This study aimed to explore Cooperative Learning theories and practice by examining the relationships among three aspects: Experience, Practice and Perceptions. The data were from interview records from eight science teachers. As a student-centered active pedagogical trend, cooperative learning has become part of one of the most effective and…

With the 2015 change in science standards to align more closely with the Next Generation Science Standards, as the district STEM coach, I saw a need for professional development that addressed the lack of understanding and skill needed to teach the Science and Engineering Practices, specifically the practice of Scientific Augmentation. This…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement. Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student achievement in science.…

This study presents an in-depth exploration of the types of discursive functions of teacher questioning and the potential cognitive correspondences embedded in the questioning. The participants were a science teacher and his class of 26 sixth-grade students who were engaged in an immersion science inquiry activity. The major data source was a…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement. Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student achievement in science.…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement. Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student achievement in science.…

Across the country, states are adopting and implementing either Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or new state standards inspired by NGSS. Educators and researchers play a key role in the reform process as we design professional development (PD) and curriculum to support teachers in transitioning to NGSS. In this time of transition, close…

While there is consensus in the science education community on the importance of crosscutting concepts (CCCs) for all students, teachers have been given limited guidance on how to integrate CCCs into science instruction. In this article, the authors propose that teachers view CCCs as resources that students use in their everyday lives to make…

This study investigates whether elementary science teachers participating in a four-week professional development workshop develop new understandings about classroom discourse and whether they are able to implement strategies toward teaching science as student-to-student discourse. Perspectives and the extent of teacher use of discourse strategies…

Across the country, states are adopting and implementing either Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or new state standards inspired by NGSS. Educators and researchers play a key role in the reform process as we design professional development (PD) and curriculum to support teachers in transitioning to NGSS. In this time of transition, close…

The adoption of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) across the U.S. requires that the field of science education develops high-quality instructional materials. This need is particularly urgent as schools and districts are expected to design or adapt instructional materials for an…

This article reports an investigation of a professional development program to enhance elementary teachers' ability to engage their students in argument from evidence in science. Using a quasi-experimental approach, three versions were compared: Version A--a 1-week summer institute with a 2-week summer practicum experience and 8 follow-up days…

This research examines factors influencing elementary science teacher learning as they participate in professional development with and enactment of educative curricula in comparison with learning following limited professional development and enactment of traditional curricula. Using a randomized cluster design (125 teachers and 2,694 students in…

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated how a professional learning system involving an interplay of teachers' own classroom video, analysis tools and coaching helped teachers notice students' thinking. The system comprised teachers scrutinizing video evidence of their students' ideas, using software tools to analyze the…

The authors investigated the effects of differing question-stem designs (detailed stem, simple stem, and no stem) on elementary students regarding the quality of the posed questions by students, as well as their science reports, science achievements, and critical thinking ability. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. One hundred fifth-grade…