Combined three-dimensional, haptic-enabled, virtual reality (3D HE VR) systems allow students to actively engage and explore various science concepts by leveraging user-friendly and immersive interfaces. Successful implementation of these learning tools in science classrooms hinges upon teachers' perceptions of the technology's potential as a…

Effective professional development programs for science teachers provide opportunities for active learning and teacher self-reflection on beliefs about science teaching, learning, and practice. One model that fosters active learning and promotes reflection is collaborative curriculum development, in which teachers work together with university…

"A Framework for K-12 Science Education," the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), identifies scientific explanation as one of the eight practices "essential for learning science" (National Research Council, 2012, p. 41). In order to design professional development so teachers can implement these new…

Representations are an effective tool that chemistry teachers choose to use in their classes to help their students understand abstract concepts. According to the model of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), a teacher's knowledge of representations is part his/her PCK, which is shaped specifically by his/her orientation towards science teaching.…

Although elementary school may be a prime stage for building environmental literacy, elementary school teachers face significant barriers to including it in their instruction. Several studies have identified teachers' limited ecological science content knowledge and heavy emphasis on state standards and testing as common constraints to…

Though inquiry-based teaching has long been touted as an effective pedagogy, its application by elementary classroom teachers has been problematic. Two case studies were used to investigate effective professional learning experiences for teachers and the concomitant development of scientific proficiency in children. Both case studies used a newly…