Describes the major topics and discussions presented at a bi-national (United States-Japanese) seminar. Concludes that the overriding problem in both countries is the fact that available in-service training is reaching only a very small percentage of the practicing teachers. (MLH)

The distinction between mass and weight is discussed. (DT)

This paper presents the results of a case study involving Taiwanese elementary teachers who teach science at the elementary grade school level. It advocates the position that a teacher's personal science efficacy belief influences his or her science teaching outcome expectations. It also points to an important metamorphosis that is taking place…

The science component of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (SCS) is designed to provide learning opportunities for all students to become scientifically literate. Scientific literacy implies an understanding of the scientific concepts and processes needed for personal decision-making, participation in civic affairs, and economic…

According to renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, "science fiction is useful both for stimulating the imagination and for diffusing fear of the future." Indeed, several studies suggest that using science fiction movies as a teaching aid can improve both motivation and achievement. However, if a movie's plot crosses the line between good…

This document reports on a workshop held in Arlington, Virginia, in 1998. The purpose of the forum was to share knowledge for strengthening graduate education in science and engineering, and learning from one another with the participation of faculty, administrators, staff, students, funding agents, leaders in business and industry, and…

This guide was developed to help teachers use the 14th season of NEWTON'S APPLE in their classrooms and contains lessons formatted to follow the National Science Education Standards. The "Overview,""Main Activity," and "Try-This" sections were created with inquiry-based learning in mind. Each lesson page begins with…

The Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University has a rich collection of textbooks that would have been used in one-room schools. The bibliography of this collection contains approximately 700 entries, divided into the following subject areas: language arts; social sciences; sciences; health; art; music; and historical books about…

The high expectations for scientific literacy for all students demands a certain quality of science education in lower secondary education. This program focuses on supporting teachers in implementing this new curriculum. There are three interconnecting components of the program: (1) curriculum resources; (2) professional development; and (3)…

In their work in science and mathematics education, the authors have observed that students intuitively react in similar ways to a wide variety of scientific tasks. These tasks differ with regard to their content area and/or to the reasoning required for their solution, but share some common, external features. We have identified three types of…

This NOVA teacher's guide presents activities, information, and teaching ideas from the Public Broadcasting System's (PBS) NOVA television program series. Episodes include: (1) "Mysterious Life of Caves" which investigates the role microbes play in the creation of some limestone caves; (2) "Lost Roman Treasure" which follows…

Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics (SPIN-UP) set out to answer an intriguing question: Why, in the 1990s, did some physics departments increase the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in physics or maintain a number much higher than the national average for their type of institution? During that decade, the number of…

I have been a part of a program in Western Samoa that involves inservicing Western Samoan secondary teachers in all subjects. My part in the program has been to inservice the science teachers in the delivery of the environmental science curriculum to students in the junior secondary schools. Quite a number of the secondary teachers are upgraded…

Over the past decade, undergraduate colleges and universities of all sizes, both public and private, throughout the United States, have begun to pursue reform for the sciences and mathematics. Evidence of this is illustrated by the almost 700 colleges and universities that are involved in Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL). Over the 1996-97 year, PKAL…

Project 2061, a broad-based science reform movement, was launched by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to define the fundamental science and mathematics American students should know. A second phase of Project 2061 translated the defined learning goals…