This paper addresses dilemmas in the practices of six teachers from the perspective of alternate paradigms of knowledge growth, particularly constructivism. The dilemmas focus on the relationships between theory and practice in the growth of knowledge in learning and teaching mathematics. The data for this study are drawn from a four-year…

Evolution is often equated with natural selection and is taught from a primarily functional perspective while comparative and historical approaches, which are critical for developing an appreciation of the power of evolutionary theory, are often neglected. This report describes a study of expert problem-solving in phylogenetic tree construction.…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) is responsible for providing national leadership and support for improving the quality of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T) education from kindergarten through graduate school. The ultimate goal is to achieve excellence in the…

For genuine and long-lasting improvement in science education to occur, teachers must be given the necessary and relevant professional development and resources needed. This paper discusses the shortcomings of traditional science inservice programs that do not provide the professional development needed by today's science teachers and argues that…

This digest provides an overview of the Head Start on Science (HSS) program which is designed to encourage the science literacy of preschool children in Head Start programs and to improve the capacity of Head Start teachers, assistants, and parents. The overall goal of the HSS program is threefold: (1) to broaden HSS participants' science…

This study discusses how a curriculum, based on the multiple influences of college educators, administrators, state officials, private industry and 4-year institutions, determines the kinds of knowledge available to students. Examined is the relationship between knowledge and power as inextricably linked factors in forming curriculum. The study…

In February, 1996, representatives of departments of education and major teacher education colleges in 39 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Department of Defense met at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. to identify and discuss issues surrounding the preparation and credentialing of science…

This working paper presents an analysis that seeks to refocus thinking about the question of educational resources needed for transformation in schools. Both the context of science education and the teaching practices of science teachers as potential resources that can be marshaled to facilitate the transformation of science education in schools…

This document is primarily intended for postsecondary faculty who are interested in initiating change in the mathematical preparation of teachers. It has been compiled from the experiences of a two-and-one-half day summer workshop held in June 1994, followed by a year in which participating institutions attempted various ways to implement reform…

This paper describes a course in which preservice elementary teachers read and discussed "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan. Students discussed their beliefs about the nature of science, teaching, and learning. The paper concludes that preservice teachers appeared to develop reflective and critical…

This book supports primary teachers' early professional development and learning, tackling key questions and concerns that new teachers might face in their early careers, such as: How will I get through the first term? When will I feel like a "real" teacher? What can I expect from my first years in teaching? Drawing on the experiences of beginning…

This volume will be of interest to teachers and teacher educators who already understand the power of nonjudgmental collaborative inquiry--and to those who are ready to discover it. Each chapter represents one meeting and is divided into three parts: text, conversation, and response. A list of suggested readings offers background on the issues…

One of the purposes of this study was to examine the differences between knowledge of pre-service physics teachers who experienced model-based teaching in pre-service education and those who did not. Moreover, it was aimed to determine pre-service physics teachers' perceptions of modelling. Posttest-only control group experimental design was used…

In this paper I discuss the impact that both conceptual and contextual problems have in inhibiting teachers' disposition towards capacity for development. These problems were highlighted from teachers' participation with a teacher educator in a collaborative culture of learning and within their schools? culture. They were challenged, supported and…

Educators are challenged to educate all students at an ever higher level of literacy to meet the demands of an internationally competitive global society, even though societal factors cause increasing numbers of students to attend school ill-equipped to learn. In addition to focusing on students' cognitive development, teachers also must be…