Describes the construction of an elementary science education web site in a collaborative effort involving two university faculty members and two undergraduate elementary education program preservice teachers. For preservice teachers, these types of collaborations can be important in developing skills valuable to their own teaching and in building…

Examines the process that one instructor of undergraduate introductory science underwent when she attempted to execute constructivist teaching into practice. Three critical variables were identified that affected the implementation process: (1) the university context; (2) the instructor's emotional response; and (3) the mentoring relationship.…

Educators must take the time to reflect upon their past efforts and make needed mid-course corrections. Looking for patterns within reform projects and helping teachers see reform as an evolutionary process and not an either/or response will help all educators grow as professionals. Presents examples of inquiry learning integrated with traditional…

A year-long study was conducted in three high school physics classes to provide empirical support for the existence of levels of language-rich teaching. Three levels of language-rich teaching were investigated: (1) low level by hands-on; (2) medium level by small groups; and (3) high level by active mental processing (AMP) journal keeping.…

There are many versions of constructivism. One common argument against a constructivist approach is that it contains elements of instrumentalist, operationalist, and idealist epistemologies that distort the true nature of science including the goals of science and how scientists actually operate. A pedagogy based more on a realist epistemology…

In order to examine the potential benefits and existing barriers of preservice science teachers engaging in an electronic professional community on the World Wide Web, a "Web Forum" was constructed called the SciTeach forum. Although there are barriers to overcome, a "Web-based" forum appears to be an effective instrument to provide support to a…

Presents arguments for the need to examine programs that prepare science teacher educators and discusses the significant role that mentoring plays in preparing future science teacher educators. Examines features of an exemplary mentor model and suggests that a formal program of mentoring the preservice science teacher educator should be part of…

Determines that the philosophical basis for science education is likely to be an interesting field in the 21st century and that there is a need to provide the practicing teacher with some ideas for daily work such as local, national, and international student cooperation; using student lab reports to develop local scientific journals; and having…

Proposes that preservice elementary education majors encounter five hurdles as they experience their science methods course: (1) reservations and hesitations or the anxiety stage; (2) awareness/enjoyment stage; (3) intrinsic shift; (4) rapid building of self confidence and self efficacy; and (5) empowerment. (MVL)

The concepts, processes, and methods found in science are used in other disciplines. Many science-class activities are predicated on students' reading and writing skills. Students read textbooks, read directions for conducting experiments, and write their own reports of observation. Integrating science with mathematics usually requires little…

This professional development collaborative involved state agencies, local industry, an outdoor learning center, a university, and teams of teachers from rural schools. The program had three main goals: to introduce inquiry-based approaches to science teaching in the elementary classroom, to utilize field experiences to connect the program to…

Use of end-of-chapter textbook problems for teaching and assessing concepts in introductory physics is widespread, as is restriction of student access to the solutions. Surveys student attitudes (n=128) on access to problem solutions, sampling the enrollment in a large calculus-level course. Results confirm a definite preference for freer access…

Investigates whether preservice teachers need more practice to develop strong technology and teaching skills before they go into student teaching. Only after practicing these skills sufficiently did the biology education majors (n=2) feel comfortable and confident to begin a teaching assignment. (Author/MVL)

Collects and examines data on the attitudes of physics instructors towards allowing student access to textbook problem solutions. Student data (n=227) was collected by survey. Compares student and instructor attitudes and discusses the possible significance of the survey results. (Author/MVL)

Examines inservice teachers' perceptions (n=8) of two master's programs, one administered by the College of Education, the other a General Biology Program administered by three biological science departments. Determines that each master's program contributes differently to the professional development of secondary science teachers and that neither…