Science fairs have a long history in the United States and internationally. Their implementation varies greatly (Kook et al, 2020), yet few empirical studies have examined the outcomes of these experiences for student learning. Research indicates that authentic scientific inquiry that focus on students' agency in investigations can contribute to…

Science teacher leaders have been identified as an important lever for the implementation of science education reform. However, science reform implementation is locally controlled and not uniform across districts; therefore, the work of STLs within a reform context can vary. In this descriptive case study, we explore the work of 11 science teacher…

The potential benefits of teacher leadership are widely acknowledged; however, the conceptualization of this construct is in need of theoretical development and analytic clarification. The purpose of this mixed methodology study was to operationalize distinct types of teacher leadership into an organized typology, based on case studies of teacher…

The potential benefits of teacher leadership are widely acknowledged; however, the conceptualization of this construct is in need of theoretical development and analytic clarification. The purpose of this mixed methodology study was to operationalize distinct types of teacher leadership into an organized typology, based on case studies of teacher…

Science education in the US entered a period of reform in 2011 with the development and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS have subsequently been adopted in 18 states. School districts within these states are in the process of adjusting science curricula to align with the academic expectations described by the…

This exploratory study investigates what science educators from differing groups (outside of higher education--informal and formal (K-12) and inside of higher education--content and pedagogy experts) believe are the roles and responsibilities (and what actions these might involve) in climate change education for: 1) their group of educators, and…

The National Wildlife Federation engaged in a two-year partnership with AISD to build and maintain outdoor learning habitats for elementary and middle school campuses. This report summarizes the findings from the year 2 program evaluation (academic year 2011-2012), focusing on teacher perceptions and curriculum considerations as well as the actual…

The National Wildlife Federation and AISD engaged in a project to build outdoor learning classrooms on middle school and elementary school campuses. Teachers participated in a half-day Appreciative Inquiry Summit during the second year of the partnership. This report describes teachers' reflections and aspirations for the Schoolyard Habitats they…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher guidance on the quality of collaborative argumentation in middle level classrooms. Each of six science classes was randomly assigned to either the intervention (teacher guidance) or control condition (minimal teacher guidance). The verbal collaborative argumentation that occurred…

The main goals of this study were to understand the different roles played by teachers and students during a school-guided tour to an aquarium and to analyse their different perspectives about the visit. The study focused on students' and teachers' behaviour during school-guided visits to an aquarium; students' and teachers' perspectives about…

This paper presents a case study of science teaching in an eighth grade school classroom in India. It comes out of a larger ethnographic study done in 2005 that looked at how science was taught and learned in a rural government run middle school in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Subscribing to a sociocultural perspective, the paper presents…

Examines the nature of a middle school classroom during the development of a community of learners by focusing on teacher/student interactions and the connections made by students with people outside of the classroom. Finds that the teacher's role is critical in creating a community of learners. Contains 54 references. (Author/WRM)

This paper reviews the data collection procedures and results from direct observations, interviews, and surveys that are part of the documentation from the District of Columbia Public Schools' (DCPS) effort at ongoing systemic change effort. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques, several professional development activities were examined by…

This study examined 10 urban middle school teacher leaders who played significant roles in their districts' and states' large-scale standards reform efforts. Interviews, observations, and shadowing were conducted during the first year to examine the teachers' scope of work. Observations focused on teachers working with a range of students and with…

This article includes a conversation with four environmental education classroom teachers. The author introduces the four classroom teachers, Marie Marrs, Barb Pietrucha, Vicki Newberry, and Dara Lukonen. In the interview, the four environmental education classroom teachers describe the environmental education in their classrooms. Three of these…