Learning Through Sharing

Journal Article | February 2002

This paper describes how to use collaborative groups as a teaching strategy in a 200-student introductory astronomy class for nonscience majors. The authors present a brief rationale for this approach and then describe…

A Key to Science Learning

Journal Article | March 2001

One way to help students develop their writing skills is through the “key-word process.” In this method, students select key words about a topic and then use those words to build their own sentences and paragraphs. The…

Learning How to Think

Journal Article | February 2004

Enhancing students’ cognitive development is a priority—students must learn how to think. Inquiry instruction provides students with tools to make decisions based upon available evidence and an opportunity to develop…

Spiderrific Learning Tools

Journal Article | April 2004

The Spiderrific curriculum unit is a great way to capitalize on student interest in spiders. This unit meets several national science standards, including characteristics of organisms, life cycles, and diversity and…

Hypothesis-Based Learning

Journal Article | December 2003

In an effort to improve inquiry learning in the classroom, the authors modified a standard, inquiry-based curricula to provide opportunities for students to discuss discrepant events. The tool, called Hypothesis-Based…

The Way They Want to Learn

Journal Article | December 2011

This article discusses students using technology to build their literacy across science disciplines. Six free software and web applications are highlighted, as well as ways to use them in the classroom.

The Constructivist Learning Model

Journal Article | December 1999

Much cognitive science research has been used to support a new model of learning. This most promising new model is called the Constructivist Learning Model (CLM). Russell Yeany (University of Georgia) has called CLM the…

Commentary: Community Learning

Journal Article | August 2000

An opinion piece about the Department of Education's Smaller Learning Community Program (SLCP), which aims to stimulate a complete redesign of secondary education.

Learning from Problems

Journal Article | March 2000

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a powerful vehicle for inquiry-based learning in which students use an authentic problem as the context for an in-depth investigation of what they need and want to know (Checkly, 1997).…

Learning Concepts With Cases

Journal Article | September 2006

The case study method can be an effective pedagogy to address the problems in science education. The National Research Council has identified three principals about how students learn science in the classroom. First…

Learning in Virtual Environments

Journal Article | September 2003

A charter school for homeschooled students tries its hand at distance education. The activities in this article demonstrate how learning takes place in the virtual environment.

A Museum Learning Lab

Journal Article | March 2008

The “Learning Lab: The Cell” exhibit was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). Specially designed for middle and high school…