Recently, the nature of science (NOS) has become recognized as an important element within the K-12 science curriculum. Despite differences in the ultimate lists of recommended aspects, a consensus is emerging on what specific NOS elements should be the focus of science instruction and inform textbook writers and curriculum developers. In this…

Focuses on the way learning about genetics and evolution raises ideas that pupils and adults should relate to themselves whether what is learned helps reveal what science can and cannot say about human nature. Reviews the impact of informal learning after exploring the role and influence of informal learning channels. (Contains 79 references.)…

Discusses the philosophy of science and education, based on interviews with instructors at Wrigley Corners Outdoor Education Centre (Ontario). Uses hand feeding of chickadees as functional and metaphorical gateway for exploring importance of human contact with nature. Discusses how the personal transformative aspect of outdoor education challenges…

Field of education is associated with herculean task and innate responsibility of escorting societies forward. Across space and time, it has been an unambiguous synthesis that education should precede any progress or change. It helps humans to understand themselves and better their interaction with rest of the society. Hence the field of education…

Discusses purposes and policies of science education, including present growth trends and the resulting problems of human ecological scarcity, global nature of these problems, and the need for a global response to alter current trends. Emphasizes the role of science/technology in the amelioration of global problems. (Author/JN)

Discusses the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary nature of the BSCS Human Sciences Program and problems associated with the development, dissemination, and use of such curricula. Poses a series of questions related to these problems and discusses influences of single-issues pressure groups on science teaching. (JN)

Described is the National Sea Grant College Program which supports education and training, research, and advisory extension services through the National Office of Sea Grant and the Sea Grant Network of 30 programs in coastal and Great Lake states. Water-related topics include water's relationship to nature, society, and human expression.…

These narratives explore what it might entail to begin school-university partnerships towards the goal of transformative social changes through the voices of two women scholars of color. Using two school-university partnerships as focal cases, we unpack the complexity, tensions, and possibilities that arise through collaborations driven by the…

A theoretical review of the literature was conducted to understand how environmental identity is currently being interpreted and applied so the construct can be extended to the classroom context appropriately. The review found three key foundational philosophies contributing to the interpretation of environmental identity in the field of…

This dissertation aims to address frequent calls for partnerships between informal science learning spaces and formal K-12 science education (e.g. Bevan & Dillon, 2010; Hofstein & Rosenfeld, 1996; NRC, 2009; Stocklmayer et al., 2010) as well as how informal educators and organizations are or are not addressing issues of equity within these…

Since WW2, degradation of our global natural systems has been on the increase. Much of this degradation has been communicated to the general public via mainstream media and yet human behaviours do not seem to have changed significantly as a result. It is argued in this paper that the manner in which our brains and minds work, in particular in…

How can water and a penny demonstrate the power of mathematics and molecular theory? Do spelling and punctuation really matter to the human brain? The third of Thomas O'Brien's books designed for 5-12 grade science teachers, "Even More Brain-Powered Science" uses the questions above and 11 other inquiry-oriented discrepant events--experiments or…

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) initiated the Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES 2006)--a large-scale comparative survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in schools. The goal was to understand the pedagogical use of ICTs in schools in 22…

This dissertation addresses the question of how structured out-of-school-time settings, such as afterschool programs and summer camps, are positioned to support children's engagement and learning in science. This study addresses a gap in the research literature that does not fully specify the nature of the out-of-school-time (OST) setting and that…

Understanding the nature of science is even more important than mastering its details, says Alan Leshner, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in an interview with Educational Leadership. In this article, Leshner discusses the controversy about teaching evolution, and he asserts that demands to…