Investigated was the learning of the mathematical uses of "more,""fewer," and "less" at a very early stage in the development of ideas. (CW)

Describes some inexpensive activities and demonstrations that illustrate basic concepts that are often overlooked, as a low-cost means to foster student participation in physics classes. Activities described deal with acceleration and forces, freefall, conservation of energy and momentum, conservation of angular momentum, and resonance. (JRH)

Presented in both English and French, Science 10 is an integrated academic course that helps students in Alberta, Canada better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills common to biology, chemistry, physics, and the Earth sciences. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting…

Advocated is the use of everyday games and situations instead of the traditional use of textbooks, workbooks, and worksheets. New goals and principles for the beginning arithmetic student are presented. Modifications of activities that promote the constructivist ideal are included. (KR)

Israeli children's (kindergarten to grade nine) explanations about the water cycle are described. Reports the children's views about the source of clouds and the mechanism of rainfall. It was concluded that understanding evaporation is a necessary condition for explaining a mechanism of rain containing the ideas of condensation and heaviness. (YP)

Presented in English and French, Biology 20-30 is an academic program that helps students in Alberta, Canada, better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting ideas and principles that transcend and unify the natural science…

This report describes the results of an attempt to identify a learning hierarchy for each of a number of science concepts mainly encountered first in the high school grades. The concepts studied relate to stoichiometric calculations and molarity, both from chemistry; to food web relationships and problems involving Mendel's laws from biology; to…

Discusses the need to consider students' pre-existing conceptual schemes when teaching chemistry. Reports on a study done in Spain which indicates that the existence of adolescents preconceptions about gases is important to consider when teaching the principles of conservation of substance, mass, and weight. (TW)

Reports on the assessment of student thinking in the area of commitment to the laws of conservation of matter and energy during a study of conceptual change among introductory chemistry students. States four conditions upon which strategies for conceptual change are based. (RT)

Critiques the "energy circus," an approach to the introduction of ideas of energy transformation and conservation which is in common use in secondary schools. Identifies some practical and conceptual difficulties and outlines an alternative approach used in introducing ideas about energy using real devices and arrow notation. (CW)

Presented in English and French, Physics 20-30 is an academic program that helps students better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting ideas and principles that transcend and unify the natural science disciplines; (2) to provide…

Learning activities and questioning skills that teachers in Tasmania can use to determine a child's mathematics understanding are presented. Covered topics include division, multiplication, subtraction, addition, sorting and classification, one-to-one correspondence, patterns, ordering, and counting. Included for each topic are the aim, needed…

This book on conservation abilities is part of a series designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in becoming regular evaluators of their own instruction. The book consists of two parts. The first part provides information on: conservation related to number, length, solid amount, liquid amount, discontinuous length, area, weight, solid…

Proposes that teachers should examine the elements of mathematical understandings that precede conservation and one-to-one correspondence and tailor classroom instruction to benefit both conserving and nonconserving students. (PK)

Presents results of intensive clinical interviews with 11 high school chemistry students representing a broad range of achievement levels as selected from 180 students who completed a written test upon completion of an instructional unit on chemical change. Results indicate that students commonly experience difficulties in chemical knowledge,…