This paper shows the scientific foundations of a natural phenomenon of undoubted interest and applicability in our day, fluorescence, and its possibilities for teaching at three educational levels: primary, secondary and university. It begins by describing the nature of the phenomenon and continues by explaining how we work with students of the…

Almost one in five pupils in England have been identified as having special educational needs and there are times when other children will also need some extra help and support with their learning. Many children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools do not make as much progress as they could. This is sometimes because of their…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of implementation of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach at 5th grade level in the public school system in Iowa as measured by Cornell Critical Thinking student test scores. This is part of a project that overall tests the efficacy of the SWH inquiry-based approach to build students'…

To support and improve effective science teaching, educators need methods to reveal student understandings and misconceptions of science concepts and to offer all students an opportunity to reflect on their own knowledge construction and organization. Students can benefit by engaging in scientific activities in which they build personal…

This study compares the effects of two methods of teaching--teacher-centered and cooperative learning--on students' science achievement and use of social skills. The sample consists of 163 female elementary science students in 8 intact grade 5 classes who were assigned to 2 instructional methods and were taught an identical science unit by 4…

This article reports on a pilot intervention that helped teachers of five- to seven-year-old pupils (re)develop their practice to teach science in a more active and participatory way. Science is sometimes perceived as elitist, accessible to only the most able. Drama, however, offers a more lively, none traditional way to learn, that can appeal to,…

This study explores how elementary teachers and students use hedges (tentative words such as "maybe") and boosters (expressions of certainty such as "clearly" and "obviously") during science inquiry discussions. Drawing upon semiotic theory, we examine explicit thematic patterns (semantic meaning relations among science concepts) as well as hidden…

Today's children are often separated from the natural world, developing fear and aversion to wild creatures. This humane education program used curriculum-blended science lessons that focused on eight generally disliked animals: bat, skunk, snake, mouse, spider, centipede, cockroach, and mosquito. First and second grade students participated in 6…

With the emphasis placed on standardized testing, science education has been squeezed out. As a physics teacher, the author knows the importance of building children's interest in science early in their school career and of providing practice in basic science skills and inquiry. In order to make more time for science at her sons' elementary…

Creating inquiry activities is inherently difficult. Asking meaningful questions requires both background knowledge on the part of the students and complexity on the part of the phenomena. Yet numerous strategies can help teachers conduct inquiry activities. In this article, the authors share a taxonomy of teaching strategies used to create…

This story is a chemical mystery with an emphasis on qualitative analysis. It is, as well, part of a body of work that presents a scientific problem in mystery format in the context of the popular and beloved characters of 221B Baker Street. A break within the story allows readers to ponder and solve the mystery. Holmes and Watson provide the…

Education for human development within the constraints of sustainability is problematic for schools. On one hand, it is a political idea that continues to evolve with successive compromises between social groups with differing or even conflicting interests. ESD is therefore inherently "non-disciplinary" and cannot be the basis of a single school…

The new Australian national science curriculum includes chemistry content at the primary level. Chemistry for young students is learning about changes in material stuff (matter) and, by implication, of what stuff is made. Pedagogy in this area needs to be guided by research if stepping stones to later learning of chemical ideas are to facilitate…

Because they are dramatic and intriguing, chemiluminescence demonstrations have been used for decades to stimulate interest in chemistry. One of the most intense chemiluminescent reactions is the oxidation of diaryl oxalate diesters with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a fluorescer. In typical lecture demonstrations, the commercially…

Elementary school students learn that atoms are very, very small. Students are also taught that atoms (and molecules) are the fundamental constituents of the material world. Numerical values of their size are often given, but, nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine their size relative to one's everyday surroundings. In order for students to…