Developed by students in EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, Fall, 1993

Austin, J., Converse, R., Sass, R., and Tomlins, R. (1992). Coordinating secondary school science and mathematics. School science and mathematics, 92(2), 64-68. (Lynne Stopen)
... deals with an important relationship between math and science that is usually unclear or ignored in classes. Students often think of math and science classes as separate entities, where the math used in science has very little to do with math class. Sometimes math is not even used in science classes. I particularly liked the use of graphs to demonstrate that math is used in science ...

Barker, J. (1992). Lind and limey's, Part 2: On limes, lemons, and Guinea pigs -- Scurvy in the 19th century. Journal of biological education. V 26.
I chose this article because it incorporates history with hard science and human medicine. The report starts with original sources: journal entries of William Parry, commander of an 1821-1823 search for the Northwest Passage. A description of scurvy and historical treatments follow. Hard data includes the results of a 1918 study on guinea pigs, showing fresh lemon juice to have approximately 4x the value of fresh lime juice.

Benjamin, L. (1991). Motivational meteorology. The science teacher, April. (Delphine Thouin)
... describes a purchased computer program [On-line with Accu-Weather] ... students analyze "real-time" weather data ... doing "real science" ... students "work and are actually enthusiastic ..." " Teaching is fun again ... " ... used in general and vocational-tech classes.

Eckstein, S. and Shemesh, M. (1993). Development of children's ideas of motion: Impetus, the strait-down belief and the law of support. School science and mathematics, October.
This article ... shows an easy step-by-step method for testing and feeling out the misconceptions that students have. As I teacher I feel it is important to be aware of all the different ways that students view the world.

Hacker, R. (1991). Gender differences in science lesson behaviors. International journal of science education, 13(4), 439-445. (Kurt Barbuscio)
This article appears to be more directly relevant to the world that I will be involved in as a science teacher. Girls inferior performance/lack of interest in sciences, especially the physical sciences, is important. As a male science teacher I would like to understand this phenomenon more fully. ... Interestingly, the null hypothesis that gender differences in science achievement result from differential treatment in science lessons was not supported. ... I found this article of further interest because it suggests a biological basis for difference. I tend not to agree, but would like to read further studies on the topic.

Johnson, P. (1992). Educational uses of technology. EUITNEWS, December, 4-7. (Curtis&nbspTurner)
I am interested in the uses of technology in teaching physics. However, I am worried that some people consider technology a substitute for the teacher. This article seemed to emphasize that even the most impressive innovations can only supplement what the teachers have already taught.

Johnson, S. and Stewart, J. (1990). Using philosophy of science in curriculum development: an example from high school genetics. International journal of science education, 12(3), 297-307. (Lorraine Olendzenski)
... it presents an example of a scientific inquiry based model being used successfully to teach genetics. ... Students examined Mendel's original paper on transmission genetics in peas, were given data that was not explained by Mendel's original work (co-dominance, sex-linked inheritance) and asked to construct models that would explain the observed patterns of inheritance. They were than able to test their models using a computer program. Unsuccessful models were revised and successful models were shown to have the power of predicting outcomes of various crosses. Results were shared with the class in the format of a scientific meeting. In all cases, students were given data, and asked to come up with their own explanations, or asked to devise experiments to test their hypotheses, rather than being given the answers first. The students' activities directly paralleled the activities of scientists (some students were even able to devise hypotheses very similar to those of Thomas Morgan, one of the first geneticists to work out sex-linked inheritance in fruit flies), and great enthusiasm for the creation and testing of models on the part of students was seen.

Jungwirth, E. and Dreyfus, A. (1992). After this, therefore because of this: One way of jumping to conclusions. Journal of biological education, 26(2), 139-142. (Dorothy&nbspThorne-Thomsen)
This study looked at the tendency for post-hoc thinking, i.e. the acceptance of temporal sequence as a causal connection. The subjects for the study ranged from 10th grade students through teachers. The data indicated that causal attributions are spontaneously rejected far more often by teachers than by younger students. It is hypothesized that this is attributable to the course of cognitive development, in specific, the development of the ability to consider alternative hypotheses. The authors suggest that teachers might explicitly introduce the concept of such causal attributions and thus increase the likelihood that students will examine causal relationships more closely and critically.

Marek, E. (1986). Understandings and misunderstandings of biology concepts. American biology teacher, 48(1), 37-40. (Deborah Munson)
In this article, the author reports the results of a written method of assessment of the understanding of the concepts of the cell theory and diffusion. These results were compared to the interview methods of assessment. ... Like a good research report, this article left me with more questions when I finished reading than before I started. ... Although this was not the best written article, or the one that was the most interesting to me, I think it was the most interesting combination of research, discussion, and conjecture.

Mason, C. (1992). Concept mapping: A tool to develop reflective science instruction. Science education, January. (Gail Hilyard)
Concept mapping is a great tool for :

Quackenbush, R. (1992). Genetics of the domesticated cat. The American biology teacher, January. (Becky Coggins)
The reason I chose the above article is because it showed a new way to study genetics. This is my area of study and I was impressed with the way the article presented the study of cats' characteristics.

Phillips, T. and Moss, G. (1993). Can CAL biology packages be used to replace the teacher? Journal of biological education, 27(3).
There has been much stated about the importance of computers and computer based learning in the science classroom. The summary of results of this investigation into the effectiveness of CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) used in GSCE classes as measured by pre- and post-objective test showed in all cases CAL packages produced significant learning gains compared to text-based resources. Not all objectives were met, however, and the report indicated the need for additional content supplement to be provided by the teacher.

Snyder, M., Hinton, N., Cornhill, J. and Elfner, L. (1992). Animal care use committees. The science teacher, 59, 28-33. (Richel Schmidt)
I picked this article because being a firm believer that the use of dissection for educational purposes is wrong and inappropriate... , but the exhibit of live animals for "appropriate, necessary, and human" reasons is beneficial to students when special rules are followed. This article tells the purpose of the committee and the rules that it follows.

Uretsky, J. (1993). Using "Dialogue" labs in a community college physics course. The physics teacher, 31(8). (Thy Oeur)
They divide the class into groups of 5 or 6 students and provide each student with a lab manual. All the lab work must be done during the lab period including handing in the lab report. For 3/4 of the semester, the students are not supposed to use calculators. ... the whole group helps each other out. Lab work always covers the lecture and discussion materials. Its goal is to help students obtain a better understanding of physics.

Verderber, G. (1993). Lasting impact: John State College students learn tropical ecology through experience. The American biology teacher, 55(7). (Dawn Palmateer)
I think that the article is best described from a quote in the article, "the more real the learning situation the more personal the learning experience becomes and the more powerful and lasting its impact."

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Developed by students in EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, MESTEP class June, 1994

Beall, H. and Prescott, S. (February, 1994). Concepts and calculations in chemistry teaching and learning. Journal of chemical education. (Christine Jesensky)
I chose Prof. Beall's article because it covered a couple of important topics which we have focused on in this class, but that I think look useful. His approach ties writing and chemistry together for children. Also, he's a great person.

Duveen, J. and Solomon, J. (1994). The great evolution trial: Use of role-play in the classroom. Journal of research in science teaching, 31(5). (Robert Jekanoski)
I chose the article for a number of reasons. First, I used role-playing in my microteaching and enjoyed the format. Second, my search paper (for EDUC 524) was on the evolution/creation debate. This article is a combination of these subjects and methods that I could incorporate in my classes.

Gooding, D. (1991). Faraday was a hands-on scientist. Physics education, 26(5). (Owen Bradford)
I chose this article for two reasons: First, the article is about learning electromagnetism which is one of my weaker areas in physics, so I wanted to see another perspective. Second, the article talks about combining hands-on and artistic approaches to learning. I found the hands-on approach interesting, and the idea of comparing it to an artist's approach of making a painting new and very different.

Huebner, J. and Smith, T. (February, 1994). Why magnification works. The physics teacher, 32. (Mike Hazeltine.)
This article presents a concise explanation of how the eye magnifies. The operation of the eye is presented as an imaging system where the detector is a collection of photo receptors. The authors use this model to explain why stars but not planets twinkle due to the limit of resolution of the human eye, and methods that people employ to improve vision while reading. The authors include instructions for setting up a demonstration of this effect in the classroom.

Roth, W-M. (1992). Bridging the gap between school an real life: Toward an integration of science, mathematics, and technology in the context of authentic practice. School science and mathematics, 92(6), 307-311. (Eric Kristoff)
I chose an article that dealt with integrating science, math, and technology into real life. It provides a rationale for different teaching environments, a variety of activities to be used, describes the course of a typical student, and presents evaluative data. The paper suggests ways to increase student attention, the most important being "the use of real-world problems to motivate and apply theory." It describe physics teaching in Appleby College where science is based on constructivism. The author suggests the increased use of computers, especially MathCAD and programming, graphing calculators, and Gowen's Vee, which helps plan an investigation using associated words, concept maps, claims, and data. The article finishes hoping that more students consider the integration of different parts of the school curriculum.

Scheckel, L. (1993). How to make density float. Science and children, 30(3), 30-33. (Ed Wiser)
Scheckel addresses the problem of learning density by presenting it as an easily taught and entertaining exercise. He presents a number of hands-on activities and demonstrations help to conceptualize the notions of how sinking and floating relate to density. The activities include observing that a can of diet soda floats while regular soda sinks, and that dried out eggs have less mass than fresh ones. The experiments are only a small part of this innovative approach to teaching density. The transition from household goods to an inquiry-lesson is a brilliant foundation for children to explore and enjoy science.

Wang, D. (February, 1994). A working laboratory: Adopting the college model to the high school. The science teacher, 94, 26-29. (Jane Chambers)
The author of this article suggests that secondary school science should be modeled after graduate education in the sciences so that the teacher can involve students in the discussion of ideas. Students' understanding of concepts can be reinforced by performing experiments while the teacher provides encouragement for learning. The author's description of the working laboratory is one in which students participate in science. Through encouragement to think and discuss ideas, the teacher and students can begin to perform research to answer questions. The working laboratory could improve the quality of science education in secondary schools and perhaps become implemented into middle schools.

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Developed by students in EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, Fall, 1994

Matthews, C. (1994). Interactive video. The Science Teacher, 61(3). (Mike Facchini)
"Of all the articles and journals I reviewed, this one stuck out. It caught my attention because of the title and after closer review it relates to the "INQUIRY" approach I know so little about. This lesson and its approach has enlightened my views on this teaching method."

McKinley, E. and Waiti, P. (1992). Language, culture and science education. International journal of science education, 14(1): 13-23. (Ed Eckel)
"I chose to examine in some depth the Finegold article about the transition between a British curriculum in physics and a Maorian curriculum in science. The essential point is that the base concepts and evidence structures with which to build a scientific schema must pre-exist the learning of science. ..."

Morrell, P. (1992). The effects of computer-assisted instruction on student achievement in high school biology. School science and mathematics, 92(4). (Susan Waters).
"I chose this paper for several reasons, the first being that I'm interested in computers in the biology classroom. However, the main attractions of this paper were that I felt there was so much about it worth criticizing: the conclusions that author draws for her results and the underlying assumptions about objective tests and lecture/discussion being the most effective vehicles of learning."

Vestal, B. and Estes, J. (1992). A classroom exercise in empirical analysis: Gender differences in book-carrying behavior. The American biology teacher, 54(1). (Ryan Sabourin)
"The article I chose on Gender Differences in Book-Carrying Behavior was chosen because I thought it was a wonderful idea for a lesson. At first glance I was thinking this article would be controversial because I assume through my classes that pointing out gender differences is taboo. After reading this article I found the students would carry out an experiment in animal behavior and they would develop empirical skills such as observation, experimental design, and inferential analysis."

Ebenezer, J. and Zoller, U. (1993). The no change in junior secondary students' attitudes toward science in a period of curriculum change: A probe into the case of British Columbia. School science and mathematics, 93(2), 96-103. (Hwei-Ling Greeney)
"I chose this article ... because it answered the one question I have been asking myself since the beginning of this course: How effective is the science-technology-science (STS)-focused secondary science program in changing students' perceptions of science? To put the question in a more general term, I have asked myself of the effects of problem-solving approach to science teaching, advocated by Bentley and Watts on secondary students. ..."

Martin, B. and Brouwer, W. (1991). The shaping of personal science and the narrative element in science education. Science education, 75(6). (Kristen LaValley)
"This study demonstrated how narrative (story telling) can illuminate and bring to life many aspects of science. An example was given of a personal anecdote in physics depicting this person on a merry-go-round and what happened when he let go. This story accomplished a major point of classical physics in a few humorous lines, rather than a hard-to-get-through technical paragraph. A personal anecdote by the teacher enables the student to see science beyond the classroom and maybe parallel to his/her own experiences. Stories open up a child's imagination and may also reduce the anxiety that after may exist in a science class."

Toh, K. and Woolnough, B. (1993). Middle school students' achievement in lab investigations: Explicit vs. tacit knowledge. Journal of research in science teaching, 30(5). (Jeff Shoneman)
"I chose the article because it talks about the strategies in setting up open ended experiments. It compares tacit knowledge, knowledge through experience, and explicit knowledge, instructions and information. By studying 2 schools and 4 different groups in each, the author came to the conclusion that both tacit and explicit knowledge affected performance but without explicit knowledge children had a hard time communicating what they learned or knew."

Wong, D. (1993). Understanding the generative capacity of analogies as a tool for explanation, Journal of research in science teaching, Aug. (Paul Levesque)
"I have found that I have learned a lot through analogy, especially physics topics. When I looked over the article I found that it discussed the use of analogy in physics, to be more exact, the study of gasses and pressure."

Geddis, A. (1991). Improving the quality of science classroom discourse on controversial issues. Science education, 75(2), 169 - 183. (Russ Levreault)
"My experience as a student is that classroom discussion of controversial issues is often disappointing academically; degenerating into contention and debate with little educational value. I hope that my students will avoid that fate. This is especially vital in science and society type courses, where such discussions will be common."

Fedak, J., Belzer, B., Wrehn, L. and Walko, D. (1990). Videomicroscopy in the classroom: improved attitudes. The American biology teacher, October. (Thomas Mahon)
"Videomicroscopy brings very small organisms to life on the television screens for all students in the classroom to see. Videomicroscopy brings excitement to the classroom and includes everyone in the lesson. If funding for regular microscopes is not available, the teacher can prepare a tape for the VCR that shows students what they should see when looking at an organism under a microscope."

Brody, M. (1994). Student science knowledge related to ecological crises. International journal of science education, 16(4): 421-435. (David Fahey)
"I chose [this article] to review because it deals with issues with which I am personally interested, in particular marine resource management in the Gulf of Maine. ... Mr. Brody documents what I have observed through my experiences with science students, "that students are unable to explain higher order concepts ... in terms other than those provided in their text ... yet, when probed in interviews concerning the nature of local environmental issues, children have rich understandings of a number of concepts from a variety of disciplines.""

Arnold, M., Millar, B. and Millar, R. (1994). Children's and lay adults' views about thermal equilibrium. International journal of science education, 16(4): 405-419. (James Webb)
" This paper analyzed the perceptions of 8 school children and 3 adults of a seemingly simple experiment. This experiment consisted of heating a beaker of water with a candle and monitoring the temperature of the water. Questions were asked of the individuals in an interview format before and after the experiment had been conducted. Their specific answers to the questions as well as the discussion following were recorded by the reviewer.
"The children as well as the adults confused the concepts of heat, energy and temperature. No significant difference between the children and the adults were recorded by the interviewer. ..."

Armour, M., Browne, L. and Weir, G. (1985). Tested disposal methods for chemical wastes from academic laboratories. Journal of chemical education, 62(3), A93-A95. (Jack O'Donnell)
"... Many chemicals commonly found in high school and college introductory laboratories are extremely hazardous if misused. These authors talked extensively about safe and inexpensive methods for handling chemical spills, and discussed methods of handling disposal of various materials ... The emphasis is on safe and inexpensive disposal ..."

Kahle, J. (1990). Why girls don't know. What research says to the science teacher -- The process of knowing. The science teacher. (Karen Sullivan)
"This article looks at the root cause of girls' in security with science and how science education can be changed to encourage girls and young women. The article begins with a study of classes from elementary school through college and ends with recommendations for how the social and academic structures of these classes can be changed so that are not intimidated by, but encouraged to pursue further science education. Kahle's basic finding was that there is a cumulative effect on girls due to their lack of science experience as young children and this continues to slow girls down throughout their schooling. It can be fixed, Kahle says, by making activities more a part of girls' experience."

Watson, S. (1992). The essential elements of cooperative learning. The American biology teacher, 54(2). (Luisa Cabrera)
"I chose this paper because as a teacher I try to use cooperative learning situations in the classroom all the time. As a student (when I was their age) I was never encouraged to practice it. I was exposed to individual or competitive basis. I realize that I use coop-coop, the jigsaw approach, and group investigation with my students. It was very interesting to learn about all the components of cooperative learning, that even though we may use, we don't recognize ... After reading it, I got new ideas to try and also a better understanding about what cooperative learning really is."

Gassert-Ramey, L., Walberg III, H. and Walberg, H. (1994). Reexamining connections: Museums as science learning environments. Science education, 78(4), 345-363. (Zaida Cruz)
"... This research review is primarily concerned with science museums as informal learning environments. This type of learning environment provides opportunities not only for casual visitors but also for students and teachers as well."

Cohen, A. et. al. (1989). The effects of biology games on students' anxiety and their achievement. International journal of science education, 11(4), 387-394. (Paul Richards)
"This was an interesting article about how three games: 1)"The structure of the DNA molecule, 2) "Replication and transcription of the DNA molecule," and 3) "From DNA to protein" the following was observed: 1) students who played received higher grades on the subject examination than students who didn't play, 2) students with lower levels of abstract reasoning ability were more influenced by the use of the game than students of high ability, and 3) when comparing anxiety levels of both groups before and after the research, it was found that students who played reported a significant decrease in anxiety towards biology lessons, while students who did not play reported a slight but insignificant increase in anxiety."

Zeller, M. (1994). Biotechnology in the high school biology curriculum: The future is here! The American biology teacher, 56(8). (Karla Marroquin)
"This article was very interesting. I agree that teachers who are trained in biotech make a greater amount of biotechnology labs than teachers without training."

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Developed by students in MESTEP EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, June, 1995

Russo, R. and Parrish, N. (1995) Toxicology for the middle school: The effects of commons substances on daphnia. Journal of chemical education, 72(1), 49-50. (Mark Mayall)
I enjoyed this article because it described an experimental process that illuminates the idea of many substance's ability to be toxic, including ones that we wouldn't think to be this way. The article also described a very logical, ordered lab set-up to illustrate this point which in my opinion enhances comprehension and develops the students' sense of creating an elegant method to test a problem.

Stocking, V.B. and Goldstein, D. (1992). Course selection and performance of very high ability students: Is there a gender gap? Roeper review, 15, 48-51. (Valerie Bolster)
This study showed data on what course high ability students choose to take during a three week summer course. The study showed that while girls and boys performed equally in the classes they choose, girls tended to choose humanities type courses while boys tended to choose the math and science courses. It was interesting to see hard data representing a problem that I feel strongly about.

Fortman, J. (1994). Applications and analogies: Pictorial analogies X: Solutions of electrolytes. Journal of chemical education, 27-28. (Kelley Loughman)
The general overtone in this article was about how analogies are important to help relate the concepts being taught to everyday life. However, it is very important to realize that there are limitations in the use of analogies in lesson plans.

Entwistle, D. and Alexander, K. (1992). Summer setbacks: Race, poverty, school composition, and mathematics achievement in the first two years of school. American sociological review, 57, p. 72. (Anupa Batra)
I chose to read this article because it seemed interesting. I am particularly interested in racial differences in achievement and class differences. It was interesting that the results show that achievement levels were similar during the school year and differences showed up during the summer, indicating "home" influences.

Hacker, R. and Rowe, M. (1993). A study of the effects of an organizational change from streamed to mixed-ability classes upon science classroom instruction. Journal of research in science teaching, 30(3), 222-231. (Diana Kennen)
I chose this particular research report because it attempts to quantify the effects of heterogeneous classroom groupings on the high and low ability students. This research indicated that, rather than individualizing the learning process for all the students, the teachers studied taught to the class average ability. This was to the detriment of both low and high ability students.

Wyustra, S. and Cummings, C. (1993). High school science anxiety. The science teacher, 60(7).
Why are most high school students intimidated by science? In this article the authors created a questionnaire and asked 1000 high school students how anxious they felt about certain activities in science. From the 750 returned questionnaires it was found that six different categories of anxiety existed: Danger anxiety, test anxiety, math and problem solving anxiety, squeamish anxiety, performance anxiety, and classroom anxiety.
From this data the two authors made some recommendations for decreasing each category of anxiety. For danger anxiety, it was suggested that a clear explanation of the hazards and precautions of the classroom and laboratory be done. Do not perform any demonstrations that are alarming or threatening to the student. To decrease test anxiety, turn to open-book or open note tests, learning logs, and portfolios rather than traditional tests for student assessment. To alleviate math and problem solving anxiety do not encourage one-type of solving a problem. Rather, teach more global problem solving skills allowing the student to be more flexible in his/her problem solving methods. For squeamish anxiety, begin using more models and computer simulations for laboratory exercises. To decrease performance anxiety, focus on cooperative learning, hands on learning, and stress the process of problem solving, not right answers. And finally, to decrease classroom anxiety, give information on how to take notes, not to read a science textbook or periodical, and how to sort out what is important in science content.

Stahl, F. (1994). Driving reluctant physics students to think. The physics teacher, 32(8). (John Jackson)
This is a diagnostic procedure for appealing to the interests and problem solving abilities of reluctant physics students.

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Developed by students in EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, Fall, 1995

Samuel, H.R. (1993). Impediments to implementing environmental education. J of Environmental Education, 25(1), 26-29. (Laura Kirshenbaum)
I am very interested in programs that incorporated environmental education into the curriculum. This school in Ontario did not just implement environmental education into the science curriculum, but throughout the entire curriculum. Incorporating such a program will help bring education to a practical level; by using relevant issues, like environmental issues, students will be able to work across several disciplines and unite the courses, teachers, students, and administration.

Dillon, D., O'Brien, D., Moje, E., and Stewart, R. (1994). Literacy learning in secondary school science classrooms: A cross case analysis of three qualitative students. JRST, 31(4). (James Bernhard)
I chose the Dillon article because of its focus on the two features of case study and literacy. I enjoyed the case study approach. These vignettes give me a real life look as to how these teachers use literacy techniques and emphasize expression of comprehended materials over merely content. One teacher who didn't use such a learner centered approach did however use the SQ3R technique taken from literacy approach to reading and comprehension. This emphasis of having students be competent readers, capable of comprehension and expression (written and verbal), is an important to me as the science content taught. I want to accomplish both. The other articles didn't give me the same level of applicability to my goals for teaching.

Cherif, A., and Somervill, C. (1995). Maximizing learning: Using role playing in the classroom. The American Biology Teacher, January. (Karen Schliefke)
This article caught my attention over the others because just last week an eight grade teacher told me that she has students play the part of atoms and molecules to teach chemical movement in different matter states. This article gives some interesting suggestions for integrating biological concepts with social and political elements. For example, it tells of a teacher who had students make arguments for the Industrial, Medical, Scientific, and Agricultural communities in order to receive grants from the government. Each group had to know the scientific merit of their worked as well as its social implications.

Mestre, J. (1991). Learning and instruction in Pre-College Physical Science. Physics today, September, 56-62. (Jay Klotz)
I chose this article because it was the one that first introduced me to the constructivist approach to teaching physics. I knew that I wanted to write research and write about constructivism, and Jose and the other articles that I saw led me to the one cited above, as well as the following articles. However, it was this one that presented the best introduction to the topic for me.

Cavall-Sforza, V., Weiner, A., and Lesgold, A. (1994). Software support for students engaging in scientific activity and scientific controversy. Science education, November. (Diana Lauderbach)
The article deals with a subject which I am very interested in, namely, computer applications in science education. Computers are used to help students scientific knowledge through resolving conflicts, using groupware - shared resource centers.

Daisy, P. (1994). The use of trade books in secondary science and mathematics instruction: Classroom strategies. School science and mathematics, April. (Jonathan Caplan)
This paper examines different ways of integrating "trade books" (books other than texts) and gives teacher experiences. While this paper is largely anecdotal and clearly promoting a certain philosophy, I found it interesting because of the way it examined classroom strategies for implementing the inclusion of "trade books." I chose it because it was the one paper that was most useful for classroom teachers, whereas the others were more academic and less applicable, excepting the excellent paper on sense making.

Schmidt, H. (1994). Stoichiometric problem solving in high school chemistry. International J of Science Education, 16(2). (Bill Nordstom)
I chose this article for two reasons: First, it discusses instructional methods and techniques for solving stoichiometric problems several of which are not normally taught in schools. Second, it discusses a topic which I will be teaching in chemistry in the next month. It appeared to fit nicely into both areas of interest.

Lavoie, D. (1995). Harness television power to improve problem solving and conceptual understanding in your biology classroom. The American Biology Teacher, 57, 402-407. (Ellen Dickinson)
I don't watch or own a TV; in fact, I am basically opposed to watching TV and the passivity I believe it induces. I realize, however, that I will be teaching students in whose lives TV plays an important part. I chose this article because I need to start informing myself about how I can use TV as a positive teaching tool. Dr. Lavoie has given me a lot of wonderful ideas of how to use certain TV programs and films to help students think critically and problem solve in a cooperative situation.

Markham, K., Mintzes, J., and Jones, M. (1994). The concept map as a research and evaluation tool: Further evidence of validity. JRST, January. (Christina Parks)
I chose this article because I have wondered what the concept maps that my son has been doing for school were considered useful for. It is a method that I have never used.
The tool of concept mapping has been used for about twenty years in diagnostics and testing at all levels and instructional designs. and more recently, as a metacognitive aid helping students "learn how to learn." It is used in studying cognitive structure and conceptual change. It clearly measures a different type of knowledge than multiple choice tests.
According to this research report, there has been considerable previous research about concept maps, and this study confirms that fact that concept maps are considered "theoretically powerful and psychometrically sound tools for assessing conceptual change." Since there has been so much previous research on concept mapping, the results could have been predicted. It was helpful to me because of the background information provided and the multiple used of concept mapping mentioned.

Wandersee, J. (1988). The terminology problem in biology education: A reconnaissance. American Biology Teacher, February. (Lisa Jeans).
I chose this particular article because of its applicability to a variety of subjects, as well as the process of learning in general. The article makes the distinction between meaningful learning, that is the process of relating new information in a non-arbitrary way to concepts the learner already understands, and rote learning, that is when no conscious effort is made to do the former. While the host of terminology in a biology class curriculum can exacerbate the tendency toward rote learning, a non-meaningful approach to teaching occurs in all subject matter, in all levels of education.

Watson, R., Prieto, T., and Dillon, J. (1995). The effect of practical work on students' understanding of combustion. JRST, 32(5), 487-502. (Angela Valinski)
I chose this article because it was the most directly related to chemistry. It also gave me practical information that I felt would be useful in my upcoming teaching experiences.

Woodward, J. (1994). Effects of curriculum discourse style of eighth graders' recall and problem solving in earth science. The Elementary School Journal, 94(3), 299-314. (Arthur Franz)
This paper reinforced what most people have intuitively guessed -- that kids learn more and retain that learning when the material is organized and presented to show relationships between fundamental principles (of science) and earth science processes.

Orion, N. and Hofstein, A. (1994). Factors that influence learning during a scientific field trip in a natural environment. JRST, December. (Sylvia Shepard Cooley)
Since I would like to use field trips as a teacher, myself, in order to incorporate a hands-on method in my classroom, I thought this article that looked at the effectiveness of field trips would be helpful for me to read. The authors had used many ways of presenting their findings with a large discussion section, so I thought that might indicate that I could learn a lot from their findings. Since they mentioned a new term in the abstract called Novelty space, this intrigued me to find out more.

Ford, S. (1994) Animal use case studies. AOL Teacher's Resources, July 19, 1994. (Rob Wolfe)
I chose this article because if focuses on a very controversial issue that we as science teachers face. The concept of using animals for research and teaching purposes in education is not acceptable by some people. There have even been some court cases in which students refused to dissect animals for a course. This article points our various concepts that can be used to help students and parents understand the importance of animal use for educational, research, and medicinal purposes.

Baird, Prather, Finson, and Oliver (1994). Comparison of perceptions among rural versus non-rural secondary teachers: A multi-state survey. Science education, 78(6), 555-576. (Kevin Drozdowski)
I teachers felt were needed in the classroom compared to what I believe should be needed in the classroom. Out of three of my main goals, two were listed in this article as top on the list. Those were to motivate students to want to learn science, and increased use of computers in the classroom. My other goal was to make students more environmentally conscious. It was not on the top of the list, but was in the top 20.

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Developed by students in EDUC 512: Teaching Science in the Middle and High School, Fall, 1996

Hudgins, Bryce B., et al. (1994). Teaching Self-Direction to Enhance Children's Thinking in Physical Science. Journal Of Educational Research, 88(1), 15-27. (Larry Diamond)
I chose the second article, Hudgins, et al.(1994). This article was most appropriate to my subject matter and was easiest to understand, follow, and overall was presented the most clearly. It also had an interesting angle on what it means to enhance or promote critical thinking in students. Lastly, the age group of students that the study focused on was most pertinent to me.

Exams as learning experiences for students and teachers By William J. Leonard and William J. Gerace, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Paper presented at the AAPT 1994 summer meeting, available on the WWW at: HTTP://www- perg.phast.umass.edu/papers/ExamLearning/ExamLearning.html (Aaron Kropf)
The PERG group at UMass has written several excellent papers on teaching techniques, many of which are available on the WWW. In this paper, the authors describe their methods for designing exam questions for use in Physics classes at the university level. They describe two techniques that are intended to engage students in analysis that is intended to "reorganize their knowledge structures." They call these techniques "Extended Context" and "Compare and Contrast with Explanation." The authors do an excellent job of first presenting the theory, then giving examples, and finally summarizing their practice in language that can be applied by other teachers. I highly recommend this paper to any teacher who will have to make up their own exams, and that includes everybody in this class.

Bol, L. & Strage, A. 1996. The contradiction between teachers' instructional goals and their assessment practices in high school biology courses. Science Education, 80(2), 145-163. (Emily Case)
I chose #4, on assessment, because I think it is a very important and often overlooked topic. Assessment seems to be the last thing to change in reform. The research was thorough and instructive.

Johnston, J. and Johnston, L. (1996). Technology: Bringing our present and future into the classroom. Schools in the middle -- Theory into practice, Feb-Mar. (Beth Pelland)
This article deals with the fact that teachers and students are surrounded with technology everywhere that we turn -- from bank machines to home computers to cellular phones. By leaving our classrooms in the "dark ages," using pencils, paper, and lectures, we are cheating our students and telling them that education is stagnant. According to the article, there are four ways that we can use technology in our classrooms: as a separate object, as a surrogate teacher, as an instructional tool, and as a catalyst for transforming the learning process. Until we integrate all four of these methods across our curriculums and into our teaching methods, we will be cheating our students of a 21st century education.

Taber, K. (1996). The secret life of the chemical bond: Students' anthropomorphic and animistic references to bonding. International journal of science education, July-August. (Heather Wages)
I chose this article because more so than others is presented dialogue to support the argument that students knowingly use animistic metaphors to explain chemical phenomena. It also provided an excellent look at supporting and disagreeing literature to familiarize the reader with viewpoints and research to date. Finally, it represented ideas and plan for future research, giving the reader an idea of the global goals of the project.

Amir, R. and Tamir, P. (1994). In-depth analysis of misconceptions as a basis for developing research-based remedial instruction: The case of photosynthesis. The American biology teacher, 56(2), 94-100. (Christine Densmore)
This article described a method of using written tests to identify students' misconceptions and creating remedial materials to address them. The tests consisted of multiple choice plus justification questions, open-ended questions and proposition generating tasks. The tests were evaluated, specific misconceptions identified and activities developed which challenged these misconceptions. I found the article to be particularly relevant because the examples used were pertaining to photosynthesis, which is a topic I will be teaching.

Strauss, R. and Kinzie, M. (1994). Student achievement and attitudes in a pilot study comparing an interactive videodisk simulation to conventional dissection. The American biology teacher, October. (Ron St. Amand)
The article that I read was something that I found on the Internet about an interactive computer frog dissection that is available on WWW. When the article was written, a videodisk version of the dissection was the only one available. The authors have a new research article coming out specifically pertaining to the WWW version. The reason I selected this article over the others was because I have always been interested in alternatives to dissection. It is my feeling that dissection has been overused in the pre-college classroom, and I was interested in students' reactions to this alternative.

Brown, Susan. "A Unique Way to Classify Rocks", Science Scope: Journal for Middle and Junior High School Science Teachers. April 1994: 53. (Julie Crouse)
Susan Bown's Journal I chose: all were interesting, but hers was a different approach to a typical method of teaching.

Schodell, M. (1995). The question-driven classroom. The American biology teacher, 57(5), 278-281. (Teresa Jones)
Mr. Schodell offers suggestions to help teachers incorporate the scientific questioning process into the core of their scientific curriculum. By providing several sample scenarios designed to generate student questions, he demonstrates different categories of student responses. Clarification and interpretation questions can be addressed by a teacher immediately, while extension, critical and associative questions provide the intellectual spark for future lesson development. He supports a curriculum driven by re-questioning and re-evaluation, not focused on fact learning and emphasizes that this model is readily incorporated into any classroom. The take-home message is as clear as the anecdote that ends his article: "The moral, that of science, is clear: keep asking."

Jakupcak, J., Rushton, R., Jakupak, M., and Lundt, J. (1996). Inclusive education. The science teacher, 63, 40-43. (Kendra Schlecht)
I chose this article because I am finding that teachers are forced to deal with a numerous array of abilities all in one classroom. I personally am having a difficult time reaching all students and it is for this reason that I am interested in the methods that inclusion classes are trying to implement. After already doing a research paper on inclusion, I am finding that the principle is a good idea, however if teachers and students are not prepared to deal with such diversity in a classroom, nobody will benefit. This article was especially interesting because it deals with science classrooms specifically and I believe that if a classroom is designed to be student based, then perhaps this is when inclusion will "work" for all. I was very interested in the idea that they base such a classroom on three principles: inclusion, inquiry-based learning, and instructional strategies.

Nunley, K. (1996). Going for the goal. The science teacher, Sept. (Jennifer Brodeur)
I chose to look at this article about the layered curriculum because I saw her teaching method in action. I was intrigued by the possibilities her teaching method offered me as a new teacher of science. The other articles appeared interesting but didn't have the immediate usefulness to me as did "Going for the Goal."

Sommer, C. (1996). Where the boys are. Education Week, June. (Erin Mitchell)
I chose this article because I believe that current gender inequity research focuses too much on the female side of the issue. What is severely lacking is the male perspective of gender inequity. This report illustrates that while girls are catching up in math and science, boys are falling further behind in reading and English skills. Often, the very same gender bias teaching practices analyzed while researching girls, are also the reason for boys falling behind, I don't think this issue should be ignored or simply passed off with a "boys will be boys" attitude.

Openshaw, P. and Whittle, S. (1993). Ecological field-teaching: How can it be made more effective? Journal of biological education, 27(1), 58-66. (Cristina Correia)
I chose this research paper because of the relevance of field trips to my subject matter. As a teacher, you would want to maximize learning opportunities during a field trip (especially if they are expensive or far away) and it is important to know how to best achieve this.

Atkins, T. (1991). Protein electrophoresis in the biology classroom using "safe" gels. The American biology teacher, 53(8), 490-95. (Joyce Bowen)
I chose this research report because I am very interested in having hands-on protein assessment, one of which would be via electrophoresis. Knowing how to do this on "safe" gels is important.

Roth, W-M., Woszczyna, C., and Smith, G. (1996). Affordances and constraints of computers in science education. Journal of research in science teaching, 33(9). (Signe Pereira)
I chose this article above the others due to the fact that I was very curious about what research had to say about the use of computers in the classroom. I have several programs that I would like to use in my classroom someday and I wanted to see what the implications would be. The research concluded that computers in the classroom were a good secondary resource but not a primary one. I found the reading useful in that it brought forth issues that I will need to address before I bring any computer program in the future. This includes content, user friendliness, and interaction.

Carr, V. (1996). Community service learning: A vital component to the science classroom. Education development, Fall. (Keira Ossowski)
I found a great article on the Internet that related the use of community service learning to the learning of abstract scientific concepts in secondary education classrooms. This article really used good examples to illustrate the importance of connecting the difficult science processes to things in the real world by using hands-on learning. It is a very interesting article for those looking at new and innovative ways to teach science.

Haggerty, S. (1995). Gender and Teacher Development: Issues of Power and Culture. International Journal of Science Education. (Alan Rumsey)
I chose this article because it continues from where we finished in class, and seeks to address gender issues to make science more accessible to girls and women, which to my mind is very important. I was especially intrigued to be reminded that "Science has been constructed primarily by men and embodies an intrinsically masculine world view." Unfortunately, Ms. Haggerty lays out her arguments from the polar extreme of what she is railing against; and thus to my mind, undermines her position with the question of bias. She documents an action research project involving student teachers, which could have made important statements on gender and science teaching.

Educating females in US Schools. Education digest, 62, p. 14 (1996). (Emily Lueck)
I found this article to be very helpful and interesting because it not only discusses national and local research done on gender differences in education, but it also explained in depth many methods for teaching in a more gender equitable way.

Lavoie, D. (1995). Harness TV power to improve problem solving and conceptual understanding in your biology classroom. The American biology teacher, 57. (Eric Furlong)
I chose to read this article because it dealt with using technology in the classroom. I feel that this is becoming a more and more relevant issue, and I was interested in finding some ideas on the subject.

Framan, R. (1996). Student teachers' use of analogies in science instruction. International journal of science education, 18(7), 869-880. (Doug Smith)
I chose to review this article because it focused on student teachers, and I have previously researched the use of analogies in the instruction of science. The aim of the study was to investigate whether, when, why, and how student teachers use analogies to help them explain scientific principles. The study found that student teachers do use them almost as much as experienced teachers. The student teachers feel that the analogies they use are effective, but they give no consideration to the problematic nature of analogies.

Cooney, T. et. al. (1996). The demands of alternative assessment: What teachers say. The mathematics teacher, 89(6), 484-488. (Aaron Mathieu)
I focused on this paper since it was the focus of our upcoming class. I have found that the difficulties which face math classes also occur quite frequently in physics and chemistry classes. For this reason, I found Cooney's work particularly applicable to my physics classroom at Greenfield HS. Although I found the article particularly strong in its discussion of the challenges of alternative assessment, I feel that the article does not discuss a wide variety of alternative assessment methods. Although it is always good to hear the opinions of other teachers when discussing new methods, I would have preferred more depth into what those teachers methods were for alternative assessment.

School yards and nature trails: ecology education outside the university trends in ecology and evolution. by Peinsinger, Margutti and Ouido. Journal of educational Psychology. March 1997. pp. 115-120; vol 12. (Jodi Stevens)

This article shows a model of ecology education that has been successful in many S. American areas. It is a way of translating the complicated ecological theories and facts into concepts and language that school age children can understand. That way, the most essential values of ecology can begin to be appreciated in elementary and middle school. Mostly this includes direct, hands-on exploration of plants, animals and their interactions and human impacts. The learning is all very active. The article provides basic examples of hands-on guided inquiry activities that can be used for almost any grade level. The article also includes some guidelines for asking good questions.

Scruggs, T.E., Mastropieri, M.A., Bakker, J.P. & Brigham, F.J. (1993). Reading versus doing: the relative effects of textbook based and inquiry oriented approaches to science learning in special education classrooms. The Journal of Special Education, 27, Pages 1-15. (Angelica Costas)
I chose this article over the others because the topic and the type of research used interested me. This article also attracted me because the subjects had learning disabilities.
Students with learning disabilities in four special education classrooms studied two science units using either an activity based, inquiry oriented approach or a textbook approach. The investigation was conducted over a two week period and employed a counterbalanced, within subjects design, in which all students received both treatments. Students performed significantly higher on immediate and delayed unit tests when they had learned by the inquiry oriented approach, although vocabulary acquisition was limited in both conditions. Students also reported overwhelming preference for activity based learning over the textbook approaches.
The study of learning disabled students and science is an area that the authors feel needs more research and focus. The results from this study suggested that students with learning disabilities may prefer and learn more efficiently with hands on science materials and that inquiry oriented methods can be effective with special populations.

Strauss, R. & Kinzie, M. (1991). Hi-Tech Alternatives to Dissection. The American Biology Teacher, 53(3), 154-158. (Michelle Ott)
The following is the article I chose and I chose it above the others because I was curious to see the results that came about from a study of hands-on dissection versus an interactive videodisk approach. Obviously these days there is a growing concern for alternatives to hands-on dissection and this article examines one such alternative and presents results from a comparison study between the two. This study was designed to compare the level of learning and retention of the frog's anatomy between students who used the Interactive Frog Dissection and those students who actually performed the dissection themselves. Student's attitudes and impressions were also recorded.

Bol, Linda and Strage, Amy (1996). "The Contradiction Between Teachers' Instructional Goals and Their Assessment Practices in High School Biology Classes," Science Education, 80(2):145-163. (Jolene Crook) (Also reviewed by Kathleen Hoinacki Giorgi)
I chose this article because it seemed to be an interesting complement to all of the reading we have been doing regarding the MA Frameworks and the national standards. Additionally, the content of this article will have significance for each of us as we begin our teaching careers.
The authors interviewed 10 high school biology teachers with varying years of experience to determine their instructional goals. Next they collected all of the test and practice items used by these teachers to see how well these materials met the stated goals of the teachers.
The teachers generally expressed admirable goals for their students and were consistent with the goals expressed in the Frameworks. Goals included: promoting critical thinking, problem solving, and other kinds of higher level thinking students can use regardless of whether or not they continue with their science education. When the assessment practices of these teachers were examined however, it was discovered that they focused on lower level thinking and knowledge. When teachers were shown this contradiction, they were surprised.
The significance of the study was to show the contradiction between the goals teachers may have for their students and the ultimate assessment techniques utilized by teachers. The study also illustrated that teachers are not generally aware that this contradiction exists. My feeling is that this is an issue we, as future teachers, will need to be aware of and be able to address in our classrooms.

He, F. and Li, X. The periodic building of the elements: Can the periodic table be transformed into stereo? Journal of Chemical Education Vol 74, No 7. July 1997 (Claire Huttlinger)
The authors have found a way to represent the periodic table of the elements as a three dimensional model that any student can construct out of paper. There is an octagonal tower containing the main group elements, each period having its own column, or side of the tower. Then there is an oblong box showing the transition elements. An annex to the box contains the Lanthanids and Actinides. According to the authors, there is a university campus somewhere with a building made with the same design.
The two-page article describes in detail the directions for creating the model. This three-dimensional model would make discussion of the periodic table much easier, especially for tactile-visual learners.
This article tied with the Chem-is-tree article described below as the most useful of the articles I reviewed. As a person who fumbles repeatedly with the use of the periodic table, I am happy to see a new way of looking at it. The periodic table is an important part of the basics of chemistry, but I have seen very little innovation in terms of making it more accessible to young students.

Title: Using Video Production in Teaching Natural History
Author: Linda S. Fink
Journal: The American Biology Teacher
Date: March 1997 (Jennifer Gutzman)
I chose this article to be my focus above the other articles because I found it to be the most helpful and most interesting as a prospective biology teacher. The article discuses all types of benefits involved in using video production as a tool for laboratory assignments. Just to give you an idea about the article one of the key points brought up about video was the use of video in field work for recording observations. How many times do we wish we could see something over again and rethink our observations? Using video as a tool in the laboratory is a great idea and an excellent teaching method. I think this is an article that anyone who will be working with a lab class should be required to read.

Harrison, A.G., and D.F. Treagust (1996). "Secondary Students' Mental Models of Atoms and Molecules: Implications for teaching chemistry." Science Education 80(5): 509-534. (Reina Horowitz)
I chose this article because it focuses on an important aspect of teaching chemistry, mental and three dimensional models of atoms and molecules. The authors use a constructivist perspective, emphasizing the active role of learners in the construction of knowledge. When I was teaching last week at my on-site microteaching alternative, I was hesitant to get into representations of atoms; now I feel more prepared to do so in the future. Presented in this paper are the results of a study of 8-10th grade students' perceptions of atoms and molecules. Through interviews with these students, the authors investigated the reasoning behind certain views of atoms and molecules. Some common misconceptions found were that atoms can be seen; atoms are alive like cells; electron shells are protective and hard like sea shells; electron clouds are like dust or rain clouds; and that the relationship between nuclear diameter and atomic diameter is small. Many students in this age group mistake models for reality, with a significant number beginning to differentiate between the two.
The authors emphasize the importance of analogical models, not just in chemistry; the use of multiple models can lead to a more sophisticated understanding of science. Teachers can take steps to prevent students from drawing their own conclusions about them. It is important to share with students the valid and invalid features of the model, and where the analogy breaks down. Terms commonly used in science, including nucleus, cloud, and shell, should be redefined for the chemistry context.

Ebenezer, J.V. and Zoller, U. (1993). Grade 10 Students' Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Science Teaching and School Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30(2), 175-186. (Nicole Guttenberg)
I choose this paper over the others because it was a study designed specifically to analyze students' perceptions of classroom practices and activities including their attitudes toward science teaching and school science. The results indicated that having students read from textbooks and then answer questions, having them memorize rather than understand, and having them take note after note after note was not going to influence a student to enjoy or even understand the importance of biology. Keeping students involved in the lesson, through participation, activities, discussions, giving assignments where students have choices are all not too difficult alternatives for teachers to use. I felt this to be an important article that we could all benefit from.

Adams, P.E., & Krockover, G.H. (1997). Concerns and Perceptions of Beginning Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers. Science Education, 81, 29-50. (Drue Johnson)
I initially hesitated over my choice, since the sample size the research used was extraordinarily small (11). However, the topic was certainly interesting, and became more so as I delved into the article. The researchers related the 'concerns and perceptions' of these beginning science and math teachers to the program which had prepared them to teach, as well as to other studies which more extensively detail beginning teacher concerns. A few specifics: teaching courses outside subject areas; curriculum development; time management; classroom management/discipline. Teacher assignments were made either out of respect for apparent capabilities, in which case they were expected to be the agents of change at the school, or as 'leftovers', after all the teachers with longer tenure had made their own choices. With respect to their preparation programs, beginning teachers expressed concern that content courses had been overly specific, and thus had not prepared them to teach at the middle/high school level. Several identified limited usefulness of their pedagogical coursework, for the most part finding it too theoretical, needing more teaching/classroom experience to apply and understand the concepts, as well as the daily life of a teacher. Finally, interestingly, undergraduate TA-ships assisted a few in making the transition to public school teaching, since it had provided experience in an area they would otherwise be complete novices in. The article suggested that teachers with 3-5 years' experience become the change agents at their schools, rather than relying on beginning teachers, who are trying to deal with the many and varied aspects of being a teacher. They also introduce the possibility of developing interdisciplinary science and math courses, both to broaden the teachers' knowledge base and to explore the sciences at the level they will be teaching.

Letts, William J. IV, Bailey, Bambi L., and Scanlebury, Kathryn. (1997). Preparing science teachers in an era of reform: practitioners' perspectives of methods courses. School Science and Mathematics, 97(4), 192-198. (Meg Gurley)
I chose this article because it looks into whether or not our education and preparation needs to change with the recent reforms in how we will teach science. It is a small study of 31 inservice secondary science teachers, (the authors point out the need for further investigation due in part to this small sample). What they found was that those surveyed felt that, although there has been major changes in the way we are to teach science, student teachers should still be taught the basics (lab safety, lab work, curricula planning etc.). I am interested to see whether or not this article generates further studies. The sample was small and the teachers who were surveyed had many years experience. It would be interesting to sample teachers with less than 5 years experience to see what they feel is necessary for the student teacher to learn.

Linda Bol, Amy Strange The Contradiction between Teachers' Instructional Goals and Their Assessment Practices in High School Biology Courses, Science Education 80(2): 145-163 (1996) (Margaret Rhoads)
This article focuses on the deviation between teachers goals for their courses and their forms of assessment. Most teachers have a goal of enabling students to become critical thinkers in science issues. However most science classes do not test students or force the students to learn these abilities.
Bol and Strange did a case study of teachers in northern California. Their questions were: 1. What were the teachers achievement goals for their students, 2. What study skills did the teachers think the students needed to learn, 3. What items were found on the tests and practice materials, 4. Had the students seen the item on the test beforehand, 5. Are the teachers tests and practice materials consistent with the teachers goals.
They found large deviations between what the teachers goals and expectations were and what they actually tested the students on. Only 5% tested and 4% used practice materials that emphasized the cognitive extension of the material learned.
Bol and Strange suggest that one reason teachers tests and goal may deviate is due to "students' pressure on teachers to assign only simple tasks that minimize the risk of potential failure."
Largely teachers were unaware of the deviations from their goals. Bol and Strange suggest the use of figure 2 in this paper to classify questions on their test so as to be aware of how they are assessing their students.

Orion, N., Hofstein, A., Tamir, P., Giddings, Geoffrey, G.J. (1997). Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing the Learning Environment of Outdoor Science Activities. Science Education, 81, 161-170. (Johanna Rodrigues)
This article addresses outdoor education and "field trips" as a part of science curriculum. The authors introduce an inventory to evaluate the learning environment of field trips and other informal settings. Their research revealed that these types of educational experiences are most effective when: there is comprehensive preparation of the students, there are investigative rather than confirmatory activities, the activities produce hands-on, active learning experiences. In addition, the paper is intended to "encourage researched-based evidence with a more comprehensive perspective" which will, in turn, justify the efforts of implementing outdoor science activities. I chose this article over the others because of my experience working in informal science environments and my interest in building these kinds of experiences into my curriculum and encouraging other teachers to do the same.

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing the Learning Environment of Outdoor Science Activities
Nir Orion, Avi Hofstein, Pinchas Tamir, and Geoffrey Giddings
Science Education vol 18 # 2 April 1997 (Daniel Moore)
This study took place in Israel with the purpose of making an testing an instrument to tell how well an outdoor environment served as an educational facility for outdoor learning experiences. The study was conducted on 643 students within 28 classes at 18 urban high schools in Israel. Classes were held in Biology, Chem. and Earth Science. This instrument was used to test the results of the learning accomplished by these different classes at different outdoor sights.
The results are as follows: Biology and Earth Science both went to sights where students could be involved with investigations and there was a sense of interactiveness. At these types of sight learning was considered to be very successful. The Chem classes went to and industrial sight were mot of the field trip was passive listening to someone from the site and was not very interactive at all. They found that the level of learning at these types of sights was much lower than sights where students could interact and investigate. Also The study summarizes the need for good pre trip preparation to let the students know what appropriate behavior is to help make the trip a learning experience.
Overall, I thought it was and interesting article given the idea of focusing on how useful field trips are in the learning process. It tends to follow the general flow of constructivist learning that investigative and interactive methods of learning are better than passive listening. I do not feel that the paper really held strictly to its title and purposes. The paper leans more toward The Use of an Instrument to Test the Capabilities of Field trip Sights as Learning Environments. there was next to no Validation of this tool they had used. they never showed any statistical validation that the results they found held any power.

Musical Motivation, Michael Grote, The Science Teacher, February 1997, Vol. 64 No. 2 (Pam Lathan)

This article was about different studies that were done that incorporated music into the classroom and how that music effected the students learning. Particular types of music, Mozart for example, were found to increase a persons spatial reasoning. Other types of music could provide connection to other areas of the students lives. For example some pop musicians include science in their lyrics, i.e., REM mentions Newton and Darwin in their song "Man on the Moon". The Indigo Girls did a song entitled "Galileo". These songs could be played as the introduction to a unit. There are CD's available with songs about science that can be found at conventions or the teacher can make tapes of their own to enhance a particular topic of learning. The overall theme is that students tend to remember information better when it is attached to music.

Teacher Questioning in an Open Inquiry Learning Environment: Interactions of Context, Content, and Student Responses", Michael Roth Wolff. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. September 1996, pg. 709-736. (Jennifer Lambert)
This article was appealing to me because it addressed the many dynamics of effective questioning and inquiry techniques used in classrooms. Teacher questioning techniques are such an important part of the role of the teacher in guiding the students to achieving their own learning experiences. This article deals with very practical and applicable research regarding classroom settings, inquiry design, appropriate questioning for various learning styles and processing and questioning sequencing and context to illicit the best learning from the student.

The Dynamic Physics Virtual Learning Environment by Robert M. Dimeo and Paul E. Sokol in "The Physics Teacher" Vol 35, Feb 1997, p84 (Kerry Ouellette)
This paper focuses on the virtual learning environment (VLE) that was created at Penn State for a mechanics course called "Dynamic Physics". According to this paper, "the VLE can be defined as a graphical user interface on a computer that facilitates the use of computer tools (software or hardware) for solving problems." In order to create this interface, the authors used the Netscape Navigator. By linking together several different pieces of software, a network was created that gave students access to tools used by practicing physicists. Students can then be presented with real world problems and solve these problems as a physicist would. This system also links students to other classmates, teachers, and resources. This paper shows how VLE can be used to bring real world situations into a classroom to help create a student based learning environment.
I chose this paper over the others because I felt it could be useful to any teacher, regardless of subject or grade level, as long as they wanted to incorporate computers into the daily classroom activity. I see this as being very appropriate in the near future as schools are getting more computers and Internet connections.

Mayoh, K., & Knutton, S.(1997). Using Out of School Experiences in Science Lessons: Reality or Rhetoric? International Journal of Science Education, 19(7), 849-867. (Judi Meek)
I chose this article because it was the most relevant for what we are currently working on in methods class. This article emphasizes the importance of students' relating the scientific concepts to out of school experiences and letting them talk about them. When it is only the teacher that gives examples, the teacher is holding all the power. Even though it is a given that these relationships should be established, the study showed that this does not happen very often. Another problem with the teacher providing the examples is that the teacher may not know what the experiences of the students have been, so a seemingly relevant experience may not be for many students.

Balcombe, Jonathan. (1997). Student/Teacher Conflict Regarding Animal Dissection. "The American Biology Teacher" Vol 59. No. 1 pg. 22-25. (Karen Cuthbert)
This article dealt with methods of testing student perceptions of biology labs. The researchers found that student cohesiveness, integration of material in the lecture, a set of clearly defined rules, and well-equipped facilities were the most important factors in increasing student attitude. These things did not seem to have as strong an impact on increasing student grades or their ability to carry out the technical aspects of the lab. However, proper integration of lab work into the material did seem to play a role in increasing student achievement.

Duveen, J. & J. Solomon (May 1994). The Great Evolution Trail: Use of Role Playing in the Classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31(5), 575-82. (David Asermely)
This particular article provided some of the rationale behind the pedagogic and scientific reasoning of classroom role-playing. It also provides tentative findings regarding learning from role playing. The topic of this particular debate was Darwin's publication of "The Origin of Species".

Maor, D. and Fraser, B. (1996). Use of classroom environment perceptions in evaluating inquiry-based computer-assisted learning. International journal of science education, 18(4), 401-421. (Gloria Witkus)
This study involves an attempt to promote inquiry skills by using a computerized database within an inquiry-oriented teaching approach. The data base was Birds of Antarctica.

Piburn, M. (1990). Teachers' perceptions of the effects of a scientific literacy course on subsequent learning in biology. The American Biology Teacher, 50(3), 240-257. (Rachel Bonkovsky)
I chose this article for its very objective and scientific qualities. I wanted information on the topic (writing as a tool for learning science) and all of the articles supplied some form of this. However, this was the one article that studied the effect of writing/reading on students' science learning in a very scientific way. Essentially an experiment was set up and performed, data was collected and finally analyzed. I liked the format of the paper and found it very useful. The results and analysis not only made sense but also pushed a little further than many of the other articles by looking at differences among differently "tracked" students ... very interesting!

Volkmann, M. (1996). The nuts and bolts of chemistry. The Science Teacher, January. (Robin Ann Esteb).
I found this article last year and tried this activity in my chemistry class. It was a very effective method using different sizes of nuts and bolts to help students understand how the periodic table is organized according to chemical and physical properties of elements.

Erzberger, A., Fottrell, S., Hiebert, L., Merrill, T., Rappleyea, A., Weinmann, L., and Woosnam, T. (1996). A framework for physics projects.. The Physics Teachers, January. (Michael Wadness).
This paper describes a cooperative learning project in which students design and build an accelerometer. The lesson is divided into seven sections. They are: introduce the activity, brainstorm ideas, design a rubric, write a proposal, build it, use it, present it, evaluate it, reflect on the project and revise, build, and resubmit. The research group found that the method of problem solving worked well for the students and that the students were able to uncover and conquer their misconceptions, "while making physics hands-on."

Adams, P. and Krockover, G. (1997). The concerns and perceptions of beginning secondary science and mathematics teachers. Science education, January. (Jennifer O'Sullivan)
I chose this article because it addresses current concerns of my own and of my fellow classmates. It helps to get feedback from other individuals who are experiencing similar challenges. The article investigates many concerns of beginning teachers. It also questions students if they felt well enough prepared from their education for their teaching careers.

Lumpe, A. T. and J. R. Staver. (1995). Peer Collaboration and Concept Development: Learning about Photosynthesis. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(1), pp. 71-98. (Amy Ptak) The article that I chose to explore was Lumpe & Staver (1995). The authors looked at the effect of peer collaborative groups on learning. Cooperative learning is being used more often, but is it being used effectively? This research recommends that students work in groups to help them overcome their misconceptions and that they have consonant and dissonant interactions to aid this process. They also suggest that a combination of managerial roles (recorder and material finder) and cognitive roles (skeptic and executive) be used within the groups. Lumpe & Staver (1995) also examined whether the ideas developed by a group were internalized by all the members of that group. This article contains "food for thought" for those who are thinking about using cooperative learning in the classroom.

"Enabling the Learning Disabled; Teaching Strategies for Challenged Students," by Carrie Wehmann Williams and Paul Hounshell The Science Teacher, vol. 65, number 1, 1/1998. (Susan Lincoln)

This article points out the lack of research in the literature regarding science education and the learning-disabled student. The authors recommend strategies for student success including keeping assignment journals, using mnemonics to remember vocabulary, providing support for risk-taking, and use of computers. In addition, they provide suggestions for organization, reading success, simplification of assignments and labs, and rubrics. Their recommended goal is to build confidence in these students. 10/25

Chiappetta, E.L., & Fillman, D.A. (1998). Clarifying the place of essential topics and unifying principles in high school biology, School Science and Mathematics, 98, 12-18. (Scott Farrell)

This article discussed the issue of the overwhelming content of high school biology courses and how to reform current curriculum to better serve the students. The researchers state that historically high school biology courses covered too much subject matter leading to a lack of quality inquiry based learning and a reliance on the textbook (which generally has a overabundance of information) for guidance in formulating the years curriculum. Participating in the study were seven science supervisors all with science teaching experience who were given a survey regarding biology curriculum. What they discovered in their survey was that the science supervisors choose six areas they felt were most important for study. These areas were broad in content, some of the more specific areas commonly covered in text books were not selected by the supervisors. The supervisors stated that "it is the broad conceptual concepts that should be the focus of biology courses". The results of the study indicate that biology courses should focus more on the big picture, that teachers should present more general principles in smaller numbers. Specific concepts would be used within these six areas to help develop themes and show relatedness between topics. From these concepts students can build further knowledge. The following are the six areas selected by the supervisors: Characteristics of Life Cells Gene Technology Human Genetics Evolution Ecosystem Dynamics

van Zee, E.H. & Minstrell,J. (1997) Reflective discourse: developing shared understanding in a physics classroom. International Journal of Science Education, 19(2),209-228 (Amanda Rappold)

This article looks at Minstrell's classroom and how he uses discussion as a learning tool. The children are asked to decide what would happen to the weight of an object in a bell jar if the air was evacuated. A discussion procedes from this initial set up. A list of his communicative techniques follows. Among them are: following the student's lead in thinking, using reflective questioning, invoking silence to foster student thinking, acknowledging and encouraging students as conversational partners, and responding with neutral restatements of the preceding student utterances. This article is exemplary of student centered teaching.

Why I chose this article: (like Tyler? mentioned in class) I also am interested in fostering controlled debate...this article helps me to know why it is a good idea and how to go about implementing it...it's also from my favorite journal. The article I chose was about conflict resolution informing science teaching. The article states that it is the conflicts within the sciences, the lure of the unresolved, that attracts professionals to the field yet this aspect is missing from science education....even at the university level. The job of the teacher is to find ways to invite students into the common ground of inquiry even to illunminate those conflicts that capture the imagination of professionals active in the field. In this way, students feel that science is accessible rather than a set of rigid facts made by brighter people than they are. Two ways to do this are to: Encourage students to examine the historical development of scientific theories. To take the point of resolution (what scientists now know) and work backward to descover and anlyze the process that brought us to the current state. (one way to do this might be a timeline) This accomplishes several goals: -Students recognize the evolving nature of knowledge -They realize that knowledge carries with it the social climate from which it emerged -They recognize how "human" the scientific process is. -Engages students in the types of debates that professional scientists engage in.

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