Discusses students' understandings of their own internal structure. Analysis shows the extent to which student understanding increases with age and the degree to which students know more about some organs and organ systems than others. Gender differences in the drawings were generally not large and there were some intriguing differences in the…

Interviews 10 experienced science teachers about their understandings of the analogical models they use to explain science to their students. Investigates the notion that teaching pedagogy is influenced by the textbooks commonly used in class. Textbook analysis shows that chemistry textbooks used the most models and physics textbooks the least…

Focuses on the assessment of students' (N=138) versus their teachers' (N=8) self-perception of the latter's personal style in the context of science and mathematics teaching in college. Concludes that the teachers' preferred (ideal) and actual personal style profiles thus obtained indicate that there is good correspondence between the students'…

Explores how case methods may be used to foster habits of praxis--that is, critical, reflective practices that enable beginning teachers to adapt to the many diverse contexts they will encounter in the field. Results suggest that student teachers: (1) understood an associated analytical framework; (2) effectively analyzed curriculum and pedagogy;…

Features the use of case-based pedagogy as a context for exploring science teacher education reform. Suggests that science teacher education reform is a complex process characterized by the individual and collective narrative histories of teachers. Implications from the study emphasize that case-based pedagogy can serve as the basis for critical…

Examines the intersection of two key reform ideas in science teacher education--professional teaching standards and the use of case methods. Tracks the historical development of what can be called second wave teaching standards and describes how those standards can be exemplified through multimedia web cases of science teaching. (Author/MM)

Multimedia cases are perceived as bridging the gap between theory and practice in teacher education. Examines how multimedia cases can stimulate reflective thought among preservice teachers. Employs Gestalt psychology as a theoretical lens to examine how seven preservice teachers work with a multimedia case. Concludes that there is still much to…

Explores the potential of science teaching cases to deepen teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. While many teachers began discussions without a clear understanding of certain key concepts, after a two-hour case discussion and brief hands-on activities, they collaboratively developed a deeper understanding of the content.…

Examines ways in which knowledge might be captured, articulated, and portrayed to others. Develops an approach to articulation and portrayal based on what is called the CoRe (Content Representation), which represents the particular content/topic of the science teaching, and PaP-eRs (Pedagogical and Professional experience Repertoire), which…

Reports on a large-scale study that investigated the quality of science teaching and learning in Australian schools. Purposes were to: (1) describe ideal practice in the teaching and learning of school science; (2) describe the nature of science teaching and learning in Australian schools; and (3) make recommendations to move the actual closer to…

Presents findings of the images of science drawn upon in laboratory work by upper secondary and university students in academic streams with a science focus. Questions required students to comment on laboratory investigations carried out by research scientists or science students. Shows that students' reasoning has an epistemological and an…

Probes, through interviews with members of the setting panel, the process of setting the first external test for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) physics course when it was implemented in 1992. Some implications are noted for future efforts to reform curriculum and assessment in physics, and for current classroom practice. (Author/MM)

Reports on an investigation of the status of procedural knowledge in chemistry among students entering into bridging programs at two South African universities. Findings show that students overall tend to repeat in order to get a recurring reading. Very few students were able to use a line of best fit for a set of graphical data. Discusses…

Considers research that shows very poor student understanding after the teaching of electricity and draws two broad conclusions of central relevance to the teaching of electricity: (1) there is an absence of any systemic consensus as to what models are appropriate for students at different year levels and for different intended learning outcomes;…

Discusses student and teacher perceptions of a new development in the use of the predict-observe-explain (POE) strategy. This development involves the incorporation of POE tasks into a multimedia computer program that uses real-life, digital video clips of difficult, expensive, time consuming, or dangerous scenarios as stimuli for these tasks.…