Abstract We set out to understand how different instantiations of inquiry emerged in two years one elementary teacher's classroom. Longitudinal observations from Mrs. Charles' 5th grade science classroom forced us carefully and deliberately consider who exactly was responsible for the change class activities norms. provide empirical evidence show a focus on teacher can easily overlook complex dynamics The data reveal that students had substantive generative role class's arrival at scientific...

At the close of Society for Advancement Biology Education Research conference in July 2012, one organizers made comment: "Misconceptions are so yesterday." Within community learning sciences, misconceptions yesterday's news, because term has been aligned with eradication and/or replacement conceptions, and our knowledge about how people learn progressed past this idea. This essay provides an overview discussion within sciences surrounding "misconceptions" education community's thinking...

Biology majors often take introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses during their first two years of college. The various sometimes conflicting discourse about explanations matter energy in these may contribute to confusion alternative conceptions (those that differ from scientific consensus) biology learners. An important area education research—students' conceptions—has produced a lengthy list related students' understanding flow through biological systems processes such as...

Threshold concepts have been referred to as “jewels in the curriculum”: that are key competency a discipline but not taught explicitly. In biology, researchers proposed idea of threshold include such topics variation, randomness, uncertainty, and scale. this essay, we explore how notion can be used alongside other frameworks meant guide instructional curricular decisions, examine concept variation it might influence students’ understanding core biology focused on genetics evolution. Using...

In this study, we used targeted active-learning activities to help students improve their ways of reasoning about carbon flow in ecosystems. The results a validated ecology conceptual inventory (diagnostic question clusters [DQCs]) provided us with information students' understanding and transformation inorganic organic carbon-containing compounds biological systems. These helped identify specific exercises that would be responsive existing knowledge. effects the interventions were then...

Using a design-based research approach, we developed data-rich problem (DRP) set to improve student understanding of cellular respiration at the ecosystem level. The tasks engage students in data analysis develop biological explanations. Several and their implementation are described. Quantitative results suggest that from experimental class who participated DRP showed significant gains on posttest items, control non-DRP task no gains. Qualitative interviews written responses progressed...

Teachers know that educational experiences extend far beyond the classroom. With a wide variety of science-related programs on television, there is need for more research into how these can be utilized in classroom setting. In this mixed-methods study, we asked question: Can student understanding human physiology improved through use multimedia resources, specifically popular television? Episodes Fox's medical drama "House, M.D." were incorporated high school biology curricula during...

We used a design-based research approach to develop “data-rich problem” (DRP) tasks intended support middle and high school students in constructing knowledge about food webs ecosystem dynamics, specifically the effects of species loss. The marine environment is for context promote an understanding interdependent ecological relationships nonlinear sustaining loss species. Food Web DRP we describe are designed classroom implementation alignment with Next Generation Science Standards. time...