Weekly Reports: Student Reflections on Learning

Journal Article | April 2002

Weekly reports, a structured journal form of formative assessment, allow instructors to receive information from the students, to address students’ difficulties in a timely manner, and to alter their instruction based…

Enabling All Students to Learn Science

Journal Article | January 2006

Communicating with students in today's high school science classroom is challenging for teachers because the majority of them speak only English. Many of their students, however, do not speak English as their primary…

Editor’s Roundtable: Weaving a web of learning

Journal Article | October 2009

Teachers of all content areas, the arts included, must collaboratively plan meaningful instructional units around themes, issues, or problems that can be investigated and assessed using a cohesive, interdisciplinary…

More Than Writing-to-Learn

Journal Article | December 2009

Writing-to-learn activities are designed to use writing as a process in which students generate and clarify understanding of scientific concepts for themselves, rather than simply communicating with a teacher for…

Teaching Science to Students with Learning Differences

Journal Article | February 2007

Recent legislation, such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997 and 2004, emphasizes the importance of teaching students with mild disabilities in the…

Teaching Teachers: Lessons in Cooperative Learning

Journal Article | March 1999

In this article, the author provides a list of suggestions, based on personal experience, to help preservice teachers start using cooperative learning.

Methods and Strategies: The 6-E Learning Model

Journal Article | October 2004

Most teachers are familiar with the 5-E model of science instruction—Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate. This model adds a sixth "E" to the tool: "e-search." E-search encompasses any use of electronic media…

Perspectives: The Myth of Catering to Learning Styles

Journal Article | September 2006

The idea that people may have different abilities to learn, depending on the modality of instruction, has been around for over 100 years. When applied to educational practice, the essence of this viewpoint is that…

NASA "ROCKS" Problem-Based Learning

Journal Article | August 2004

With the National Science Education Standards as a driving force behind instruction, science educators must move toward classroom activities that allow students to guide their own learning experiences and form their own…

How to Create a Professional Learning Community

Journal Article | June 2010

Devoting time to a professional learning community (PLC) can be frustrating or rewarding. The authors have experienced both of these outcomes and can share processes that may help make your PLC one that enriches your…

Assessment <em>for</em> Learning

Journal Article | December 2010

Due to the student-centered nature of problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based science (PBS), it is easy for teachers not to provide students with adequate feedback or enough support to promote critical thinking.…

A Killer Lake Alive with Learning Opportunities

Journal Article | October 2005

Students often fail to remember, understand, and apply what they have learned in science classrooms. The sample lesson described in this article illustrates how teachers might move science education toward an authentic…

Extra! Extra! Learn All about It

Journal Article | October 2007

Communication and reporting of findings to peers are important to middle school students. One way to capitalize on students’ interests and incorporate the nature of science into the science curriculum is to have…

Idea Bank: Learning Through Stories

Journal Article | March 2007

While studying gas laws, high school chemistry students at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, created children’s books about the properties of gases, geared toward ages 8-12, to display their…

Editor’s Corner: Problem-Based Learning

Journal Article | October 2006

Problem-based learning (PBL) is finding a place in more and more secondary school science programs as teachers discover its power to engage students and develop critical-thinking skills. In the best PBL scenarios,…