Non-formal learning settings like out-of-school labs provide students with insights into authentic learning situations. For example, in physics, students are engaged in experimenting as an authentic method. However, increasing the authenticity in experimentation can lead to overwhelming demands and hinder concept development and does not even need…

Student giftedness is a complex, developmentally dynamic and contextual phenomenon that teachers confront every day. In the classroom, teachers often meet students who have exceptional potential or achieve very high learning goals. The aim of this study is to illustrate the evaluation of inquiry-based learning activities in a specific context…

Learning in communities of practice (CoPs) makes up a significant portion of today's knowledge gain. However, only little technological support is tailored specifically toward CoPs and their particular strengths and challenges. Even worse, CoPs often do not possess the resources to host or develop a software ecosystem to support their activities.…

Practical work is an essential component of science education. However, insufficient approaches towards practical work can limit the potential it has for promoting both students' motivation and situational interest. One suggestion to solve this problem is to use alternative forms of lab instruction which are both motivating and easy to comprehend.…

This study investigated the contribution of a location-based augmented reality (AR) inquiry-learning environment in developing 3rd grade students' historical empathy and conceptual understanding. Historical empathy is an important element of historical thinking, which is considered to improve conceptual understanding and support the development of…

This study focuses on a youth science camp for pupils in sixth to ninth grades that is organized annually by the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The main idea of the science camp is to learn to do guided inquiry in nature. The study investigates the significance of science camp for encouraging young participants to learn science and how the camp…

"I Wonder" boards are a teaching strategy that can be used in the classroom, as well as during science learning opportunities in nonformal settings, such as after-school science programs or summer camps.This simple strategy has led to deeper science exploration in 4-H, as young people learn alongside program staff, teachers, or…

The Gilfus Education Group predicts that over the next few years, educators will make great progress in combining existing technology capabilities with the practices and theories of learning communities to develop a vigorous community learning platform which enables a richer set of educational experiences and facilitates the positive effects…

This document evaluates the Parks as Resources for Knowledge in Science (PARKS) project which supports environmental education in 36 National Parks across the United States and provides curriculum-based learning opportunities that integrate National Science Education Standards for teachers and students. Contents include: (1) "Executive…

Societal changes in late modernity influenced what persons should learn and also influenced how education should change to support these new learning requirements. Particularly, the increasing instrumentalization of our society requires more autonomous and reflective learners. On the one hand this article describes three specific examples of such…

FOUNDATIONS is a monograph series intended for those working to better science, mathematics, and technology education in the United States. This volume examines opportunities and challenges for those on the front lines of science education in elementary and middle schools. Designed as a resource for teachers and administrators who have not yet…

Investigates how museum visits can be used to meet the goals of practical work. Introduces a framework to facilitate student learning in museums. Contains 31 references. (DDR)

This book examines the commonplace rituals and ceremonies that play a central role in college and university culture; it examines how people build, learn, and transform culture in ways that create meaning and give definition to existence. Qualitative research on four campuses over 10 years investigated: why colleges persist with rituals and…

Operation SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) is a project of the Girls Clubs of America, a national organization serving mostly low-income girls in local club centers. Girls clubs provide out-of-school programming that pays special attention to the needs of girls and helps them take charge of their futures. Operation SMART's hands-on…

Eight articles which explore areas of interest to teachers of anthropology are presented. Three lead articles investigate the application of anthropological concepts and methods to educational institutions, formal and nonformal, outside the United States. In the first paper, demographic socialization as a field of anthropological inquiry is…