Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that investigates human knowledge, in particular its source, nature, limitations, system, and accuracy. The most critical issues in epistemology are considered to be belief in the nature of knowledge and belief in the nature of knowing. Since epistemology involves the structuring processes of knowledge, it…

Presented is a group of writings concerned with education and the process of learning. These essays document the evolution in the thinking of one of America's most important educational philosophers. Many of the essays use science and mathematics as the starting point for an approach to the process of learning. One of the writings provides a…

While audio recordings and observation might have dominated past decades of classroom research, video data is now the dominant form of data in the field. Ubiquitous videography is standard practice today in archiving the body of both the teacher and the student, and vast amounts of classroom and experiment clips are stored in online archives. Yet…

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 study examined views of the human relationship with the natural world and understandings about the nature of science (NOS) held by preservice elementary teachers in the context of Taiwan. The participants included 54 third-year students enrolled in the departments of science education and mathematics education at a teacher college. Data were…

This USMES unit challenges students to find a way to design or make changes in things that they use or wear so that there will be a good fit. The teacher resource book for the Designing For Human Proportions unit contains five sections. The first section describes the USMES approach to student-initiated investigations of real problems, including a…

This document presents a collection of strand maps that show how students' understanding of the ideas and skills that lead to literacy in science, mathematics, and technology might grow over time. The guide discusses strand maps in general and prose directly related to each individual map. The maps are built from benchmarks that were derived from…

Two activities in which students use the human body to collect meaningful data that will be used symbolically in the form of sets of equations to search for patterns in nature are described. The mathematics and science concepts/skills, background information, objectives, lesson outline, and extensions are included. (KR)

This is the executive summary for "The Role of Science and Technology in Economic Competitiveness," (1987) based on a national survey on competitiveness. The study focused on three primary topics: the adequacy of human resources and its relationship to human ability to compete; investment in resarch and development; and technology transfer, i.e.,…

This is an overview report that has been prepared as part of the first phase of Project 2061, a long-term multipurpose undertaking of the American Association for the Advancement of Science designed to help reform science, mathematics, and technology education in the United States. The first section, "Education for a Changing Future,"…

This thesis is about a design process for creating "educationally relevant" tools. I submit that the key to creating tools that are educationally relevant is to focus on ensuring a high degree of alignment between the designed tool and the broader educational context into which the tool will be integrated. The thesis presents methods and processes…

Many teachers accept science literacy as an important goal for K-12 education; however, those without a strong background in science, mathematics, and technology may be unsure of how to teach important ideas from these fields to their students. As part of its comprehensive effort to reform K-12 education, Project 2061 of the American Association…

Designing or making changes in things students use or wear is the challenge of this Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level (grades 1-8). The Teacher…

Responsible human behavior toward pets, farm animals, and wild animals is considered by many to be an important goal. The purpose of this elementary instructional guide is to introduce and develop in students a sense of responsibility toward animals. The teaching activities in the guide are based on nine concepts. These are: (1) many kinds of…