This study reports on an effort to improve the teaching and learning of physical science for prospective elementary teachers. As part of the effort, a new constructivist science curriculum model was introduced for field testing at a large midwestern university. The purpose of the study was to build a research base to guide future science teaching…

This paper reports the results of a 2-year longitudinal study of the development of primary teachers' understanding of science concepts (specifically, "force" and "energy") following inservice education, and the extent to which movement towards the scientific view was achieved and maintained. The approach to inservice education…

The National Research Council is coordinating the development of national standards for science education in grades K through 12. By the fall of 1994, National Science Education Standards will be completed and published. The standards will contain narrative descriptions of what all students should be able to do to engage and understand the natural…

The SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) is a coalition of educators, business leaders, governors, and policymakers seeking comprehensive and lasting improvement in education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. SERVE'S Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education provides support to…

This profusely illustrated activity book helps students understand systems and cycles, how years change the look of the Earth, and how students can protect resources. The sections (and activities) in this book are: (1) The Earth (Introduction--View, Soil & Dirt); (2) Forces (Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Mountain Building, Erosion, Volcanoes,…

The purpose of the conference reported in this document was to bring together national leaders in teacher education to disseminate findings and innovations in the reform of elementary teacher preparation in mathematics and science. The proceedings begin with a presentation of invited addresses: "New Curricula in Elementary Mathematics: What…

In this document, a description is given of a one activity inservice session intended for teachers kindergarten through grade six. The objective of this activity is to identify the launch angle of a catapult as the variable controlling the distance a projectile will travel. The activity conducted by participants of this workshop deals with the…

The purpose of this curriculum guide is to help teachers implement the Alabama Course of Study: Science. The major emphasis of the guide is to provide student-oriented, hands-on activities that engage students in "sciencing" behaviors. This guide has to major components, the table of contents and the activities. The table of contents…

Successful bilingual education requires good teaching in both languages. For many years northern Canadian educators have wrestled with the difficulties of teaching English with inappropriate commercial materials from the south. These units were developed by the Department of Education using the Language Development Approach, which is seen as the…

This document provides curriculum planners with models of learner outcomes that can be incorporated into a science curriculum and science essential learner outcomes. The first chapter includes a list of educational system values and learner values, philosophy of education, the mission for public education, and learner goals that describe the…

The Science Meta-Analysis Project (SMAP) resulted in the meta-analysis of a sizable proportion of the research in pre-college science education. Seven broad questions were examined during the study. These include the effects of different curriculum programs, effects of different instructional systems used in science teaching, effects of various…

The Great Lakes Science Advisory Board of the International Joint Commission surveyed several hundred educators and producers of educational programs. One of the results of the survey was the development of this directory, which is limited to materials and producers of materials dealing with the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem, environmental studies,…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) provides grants through its program divisions, which represent the various disciplines and fields of science and engineering. This report provides a synopsis of NSF grant awards and activities for 1986. The first two sections of the document highlight some of the current areas of NSF sponsored research and…

This paper proposes a teaching model for the implementation of a Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum. The topics of technologic literacy, STS goals, and STS instruction are included. The historical and contemporary perspective of technology is addressed. The Graham model of STS instruction is compared with the Oregon instructional model.…

This two-volume supplementary curriculum is designed for teachers of children grades 4-8. There are eight units overall: (1) national resources; (2) litter; (3) household hazardous wastes; (4) landfills; (5) recycling; (6) incineration; (7) compost; and (8) source reduction. Each unit contains a list of objectives for students, a suggested time…