Science education


Journal articles about Science education

The latest ten articles from our journals on this subject.

Asri Parkinson, Jude Doyle, Bronwen Cowie, Kathrin Otrel-Cass and Ted Glynn
set 2011: no. 1
3

When their funds of knowledge and experiences from home and the community are connected to their school learning, students' learning is supported. In this study teachers used "home learning books" to invite contributions from home into science teaching and learning in the classroom. The flow of knowledge between home and school engaged students and whānau and enriched the science learning.

Kayte Edwards
Early Childhood Folio Vol. 15 No. 1 (2011)
7

This article draws on recent research into early childhood teachers’ views on how they support children’s scientific learning. It identifies four strategies teachers used to increase their scientific knowledge base—learning from parents and children, learning from other teachers, learning with children and learning from outside sources such as books or the Web.

Rosemary Hipkins
set 2011: no. 3
3

This article draws on several reviews that have documented known challenges for students when learning to use graphs in science contexts. It then illustrates these challenges with examples drawn from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research’s recently developed test series, Science: Thinking with Evidence.

Kathrin Otrel-Cass, Bronwen Cowie and Elaine Khoo
set 2011: no. 3
26

This project explored how ICTs in primary classrooms can enhance the teaching and learning of the practical and theoretical aspects of science. By building on teacher and Years 7/8 student prior knowledge and experiences with ICTs, the authors investigated how ICT use can structure activities that would offer enhanced opportunities for students to actively participate in science. The project generated examples of how ICTs can support ways of exploring and communicating science, and evaluating what has been learnt.

Michael Johnston
Assessment Matters 2 : 2010
158

The Premier New Zealand Scholarship, awarded annually to students performing at a high level in multiple secondary school subjects, has historically been dominated by students with successful results in mathematics and the sciences. Three possible explanations for this dominance are explored in the present article. The first is that greater numbers of students undertake assessments in combinations of these subjects than in combinations of other subjects.

Iris Duhn with Marina Bachmann and Kate Harris
Early Childhood Folio Vol 14 no.1 (2010)
2

Global issues, such as ecological sustainability, can be difficult topics to address in early childhood education. This article reports on a research project exploring an approach based on the idea of “global citizenship”—where care for self, others and the environment are inextricably intertwined. It gives the perspective of one of the researchers and two teachers from a participating Auckland centre.

Ann Harlow and Bronwen Cowie
set 2010: no. 1
37

In the last 10 years subsidised laptops have been rolled out to classes at all levels and ICT has become more common in the classroom. How are teachers using ICT to teach junior science and what is supporting them to do this?

Kathrin Otrel-Cass, Bronwen Cowie and Elaine Khoo
set 2010: no. 3
15

Two Years 7/8 teachers planned, implemented and reflected on teaching a unit about erosion and landforms with the support of ICT tools. They used videos, photos, animations and digital microscopes—as well as Internet resources, such as Google Earth and other maps—to help the students work and think like an earth scientist.

Chris Joyce and Rosemary Hipkins
set 2010: no. 2
59

In a recent “Assessment News” we wrote about an impending new series of standardised science tests for Years 7–10. The tests, Science: Thinking with Evidence, have now been published and were launched earlier this year with a series of information afternoons around the country.

Richard Meylan
set 2009: no. 2
25

Science and technology are so central to our 21st century lives that few would dispute their importance in the school curriculum. They underpin many jobs, inform challenging issues facing us as a society and are a source of fascination and entertainment.

So what is the implication of this for science education in our schools? How do we evolve the teaching of science to best meet the needs of students?

Books and CDs about Science education

CHANGING TRAJECTORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
$39.95

This monograph is designed to highlight areas of research strength found at The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education. The chosen theme of this volume, “Changing trajectories of teaching and learning”, encompasses the Faculty’s strong research presence in ongoing teacher learning and in raising student achievement, particularly in lower decile schools and in the area of literacy. It also encompasses the Faculty’s role in enhancing teaching and learning through researching quality teacher education and social work education.

2 February 2012
KICK-STARTING THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
$20.24

Nature of Science is the core strand of science in The New Zealand Curriculum. This resource aims to support teachers to understand the different aspects of the Nature of Science and what this might mean in practice. All aspects of this strand are covered: Understanding about science; Investigating in science; Communicating in science; and Participating and contributing. The authors ask a key question, “what might Understanding about science look like in the classroom?” and then go on to suggest many practical activities.

8 June 2010