The purpose of this study was to investigate the features of modeling-based abductive reasoning as a disciplinary practice of inquiry in the domain of earth science. The study was based on an undergraduate course of a university of education, Korea, offered for preservice elementary teachers majoring in science as their specialty. The course…

For some elementary science teachers, a unit on land and water brings nightmares of dirt and water all over the room. Several Earth science "kits" contain hands-on exercises that allow the students to "get messy" as they manipulate materials; however, these lessons may lack the necessary opportunities for students to ask unique…

Building on a project that began in 2016, Leeds Beckett University students have continued to work with a local Community Investment Company (CIC) that uses surplus food to facilitate learning around wellbeing and sustainable development. This year students focused on designing a science education pack that would enhance learning and facilitate…

Changes in society can, on occasion, lead to new demands on schooling, and on science education in particular. A major such demand in the 1960s led to a conceptual form of science that has dominated school science education ever since. Subsequent major societal demands have usually not been nearly as successful in redefining school science…

This study provides a qualitative approach to the issue of student engagement with a particular focus on urban area young learners in 4th grade science classes. Each class consisted of approximately 25 students. The students were given Interactive Notebooks to see whether this intervention helped promote greater engagement with the science…

This chapter introduces an interactional graphic tool together with a model for "inquiry-based science teaching" (abbreviated as IBST). The combination of the graphic tool and model offers an approach to support the planning, implementation, reflection and analysis of dialogic IBST. The potential use is illustrated here using a case…

The K-8 Early Implementers Initiative has found that careful planning is critical. With thin planning, unexpected detours or dead ends are likely. However, with solid planning, districts are more likely to achieve their implementation goals and may discover some express lanes for their implementation journey. This evaluation report documents…

In this article Andrew Bell describes how he developed science capital at his school by involving his class in a Family Science project. He finds that the Family Science project has many impacts including: (1) substantial increase in science activity at home; (2) interest in families in sourcing their own science activities; (3) parental interests…

We investigated second and third graders' capacity to understand microevolution, given a learning progression leveraging intuitions to build more adequate explanations, problematizing core ideas within scientific practices, and in-depth study of a single domain (botany or animal behavior). The intervention was implemented in both researcher-taught…

This paper describes analysis of teaching instances that are part of an in-service preschool teachers programme about chemistry and physics in preschool. The aim is to develop knowledge about the communication established between teacher and children in relation to an object of learning, specifically the role of intersubjective communication in…

Classroom implementation of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) does not necessarily require complete curricular overhaul. In many cases, teachers can review previously used lessons with respect to the "NGSS," evaluate alignment, and make subsequent modifications. One science activity the author has…

This study explores the learning outcome of science learning with integrating science trade book reading of 5th graders. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study at an elementary school in New Taipei City. Students in the experimental group (N=59) were given instructional strategies on integrating science trade book reading into science…

This article describes how two teachers implemented a 5E lesson in a third-grade classroom where the students had been working with forces/motion and investigating things that move like pendulums, swing sets, and various toys. The lesson was included as part of a larger unit on motion. The desired outcome for this lesson was for students to…

Self-efficacy has been shown to influence student engagement, effort and performance as well as course selection and future career choice. Extending our knowledge regarding the development of self-efficacy has important implications for educators and for those concerned about the international uptake of science careers. Previous research has…

This article describes a pilot study on the use of a computer supported collaborative citizen project with elementary school students. From public data available on the web, the researchers sought to understand how students engaged in science practices within a citizen science project. In addition, the researchers examined the different roles that…