Effective professional development that influences teachers' classroom practices starts with what teachers know, understand, and do in their classroom. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) challenge teachers to make changes to their classroom; to help teachers make these changes, it is necessary to know what they are doing in their…

The Information Technology in Science (ITS) Center for Teaching and Learning was a National Science Foundation funded program to provide high-quality professional development for 7-12th grade science teachers. The subgroup on which this paper focuses was immersed in an innovative approach to understanding chemistry of the environment. The group…

Science as inquiry is a key content standard #1 the National Science Education Standards; however, few secondary science teachers successfully and consistently implement inquiry-based instruction in their classrooms. This research examines the role of reform-based curricular materials in influencing the classroom practices of 12 high school…

Outlines an experimental procedure in which an iodine radioisotope is used to determine molar combining ratios of lead and silver with the iodine. Tables and graphs show the definitive results that should be attainable. (CP)

Mathematical solutions to simple atomic structure problems involving (a) simple cubic, (b) body-centered cubic, and (c) face-centered cubic models are presented. (CP)

A study to investigate one of the mechanisms teachers may use to convince themselves incorrectly that students have learned science concepts requiring formal operational ability is presented. The investigation indicates instructors may actually teach and test for memorization of algorithms rather than understanding. (MP)

Describes a reform effort for the undergraduate curriculum utilizing action-based research teams that developed, implemented, and assessed constructivist approaches to teaching undergraduate science content. Results indicate that the collaborative action-based research process was effective in contributing to the reform of undergraduate teaching.…

Discussed is the effectiveness of using analogies in chemistry instruction. Students' mathematics anxiety, spatial visualization skill, and proportional reasoning ability were found to be important aptitudes for determining chemistry achievement. The relationship between analogs and algorithms is described. (KR)

The Examination where the Student Asks the Questions is a system-oriented teaching/evaluation strategy initially implemented in freshman chemistry which includes a prearranged oral examination whereby the course professor is examined by students using home-prepared, written questions. (11 references) (Author/MKR)

Discussed is an approach to learning in which students are given the opportunity to discuss and rationalize the conflict between the students' existing misconceptions and the phenomenon to be studied. Curriculum materials for a unit on acids and bases were developed using this strategy. (KR)