPICAL PLANTS AND ANIMALS, ADAPTATIONS, AND…

A course, called Nature of Science, is described as developed over the eight years it has been presented to nonscience majors at a liberal arts college. The aims of the course are to show important ties between science and those disciplines in which nonscience students' primary interests lie; to develop in nonscience students the recognition that…

For a variety of reasons, too many adults--especially parents and teachers--feel inadequate in science, particularly in physics. This book represents an attempt to help parents and elementary school teachers strengthen their conceptual knowledge of physics. Cartoons are used throughout the reading to illustrate and reinforce concepts. This…

Students' understanding of what science is about and how it is done and their expectations as to what goes on in a science course play a powerful role in what they can get out of introductory college physics. This is particularly true when there is a large gap between what the students expect to do and what the instructor expects them to do. This…

Science educators often assume and expect that students who are actively engaged in scientific inquiry should develop more accurate understandings of science and the construction of scientific knowledge. However, this assumption, while intuitive, has not been validated. This paper reports on a study that sought to determine the impact of an 8-week…

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the epistemology of a discipline is interactionally accomplished, acknowledged, and appropriated in a university oceanography course. Drawing from sociological and anthropological studies of scientific communities, this study uses an ethnographic perspective to explore how teachers and students came to…

This curriculum unit revolves around the intriguing nature of dry ice and the incessant curiosity it provokes in all those who have the opportunity to interact with it. The activities featured in this book guide students toward being able to conduct their own independent scientific inquiry while presenting strong scientific content. Activities…

This digest presents a summary discussion of the value of holding science fairs in the elementary school context. Reasons for conducting science fairs for elementary students are discussed in terms of several learning theories. Developmentally appropriate types of elementary science projects are suggested. Goals for elementary school science fairs…

Traces change in conception of gravity in a boy from kindergarten until second grade, focusing on the process by which persons restructure ideas that differ from accepted scientific understandings, and acquire scientific ideas. Provides criteria for defining an alternative conception; suggests how conditions in the initial interview may have…

Educational trends such as problem-based learning, newer understandings of cognition, and performance assessment are challenging the traditional scientific measurement model of evaluation. A new model, termed judgmental model, is emerging. The basic assumptions, features, and uses of the two models are examined in comparison with a third, proposed…

This article argues that by making the general curriculum the reference point for all considerations, the proposals set forth by the President's Commission in "The New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families," are devoid of all considerations of individual differences. It questions the validity of scientifically based…

This article argues that the popular, but at times, misapplied approaches of person-centered planning can be remedied through scientific practices. It discusses how planners can more effectively achieve today's aspirations for people with developmental disabilities by systematically assessing adherence to the process of person-centered planning…

This article comments on an article (Holburn, 2002), that argues misapplied approaches of personal-centered planning (PCP) can be remedied through scientific practices. It discusses the charge of frequent misapplication of PCP and its widespread adoption and use contrasted to methodological alternatives for evaluating the contribution of PCP. (CR)

This article responds to critiques of a previous article that called for using applied behavior analysis to scientifically evaluate personal-centered planning (PCP). It discusses the need to overcome evaluation obstacles such as inferring internal causation as explanatory, confusing process with outcome, and requiring full consensus on…