Reports the findings of a questionnaire-based study of the experiences of secondary science teachers under the British National Curriculum. Suggests a model for future control of the science curriculum. (Author/CCM)

Explores the reasons why science should be taught to all school students and what the science curriculum should look like. Discusses three aspects of an understanding of science: understanding of science content, understanding of the methods of inquiry used in science, and understanding of science as a social enterprise. (JRH)

Discusses the traditional approach to writing science textbooks, the situation preceding the National Curriculum, and the effect of the National Curriculum. Summarizes the historical content of current science textbooks including biographical narratives and human interest material, accounts of scientific discoveries, and the history and…

Describes the problems involved in teaching astronomy so that teachers can be informed and forewarned. Focuses on the fact that teachers are not likely to be familiar with the content and unfamiliar with the problems associated with teaching the content. (DDR)

Argues that science teaching should place more emphasis on linguistic explorations which provide an opportunity for students to develop proto-concepts that enable the development of scientific thinking. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

A classroom assessment of students' work against Britain's National Curriculum is presented. Some development work that focuses primarily on Teacher Assessment of Profile Component 2 is described. How this work has been tested in the classroom is explained. Some comments upon the initiative in the light of evaluation are also included. (KR)

Argues that the British national curriculum has made science exciting for students aged 5-16 and that future development should be informed much more explicitly by the underpinning rationale and philosophy of the subject. (DDR)

Examines the American high school system, focusing on Advanced Placement (AP) physics, and the role of specialist mathematics, science, and technology high schools. Considers how these ideas could contribute to science curriculum development in Great Britain. (DDR)

Finds variable coverage of Earth Science topics in the United Kingdom among General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) double-award science syllabuses and examination papers. Concludes that the levels of error in the examination papers were high and that Earth Science questions showed lower levels of demand and higher levels of recall than…

Suggests practical ways to lower the language barrier in learning science and using language to promote the learner's development in science. Considers the language of both learners and teachers and views learning through talking and listening. Contains 18 references. (DDR)

Reports on the replication of a study of teaching styles from the 1970s. Explores possible relationships between class size and the quality of teaching in 60 classrooms. Suggests some reasons for teachers choosing teaching strategies that are ineffective. (DDR)

Examines approaches to science teaching in a multiethnic context as well as contradictions to present models. Seeks to define the parameters of an antiracist approach to science teaching and provides ideas and a list of useful resources for classroom teachers. (DDR)

Explores whether there are problems with A-level biology that are broadly shared by teachers. Addresses five major areas of concerns: (1) teaching and learning, (2) practical work, (3) subject content, (4) assessment, and (5) initial teacher training. (DDR)

Argues that in future revisions of the National Curriculum for Science the 'big ideas' of science should be presented as a series of 'explanatory stories' that encapsulate the ideas so that they are understandable by both teachers and pupils and can be used as a framework for teaching. Offers an 'explanatory Earth story' based on this model.…

Outlines alternative approaches to the teaching of difficult concepts in A-level biology which may help student learning by making abstract ideas more concrete and accessible. Examples include models, posters, and poems for illustrating meiosis, mitosis, genetic mutations, and protein synthesis. (DDR)