In this article, the authors discuss a case study in which beginning teachers interviewed young adolescents as part of structured teacher education coursework designed to challenge teachers' low expectations for young adolescents. Based on pre- and postsurveys, pre- and post-focus group interviews, classroom field notes, and teachers' written…

Science education is not just about learning facts in a classroom--it's about doing activities where students put their understanding of science principles into action. That's why two unique types of activity-based tasks were administered as part of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment. In addition to the…

Collaborative concept mapping engages two or more students in coordinated and sustained efforts in the creation of one or more concept maps in order to learn and construct knowledge. It is a potentially powerful instructional strategy in that it fosters meaningful learning and group knowledge construction and helps the building of common ground…

This study investigated changes in teachers' and students' perceptions of students' effort, strategy use, and academic difficulties when strategy instruction was infused into the classroom curriculum. The sample consisted of 201 students with learning disabilities, 210 average achievers, and 57 teachers from Grades 4-9 in two urban and suburban…

Several years ago, upon entering eighth grade, a student was given a Microsoft iPaq Pocket PC as a birthday present. After using it for several months, he noticed a distinct improvement in my grades. During the rest of the school year, he noticed that the improved academic achievement continued. He wondered if his experience was a mere fluke or…

This paper reports a 4-month study that investigated the effectiveness of curriculum materials incorporating the history of science (HOS) on learning science, understanding the nature of science (NOS), and students' interest in science. With regards to these objectives, three different class contexts were developed with three main types of…

This is the first report on the evaluation of the Inquiry Based Science and Technology Education Program (IN-STEP), an innovative and ambitious science education initiative for lower secondary schools being undertaken by a public-private partnership in Thailand funded by MSD-Thailand, an affiliate of Merck & Co. IN-STEP is a public-private…