Across the United States, political leaders, educators, and business persons are issuing an urgent call for reform in STEM education (NGSS Lead States 2013). One important response to this call is Integrated STEM, which the National Governor's Association (2007, p. 7) says involves, "... an emphasis on design and problem solving in…

Underwater robots (or ROVs: Remotely Operated Vehicles as they are typically called in industry) have recently become a very popular instructional STEM activity. Nationally, ROVs have been used in science and technology classrooms for several years in cities such as Seattle, San Diego, Virginia Beach, and other coastal areas. In the past two…

Kindergartners have an energizing sense of wonder and an insatiable desire to learn about the world around them. For this reason, the study of ecosystems and how organisms interact within their environment is very exciting for these young learners. An appropriate place for young students to start constructing their own understanding of living and…

The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored professional development of educators in the NASA Summer of Innovation (SOI) program. The Idaho, Montana, and Utah (IMU-SOI) program worked with educators and students from thirteen Native American communities. The summer sessions were focused on problem based learning and…

Here we describe a method for teaching the NOS called "Science as Storytelling," which was designed to directly confront narve realist preconceptions about the NOS and replace them with more sophisticated ideas, while retaining a moderate realist perspective. It was also designed to foster a more sophisticated understanding of the…

Investigated why elementary and secondary school students in Utah like science and whether there are differences in reasons why they like science subjects related to their age, sex, and type of school. The non-random sample included 815 students (grades 6-8), 499 students (grades 9-10), and 541 students (grades 11-12). (JN)

Examined grades 6-12 students' (N=2000) preferences and choices regarding science subjects and relationships of these preferences to school type, age, and sex. Findings indicate that zoology and human anatomy/physiology were most preferred while ecology was least preferred. These and other findings are related to a previous study conducted in…

When planning to teach science to students who are English language learners (ELLs), science teachers and some science educators look to sheltered instruction as a potential guide. The possibility of blending inquiry-based teaching with a sheltered instruction framework seems a promising method for providing high-quality science learning…