Reports on revisions to the teacher education program at Eastern Michigan University to improve teacher preparation for teaching science, especially physics and chemistry, in the elementary grades. (LZ)

Describes how one seventh-grade science teacher at a Kansas middle school uses computer technology to teach such science units as science careers and the systems of the human body to his students. (BB)

Investigated the persuasiveness of anecdotal and data-summary messages. The messages were read by most subjects (n=106) in less than 30 minutes. Short-term changes in intention and attitude resulted from the anecdotal message, whereas changes to individual beliefs were more long lasting. The data-summary messages produced no short-term or…

Indicates the importance of preparing prospective teachers who will be elementary science teachers with different methods. Presents the theoretical and practical rationale for developing a constructivist-based elementary science methods course. Discusses the impact student knowledge and understanding of science and student attitudes has on…

Hypothesizes that, if good teaching involves plans and activities derived from a clear philosophical view, as articulated by some philosophers of education, then it should be evident in the practice of teachers held to be outstanding. Describes how two outstanding teachers' classroom behaviors were congruent with their philosophies of teaching.…

This paper reports a test on the feasibility and educational value of probeware and associated instructional materials in middle school science education. We addressed feasibility through consideration of costs, teacher professional development, and instructional design. In order to test our approach, we developed 2 middle school science…

"Hands-on Current Electricity" gives K-8 teachers the opportunity to experience inquiry learning about current electricity by (1) experimenting with current electricity through a variety of activities, (2) discovering preconceived mental models of electricity used to understand their observations, (3) creating new mental models that have greater…

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science…

This book is designed to be a source of ideas and motivation to encourage curiosity in children, provide opportunities to develop scientific processing skills, find out about cultures around the world, and explore science concepts. This resource incorporates multicultural literature and approaches into the teaching of science concepts in the…

As a result of survey assessments which suggested a limited supply of science instructional resources in the Northaeastern Kansas area, the INSTEP (Integrative Network for Science Teaching Exploration and Practice) project was developed. Twenty-two 2nd-12th grade teachers from six school districts participated during 7 months of the project. The…

The development and dissemination of science materials can be associated with technical delivery systems such as the Unified Network for Informatics in Teacher Education (UNITE). The UNITE project was designed to investigate ways for using computer networking to improve communications and collaboration among university schools of education and…

This document is part of a second set of reports that focus on science and mathematics education for young adolescents. It addresses the salient issues of improving middle grade science education, emphasizing the importance of the teacher as learner and facilitator. If overall improvement is indeed to occur, the various parts of the system must…

This report is designed to help teachers and supervisors in teaching the New York State Elementary Syllabus in kindergarten through grade two. The curriculum emphasized a hands-on inquiry approach, and included both science process skills and content objectives. This is a report of the Comprehensive Instructional Management System (CIMS)-Science…

The Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education (EPSME) project involved outstanding teachers of science or mathematics from Western Australia. The project's goal was to identify effective practices of exemplary teachers for the purpose of developing programs for improving practices in science classrooms. Thirteen science teachers and…

The middle school years have been identified as a crucial period in the development of students' scientific understanding skills and attitudes. Likewise, the preparation of middle school science teachers is considered to be of critical importance. This paper focuses on current conditions and essential needs related to science education at the…