The article narrates a personal journey of learning and unlearning the images in school textbooks, its uses potentials and challenges as experienced by the author. It reflects upon the experiences of the process of selection of these images within the context of political science as a discipline. These experiences have been formed over a decade…

This response to Jesse Bazzul and Heather Sykes' paper, "The secret identity of a biology textbook: straight and naturally sexed," explores their critiques of textbooks and curricula that authoritatively present scientific accounts of the natural world without engaging students in critical thinking. It proposes that we need to go beyond such…

This article addresses the difference between knowledge-inquiry and wisdom-inquiry in nuclear physics education. In the spirit of an earlier study of 57 senior-level textbooks for first-degree physics students, this work focuses here on a remarkable use of literary quotations in one such book. "Particles and Nuclei: an introduction to the physical…

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) placed pressure on elementary teachers to raise standardized test scores in reading and mathematics. Unfortunately, the focus on reading and math has led to reduced time for science instruction. Mandatory standardized testing in science began in elementary schools across the United States in 2007. Instructing…

Of the many valuable tools available to science education, the mystery in science is the one that is most ignored, underused, or misunderstood. whenever it is used, it is only as mere entertainment or as an attention grabber. In this article, the author discusses how the mystery in science can improve student attitudes, generate a life-long…

In this article, the author points out that the cultural bias against serious study of science and technology is rarely recognized as a reason for American students' poor performance. Students respond more profoundly to cultural imperatives than to market forces. In the United States, students are insulated from the commercial market's demand for…

Understanding the nature of science is even more important than mastering its details, says Alan Leshner, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in an interview with Educational Leadership. In this article, Leshner discusses the controversy about teaching evolution, and he asserts that demands to…

Debates concerning how the issue of human life's origins should be handled within the confines of American public schools still continue. In order to mitigate the impact that evolution has on students, some school boards and state legislatures have recommended that stickers voicing a disclaimer about evolution be placed in biology textbooks. Even…

Are textbooks useful, or are they an unnecessary expense or even an obstacle to robust conceptual understanding? Clearly, the answer depends upon course context--what are the goals of the course, how could the textbook be used to achieve these goals, does this use justify the cost of the textbook, and are there more educationally effective or…

Explored are the following dimensions of scientific literacy: the ethos of modern science and the cumulative achievements of science and technology in the history of the United States and in the nature of contemporary society. Also discussed is the reform movement in science education. (KR)

Indicates the inadequacies and limitations of traditionally written elementary science textbooks. Offers suggestions and provides examples for teaching more accurately and experientially the nature and process of science. Identifies several sources for enrichment of the textbook. (ML)

Discusses criteria for writing, designing, and selecting a physics text including topics covered, target students, diverse problems, and focused content. (YP)

Discusses a hermeneutical approach to science education that deals with the "misconceptions" problem. Addresses text interpretation and ontological phenomenology, the role of original papers and textbooks, hermeneutics and the history of science, and the use of a hermeneutical approach that bridges the life world and science world for the student.…

Reports on a symposium on reforming general chemistry curriculum sponsored by American Chemical Society's Education Division. Presents several discussions including levels of the goals of general chemistry, newly recommended content, and the pros and cons of descriptive chemistry. (YP)

This paper extends discussion of Cushing's contribution to Bohm's deterministic interpretation of quantum mechanics, which raises the question of whether self-understanding is at issue in physical science as it is in social science. Addresses ideas by Bevilacqua and Giannetto about the use of historical texts and the primacy of experiment. (LZ)