Reports on Try Science, a program designed to investigate the learning experiences and outcomes of teachers engaged in a unique collaboration--a master's degree program in science education for elementary and middle school teachers conducted entirely online. Discusses the learning experiences, degree of understanding of meaning of inquiry in…

Describes the Computers in Science course which integrates computer-related techniques into the science disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, and Earth science. Uses a team teaching approach and teaches students how to solve chemistry problems with spreadsheets, identify minerals with X-rays, and chemical and force analysis. (Contains 14…

Describes the implementation and evaluation of a nondirected student research project that aimed at acquainting students with some of the procedures used by physicists in the real world. Outlines specific project designs used by the students. (JRH)

Describes the Science Bound project, a partnership aimed at increasing the participation of ethnic minority students in science and technology and encouraging them to prepare for careers as scientists, engineers, and technologists. Presents eight successful field-tested strategies for ensuring that students in multicultural settings learn science.…

Conducted a study (n=26) to test descriptions about learning associated with open-ended design projects and to clarify the notion of ownership of resources and practices. Reports that conceptual and material resources were shared among students and that tool-related practices were appropriated as newcomers participated with more competent others…

Three hands-on science activities teach students about plant processes that they normally cannot detect. A K-3 activity has students explore how the presence of water affects plant motion. Two grade 4-6 activities let students see the path water takes through leaves and has students investigate how and why water travels through plants. (SM)

Introducing students and teachers to the social structure of scientific communication as part of a hands-on, minds-on approach can increase students' knowledge and interest in the sciences. Describes SAM-Net which incorporates scientific communication, electronic networking, and scientific research as practiced by scientists into a K-12 science…

Explains the work of a primary-research group focusing on the practical aspects of the use of scale in science. Reports on three studies that look at the impact of the representation of scale in different areas related to the Standard Assessment Tasks (SAT). (DDR)

Focuses on the use of a science-based topic with children ages six and seven to explore ideas for developing children's use of descriptive language. Employs talk partners and circle time as strategies for developing language. (DDR)

Describes one teacher's experience taking Space Discovery courses that were sponsored by the United States Space Foundation (USSF). These courses examine the history of space science, theory of orbits and rocketry, the effects of living in outer space on humans, and space weather. (DDR)

Details the use of a grant to enhance science education and the science curriculum through a series of workshops and a resource program. Describes the development of interdisciplinary units. (DDR)

Constructivist learning, based on students' application of knowledge to solve authentic problems, is a culture, not a fragmented collection of practices. Constructivism places high demands on teachers' subject-matter knowledge, pedagogical skills, and design of independent student projects. Major changes in curriculum, scheduling, and assessment…

Describes an activity on charting 6th and 7th grade students' ideas about a potential science project. Summarizes a five week project on creating a new ride or redesigning existing rides in an amusement park, including research and sketches, final drawings, models of rides, and class presentations. (YDS)

Describes a simple, small-scale experiment that can be applied at any stage in a chemistry course, including acid-base reactions, solubility, reaction rates, equilibrium, and problem solving. (WRM)

Reviews three projects that use a graphing calculator linked to a calculator-based laboratory device as a portable data-collection system for students in chemistry classes. Projects include Isolation, Purification and Quantification of Buckminsterfullerene from Woodstove Ashes; Determination of the Activation Energy Associated with the…