Teachers using interactive whiteboards (IWB) effectively can engage and motivate students with a range of digital resources to explore science's role in making sense of our world and to construct knowledge of key scientific concepts. The case study research described in this paper illustrates how interactive pedagogies in the IWB classroom were…

This study reports on the strategies that regional science teachers found useful when early career scientists--tertiary science students were employed as peer mentors in their science classroom with indigenous and non-indigenous Year 7-10 students. Teachers engaged in a participatory action research to define the role of the early career…

This study aims to add to the growing research related to the implementation of non-traditional writing tasks in classrooms to encourage science literacy. A secondary reanalysis methodology was employed to review student interviews collected as a part of several individual studies during a ten year research program. This method established an…

After a discussion of the place and purpose of science in the elementary school, and of methods for integrating science topics with language, applied number, art, and social studies, an outline of topics suggested as suitable for children in the Victorian (Australia) elementary schools is given. Suggested teaching activites to develop skills in…

This article describes a four-year project undertaken to develop a set of performance tasks that could be used for assessing hands-on science in Irish primary schools. It begins by considering some of the literature on performance assessment and concludes with a discussion on the potential of the tasks to support teaching and learning in science.…

Reasons for the limited adoption of science in Australian primary schools and possible solutions to this problem are discussed. (PEB)

Lists some materials from Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and the United States appropriate for elementary-aged students and provides comments on the usefulness of these materials. (GS)

Following a review of the impact of Piaget's theories of cognitive development on science curriculum design, the evolution and development of the Science 5/13 Project, designed to extend the work of Nuffield Junior Science Project, is described. Evaluation studies assessing the aims and objectives of this project are detailed. (BT)

Presented is the development of elementary school science in Australia, beginning in 1900 and including changes produced by the impact of American and British science curriculum reforms as these manifested themselves in the 1960-1970 period. (PEB)

Equipment needed for teaching the New South Wales (Australia) Natural Science course in grades 3-6 is listed. A general list needed for all grades is supplemented by lists of materials needed specifically for each grade. Whenever possible materials available from students' homes are listed, and many examples of improvised equipment are given.…

Reports the results of a study relating to the objectives that teachers deem most important in elementary school science. Elementary teachers of Victoria (Australia) and Britain hold similar opinions about elementary science objectives, valuing especially the abilities to observe, solve problems, classify data, and communicate ideas. (JR)

Slow motion animation ("slowmation") is a new teaching approach that uses a simple animation process to engage learners in creating their own comprehensive animations of science concepts. In this paper, preservice elementary teachers used slowmation, a form of stop-motion animation, to make models of science concepts and take digital…

Primary teachers were surveyed regarding their years of training, teaching experience, and science background. They were also asked how much time they spent teaching science and about their attitudes toward the Primary Science Course. Results are shown in table form and are discussed. (AJ)

Print materials in astronomy such as books, journals, charts, and posters are typically the sources of information for teachers and children about the moon, the sun, lunar and solar eclipses, planetary sizes, distances of planets from the sun, planetary atmospheres, and so on. This paper describes and analyzes a number of activities designed to…