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Connectedness to nature (C2N) shows a positive relationship with many factors supporting children's health, wellbeing, and development. In addition, C2N has been shown to have a positive relationship with learning about and caring for nature. Despite a long history of outdoor education in early childhood settings in Sweden, C2N is not a concept that early childhood professionals widely use. In this study, we aimed at investigating whether early childhood educators perceived C2N as a valuable idea for their professional efforts. Further, the possible relationship between early science learning and C2N was explored. Specifically, Swedish preschool teachers' view on how natural science teaching as part of the Swedish National Curriculum for Preschool could promote children's connectedness to nature. Teachers from two preschools participated in a connectedness to nature workshop and subsequently reflected on their teaching in a questionnaire and during two follow-up discussions. The data reveals a broad set of content regarding natural science teaching and connectedness to nature in the preschool setting. Results indicate that teachers focus on children's interests, participation, and collaboration in their work with children. Further, results indicate educators perceive their role as someone exploring nature together with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)–based nature of science (NOS) teaching on pre-service science teachers' (PSTs) NOS views. The study is grounded by conceptual change and experiential learning theory. It is also framed by the teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) PCK model. This is an exploratory case study of PSTs' developments during a 14-week course to teach about NOS. Each participant's views of NOS and changes on these views were investigated as a multiple comparative case study. Thirty-nine PSTs participated. Multiple data collection includes open-ended questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, lesson plans, and reflective essays. Questionnaire responses and interview transcriptions were analyzed using the NOS views continuum scale. The remaining data including lesson plans and reflective essays were analyzed using content analysis. According to the analyses, most of the PSTs started the course with naive views about the NOS aspects at the beginning of the study. After attending the PCK-based NOS instruction, almost all of the PSTs dramatically developed their understandings of NOS, and they maintained their informed views a year later. The results of show that PCK-based NOS teaching was very effective and successful for improving PSTs' NOS understandings and maintaining these views in the long term. The findings have the potential to translate as practical advice for teachers, science educators, and future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims at investigating teachers', principals', and school supervisors' views of scientific methods of natural science subjects at public elementary schools. Within a survey research method, the sample of the current study consisted of 135 teachers, 119 principals, and 116 supervisors drawn from public elementary schools in Yogyakarta, and seven regencies in the Central Java Province. The instruments developed by researchers were validated through expert's judgements. Findings showed that the teachers', principals', and school supervisors' views could be used for developing a learning continuum of "natural science" subjects in Grades 1 - 4. This continuum purposing to measure scientific methods of "natural science" subjects was constructed via a blue print of confirmatory tests using convergent and divergent patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a literature review of research journals in science teaching in Latin America and the Caribbean with the aim of identifying, describing and characterizing the main lines of research. The documentary basis is made up of 15 scientific journals and 490 papers that report work in educational research. From the abstracts of the papers it was possible to identify the problems addressed, which were grouped into five dimensions: learning science, teaching science, the science curriculum, science teachers and students of science teaching. The results show that teaching and learning science is the main problem addressed by most studies conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating the knowledge, crafts and traditions of local cultures into the school curriculum is a challenge for teachers and school management teams, who struggle both to integrate this knowledge into the curriculum and to develop teaching strategies to that end. After a year of qualitative fieldwork with schools and communities, this paper offers a pedagogical proposal enabling local knowledge to be taught in natural science classes in accordance with the current curriculum. The results posit five areas of local knowledge that may be matched to much of the content and many of the objectives of the Chilean natural science curriculum and other curriculum documents. This finding helps to revitalize and reevaluate local cultures and also facilitates the teaching process in the natural sciences by encouraging culturally-relevant activities in schools, which invite students to question and further research what they are learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berger and Luckmann's concept of 'social construction' has been widely adopted in many fields of the humanities and social sciences in the half-century since they wrote The Social Construction of Reality. One field in which constructivism was especially provocative was in Science and Technology Studies (STS), where it was expanded beyond the social domain to encompass the practices and contents of contemporary natural science. This essay discusses the relationship between social construction in STS and Berger and Luckmann's original conception of it, and identifies problems that arose from indiscriminate uses of constructivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the Bulgarian students from the international evaluation survey PISA and the opportunities to build core competencies and develop scientific literacy depend largely on legal documentation that determines the educational content and the technology of conducting the learning process. In this respect, the most important are the State Educational Requirements for Educational Content. Therefore, the present study analyses not only the PISA results, but also the correlation between the requirements of PISA and the requirements of the normative documents related to science education in Bulgarian schools. This will contribute to improving the quality of education in science, synchronizing it with the modern requirements and providing opportunities for realization of Bulgarian students on the international labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peer-reviewed and psychometrically validated Test of Scientific Literacy Skills developed by Gormally et al. was used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a general education natural science program. By comparing the scores of students who had already taken at least one course in this area with the scores of those who had not, and by relating scores to students' perceptions of learning about science, a richer understanding of our program has emerged. The ability to focus on particular skill sets and areas of proficiency has allowed us to identify specific areas to target for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new core curriculum for natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics and geography) at lower secondary school level details each topic and the teaching goals involved, defining the generic skills that a lower secondary school graduate should possess. The aim of the lower secondary school leaving examination is, therefore, not only to assess memorisation of specific material but also mastery of more universal skills. The authors of the article advocate the use of test questions that check the skills included in the core curriculum and employ unfamiliar examples. In this way, it should be possible to distinguish between cases in which the student knows the example (remembers the facts), and the one in which they know the principle (have mastered the skill and know how to apply it in different situations). In addition, an analysis of example tasks of this type and the results obtained by students solving them, invites the thesis that embedding a task in an unusual context does not lead to significant increase in its difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concept maps have become a widely used educational tool around the globe. The advancements in computerized interface technologies have enabled even more alternatives for using concept maps in teaching and learning. This study investigates the effects of two different touch technology-based concept mapping interaction modes on students' learning achievements and learning attitudes in a natural science course, as well as their degree of acceptance of using concept maps to learn. Ninety two sixth graders were randomly divided into three groups. Experimental Group One was taught using the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)-based concept mapping approach, Experimental Group Two learned with the touchscreen-based concept mapping approach, while the control group learned with the traditional paper-and-pencil-based concept mapping approach. The experimental results show that, in terms of learning attitudes toward the natural science course and the degree of acceptance of using concept maps to learn, the students were significantly more positive about the two touch technology-based interaction modes than they were about the traditional paper-and-pencil mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the function of the visual syntax of images in Greek primary school textbooks. By using a model for the formal analysis of the visual material, which will allow us to disclose the mechanisms through which meanings are manifested, our aim is to investigate the discursive transition relating to the view of nature and the human-nature relationship between two series of natural science textbooks. The model is applied to a total of 635 pictures; 434 coming from the old series of textbooks introduced in the early 1980s and 201 from the new introduced in 2006. The results show that a) no differences in the codes of the visual representation of nature or human-nature relationship were recorded between the two series of textbooks, b) the environmental rhetoric mediated by the pictorial material of the textbooks appears closer to its lay counterpart than to scientific rhetoric, c) both series of textbooks favor a viewer-picture relation which diverges from the epistemological (subject/object) ideas of the romantic worldview and comes closer to the baroque one that depicts the world as non-linear and disconnected, while gives more freedom to the viewer to proceed to subjective interpretations. Thus, we assert that the baroque approach adopted by both series of textbooks does not aim at the initiation of students to the highly conventionalized ways of expression, and ultimately to the formalized and scientific rhetoric. On the contrary, within a constructionist context, the textbooks' visual mode allows students to equally share power with a quite familiar world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contrapontos is the property of Universidade do Vale do Itajai and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The implementation of Natural Science curricular adjustment requires a different interpretation of science teaching objective, that is, scientific literacy which is to be achieved through the acquisition of scientific contents and the development of scientific thinking skills. The paper analyzes the nature of scientific knowledge recommended in the curriculum - especially know and know how - and their articulation. Following the analysis, there is a proposal of a learning cycle as a guidance criterion to teach Natural Science that may approach both contents and thinking skills from an incremental learning perspective along schooling, in a manner that is suggested by the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the country's attempts to socialize the natural sciences by creating the Escuela Normal Superior de Colombia (Colombian Teachers' College) during the liberal administration of President Alfonso López Pumarejo, which was known as the "Revolution in Progress". It argues the process was aborted with the disappearance of the school, an institution regarded by many historians as a milestone in the country's modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Electrónica de Enseñanza de las Ciencias is the property of Revista Electronica de Ensenanza de las Ciencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The students' interest and attitude towards Physics have been the object of international testing, the most recent of which is the PISA testing from 2006. The students' attitude towards sciences is considered to be a significant predictor of their school results in science, respectively of pursuing a career in areas related to Science. The present paper had in view to discover the existence of convergences or divergences among the attitudes of the students in 8th and 9th grade towards the study of natural sciences and towards the teacher's role in studying for the natural sciences. The obtained results have not rendered evidently the existence of major differences but have allowed for the shaping of a profile for Physics as a school subject, from the interviewees' perspective. Thus, Physics is considered to be a difficult but pleasant and interesting subject, with use for oneself but for others as well. Our investigation has pointed out the fact that the students study too little for Physics at home, but that the Physics teacher is effective in teaching and motivating the students to learn. Although this is a pilot research project, our investigation signals a state of fact that implies reflection, mainly on the Physics curriculum but also on the teaching methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Department of Archaeology was established in 1940 and later often reorganized, merged with other departments or even closed down. The work of the Department was significantly influenced by the state of political affairs in Lithuania. After Lithuania's incorporation into the Soviet Union, the archaeological research as well as training of specialists, faced a rather complicated situation. In 1966 the Department was closed down and the Department of the History of the Lithuania SSR was set up by the then autho-rities in its place. The Department remained closed during the whole soviet period and was re-established in 1990 under the name of Department of Archaeology and Ethnology. In 1993 it was reorganized and renamed as Department of Archaeology and the speciality of archaeology was then initiated. The aim of this article is to offer a review of the activities of the Department since its restoration until the present day. 1990 was the beginning of a new stage of archaeological research and studies at Vilnius University. Soon after its re-establishment, the Department set up a library and in 1999 publication of a periodical scientific publication "Archaeologia Lituana" was launched, with prof. M. Michelbertas as editor in chief. The Department of Archaeology not only participate but also organize scientific events, such as conferences, symposiums, seminars, etc. The first scientific conference, organized by the re-established Department, took place in 1991. Since 1996 the international conference "In honor of Jonas Puzinas" has been organized on a regular basis. Five scientific conferences of this type have been arranged until now. Other scientific activity, which is not less important, is also pursued. One field of such activity includes participation in scientific projects. The Department have participated in and supervised both national and international projects. At present we have two national projects, namely "ARCHEOLITAS - Compilation and Digitalization of the List of Archaeological Lithuanian Sources", headed by assoc. prof. A. Luchtanas and "ARCHAEOLANDSCAPE - the Development of the Landscape According to the Archaeological Data and Natural History", headed by assoc. prof. V. Šimėnas. Assoc. prof. of the Department A. Luchtanas is the research adviser of the international project "The Archaeological - Heritage Preservation Mission in Ghor Province, Afghanistan". The period of two decades witnessed changes in the field of archaeological studies. In 1991 when the two-level system of bachelor and master studies was approved, the Academic Commission of the Board of Vilnius University projected a number of specializations, one of which was archaeology and ethnology. Two years later, in 1993, a sitting of the Senate of Vilnius University approved initiation of the speciality of archaeology. On 1 September that year 10 students were admitted to the first year course of the speciality of archaeology and since then the number of students has increased to 43. In 1993 Vilnius University also launched a postgraduate programme of archaeology. That same year the Department opened the possibility to maintain doctoral dissertations, which was undertaken not only by the staff of the Department, but also archaeologists of other Lithuanian institutions. By now, a total of 25 doctoral dissertations have been maintained. During the working period of the re-established Department the subject courses and study programmes underwent numerous changes and renewals. Since 1996 archaeology students and lecturers take part in the Erasmus Program in a number of European Universities. Students have the possibility to participate in fieldwork practice in archaeological sites of various types and periods. The number of locations for fieldwork practice has increased from two in 1990 to six-seven. They are headed by the Department lecturers who have carried out investigations at important Lithuanian archaeological sites, such as Kernavė (A. Luchtanas, G. Vėlius), Dubingiai Castle site and the old town of Trakai (A. Kuncevičius), Paragaudis barrow cemetery (M. Michelbertas), flint quarry and flint working site at the Titnas lake (E. Šatavičius), Šereitlaukis settlement and Jašiunai burial mounds (V. Šimėnas), Stančiai settlement and Jogučiai burial ground (L. Tamulynas), Benaičiai, Turlojiškės and Meškučiai archaeological complex sites (A. Merkevičius). The Department lecturers often travel to lecture abroad. They have lectured at various European Universities. Besides lecturing, the Department staff have been on scholarships and fellowships in various foreign archaeological institutions, where they also collected archaeological evidence and did research work. In cooperation with archaeological institutions of other countries, the Department invites to deliver lectures to foreign archaeologists: Š. Milišauskas (Buffalo University), V. Lang (Tartu University), A. Vasks (University of Latvia), K. Randsborg (Copenhagen University), I. Jansson (Stockholm University), M. Müller-Wille (Ch. Albrecht University), V. Kulakov (Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences), W. Nowakowski (Warsaw University), R. Mazurowski (Warsaw University), W. Wróblewski (Warsaw University), B. Madsen Gelg (Copenhagen University), M. Geld (The Jagiellonian University of Krakow) and others. Besides scientific and educational activities, the Department is also involved in search for archaeological sites and popularization of archaeology. Every year the researchers present their investigation results to the media. During the last two decades the Department has grown into one of the major archaeological institutions in Lithuania. Changes in Department have a significant impact on the development of the science of archaeology in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural-historical activity theory, an outcrop of socio-psychological approaches toward human development, has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past two decades but has yet to be appropriated into science education to any large extent. In part, the difficulties Western scholars have had in adopting this framework arise from its ontology, which is materialist dialectical and, hence, does not allow easy absorption into non-dialectical (classical logical) thinking underlying much of Western scholarship. Cultural-historical activity theory has tremendous potential because it sublates traditional dichotomies in everyday teaching-learning situations including individual/collective, body/mind, intra-/inter-psychological, cognitive/emotive and psychological/sociological. In this contribution, we not only review the existing literature that uses or develops this non-dualistic approach, but also articulate an intelligible explication of the theory that is more accessible to Western scholars and describe possible future curriculum work and research in science education as an expression of the fruitfulness of the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), since its inception as teacher-specific professional knowledge, has been researched extensively. Drawing on a wide range of literature, this paper seeks to clarify how the potential offered by PCK could be utilised to further develop science teacher education. An analysis of PCK models proposed by various researchers, together with methods of elucidating PCK in experienced and novice teachers, is provided. The paper argues that making PCK more explicit in the teacher education process may help novices adjust to teaching, as well as aiding experienced teachers in developing more reflective practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I consider a role for risk understanding in school science education. Grounds for this role are described in terms of current sociological analyses of the contemporary world as a 'risk society' and recent public understanding of science studies where science and risk are concerns commonly linked within the wider community. These concerns connect with support amongst many science educators for the goal of science education for citizenship. From this perspective scientific literacy for decision making on contemporary socioscientific issues is central. I argue that in such decision making, risk understanding has an important role to play. I examine some of the challenges its inclusion in school science presents to science teachers, review previous writing about risk in the science education literature and consider how knowledge about risk might be addressed in school science. I also outline the varying conceptions of risk and suggest some future research directions that would support the inclusion of risk in classroom discussions of socioscientific issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of written extended-response questions as classroom assessment tools to encourage a meaningful understanding of evolutionary theory. The authors analyzed the written answers of high school biology students concerning scenarios of animals' evolution to determine the level of meaningful understanding among these students. They found that students predominantly link descriptive concepts and demonstrate only a few cross-concept links, suggesting that for the most part they do not have a meaningful understanding of evolution.

This essay is William Grassie's valedictory remarks at the Metanexus Institute's 2007 Annual Conference. Grassie asks what is wrong with religion, what is wrong with science, and why the constructive engagement of the two holds the key to setting things right. He cites Sir John Templeton and others to make his case and proposes a new curriculum for general science education that uses the history of nature as a mnemonic and context for promoting better science literacy and the incorporation of science into our cultural traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in alternative learning incentives led us to a peculiar kind of learning resulting in remarkable outcomes. We are currently under a Science Fair Project -being outlined in this review - which was presented in our school on the 3rd & 4th of March 2008. The approach which was expanded (by the pupils of the 1st Primary School class SIXTH2) concerns an Environmental Education Project in correlation with the Natural Sciences. This Science Fair is considered to be their final outcome of a long and praiseworthy assignment. It is an informal type of learning, which in combination with formal learning along with the learning process, makes up an incentive for children contributing to the creation of positive attitudes concerning the subject of Natural Sciences. Children are offered creative fulfillment through research processes, experiments and constructions. What is more, this Fair is not only an opportunity for parents to embark on the learning task but also the local community along with the local educational community as well. Children come in contact with various authorities and feel the satisfaction of presenting their work and their constructions to the Public, delivering messages for energy preservation - concerning the use of renewable and milder types of energy - thus contributing to the research of solutions considering scientific - ecological - sociable issues which [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the environmental content of the textbooks used for the teaching of natural sciences in Greek primary schools was examined. Specifically, by employing the method of content analysis, both representational (metaphors, depictions, values, etc.) and cognitive (ecological concepts) elements, building images of nature, and shaping our opinion and attitudes towards the environment were examined. The results of the analysis revealed that a coherent whole was produced, where nature was in a condition of oscillating balance, with everything being connected with something else, and humans having absolute control over a nature whose only value was its usefulness as a resource for food and raw material. However, seen qualitatively, the edifice included many contradictory elements and inconsistencies, which, having evolved out of a specific context, might spread confusion and deprive pupils from critical thinking. On the other hand, the image of nature dominating disagreed with both a standpoint advocating an equal relationship between humans and nature and with that supporting a relationship of stewardship and care for nature, while it failed to provide students with proper and sufficient environmental knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the realities and problems related to science teaching in secondary schools in Free State, South Africa. Problems related to internal school organization and management; Applicability of an investigative technology-enhanced approach to natural sciences education.

The article discusses the design of natural science as a subject in primary and grammar grades. Three closely related courses are presented; Course I, deals with the pedagogics of nature study and includes practical works like asking the students to describe and interpret the landscape with which they are most familiar and requiring them to make a sketch of the landscape in color. Course II, focuses on Chemistry and includes the investigation of the composition of different leaves and fruits, the study of the ultimate composition of the substances found, and the subject's pedagogy, its place in the work of the elementary and of the secondary school. Course III, on the other hand, deals everything with relation to biology.

The article presents an analysis of current literature on the nature and organization of scientific knowledge as practiced in the natural sciences. Four aspects of the structure of science are discussed including differences between the correlational and exact sciences, constructional nature of scientific reality, processes of observation and the emergence of rules of correspondence, and considerations which lead to the verification and acceptance of scientific theories. In addition, the influences of metaphysical principles and the circuit of verification are represented using a schemata of the emergent structure and processes of science.

The author of this article describes some of the teaching practices associated with natural history in New Zealand, Fiji, England, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. During a trip to New Zealand, the author learned that a large number of the average classroom teachers were better qualified than their American counterparts to carry on successful outdoor experiences. In Fiji, he had met Colin Marshall, a forester who had built a forestry school together with a group of high school students. He asserted that some of the laboratories in Sweden were equipped far better than any of their counterparts in America. In Norway, there was less evidence of rich equipment for the teaching of science. As a result of his association with several foreign educators, the author described the approaches to the teaching of conservation.

The article focuses on the findings of the study about the applicability of several biological principles to a generalization, concept, principle or problem in teaching physical sciences such as astronomy, chemistry, geology or physics for general education. The biological principle "Fermentation and putrefaction are usually caused by living microorganisms," according to respondents can be applied in chemical change, oxidation-reduction and catalysis with ratings of 15, 12 and 10, respectively. The researchers concluded that because the applicability of biological principles in various concepts, further experimental syllabi should be developed for science courses for general education. Perhaps, if a series of studies are undertaken to show where there are vital applications from one area of knowledge or problems of living to other fields of endeavor, there is a chance of establishing a strong basis for building a more secure and better adjusted society.

The article focuses on the situation of teachers who teach natural sciences in Negro high schools of Louisiana. Questionnaires were sent to 60 different high schools for Negroes to collect data on their situation, to use that data in the improvement of the natural science courses at Southern University and to improve the guidelines of Negro high schools in Louisiana. A table showing 73 natural science courses is given. The augmentation of natural science programs of high schools has been suggested by the Department of Education of Louisiana. Another given table shows that the natural science teachers of the state's Negro high schools are quite well experienced. The lack of proper equipment and materials forces teachers to take students out on field trips. To top it, the climatic conditions of Louisiana allows fields trips almost throughout the year.

The article discusses the relevance and importance of teaching natural sciences as a subject in elementary schools and provides several references about the subject. It has been found that elementary school curriculum lays more emphasis on social studies. Children are taught histories and geographies of various regions and countries, while these things are not much relevant for them in that age. Natural sciences, on the other hand, is ignored. No attempt is made to explain the nature and meaning of animate and inanimate things that children find in their immediate natural environment. There is a need to revise the curricular and extracurricular activities to give proper weight to natural science. The article presents information on various books about natural sciences that have been categorized under different headings in an annotated bibliography prepared by the author.

This article highlights a study focusing on natural science education imparted in various elementary schools in Germany. The study is based on the observations and research that were carried on in Germany during the years 1927 and 1928. It is based on understanding the organization of the German elementary schools and their place in the modern German educational system. The cornerstone of the present German educational system is a four-year foundation school. Attendance at the foundation school is compulsory for all students. Natural science education in the German elementary schools begins in the subject matter of community study. Community study forms the basis for the educative values of the entire primary curriculum. An examination of the programs of the first grade reveals that the subject matter is treated as integrated instruction in most schools. The main aim of community study is to lay a foundation for the science of the four upper grades of the elementary schools.

The article focuses on a lesson plan for teaching general science. The plan has been implemented with varying successes in several classes for several science subjects. The most successful was the lesson plan in general science. One hundred cases of graduate students in general science made use of the plan. Location of material, class-room talks and conferences with individual students were carried on with the help of the school nurse. The principal, school nurse and the writer carefully analysed all the items in the assignment. An interest in health study was boosted by an alarming epidemic of infantile paralysis. One of the drawbacks of the plan is that the themes might often be copies from pamphlets and books. This would act as a barrier to the expression of student thought. Also reading all themes in the plan is an enormous task.

The article describes a science project that requires students to create outdoor scrolls on which they are able to record their observations of the natural world. The project offers students a way to develop their observation, inquiry, and documentary skills. They also learn the importance of artistic layout in relation to the organization of space on the scroll timeline. Science topics that lend themselves well to the scroll project are seasonal changes, the Wisconsin Fast Plant life cycle, the metamorphosis of monarch butterflies, tides and shorelines, and migration patterns.

The author reflects on issues concerning the importance of education. He believes that people should study history because it gives a picture of what people have been. He points out that if people will begin to look at history from the standpoint of its relationship to the present day, they should be able to realize that most of the conclusions are never reached. Moreover, people also need to understand that the fundamental of all information is knowledge of the natural things.

The article examines the relation of nature study to natural science. As indicated, nature study is scientific and its essentials are entirely different from natural science. To differentiate, the subject matter of natural science is found in the great domain of nature, and that the earth, air, sky and water are the sources of the materials studied. Moreover, the study of natural science rests on personal investigations, while in nature study, on the other hand, the use of the senses is not essential. Nature study also suggests to the child the relationships that give a clue to law, specifically, in nature.

The article focuses on the difficulties faced by schools in securing the specimens and minerals for the study of natural sciences in the U.S. It emphasizes the need for the government to provide financial appropriation to any high school or academy so that they can establish a museum in mineralogy and geology. It details the advantages of visiting the Ward and Howell Museum in New York.

The article recommends the teaching of natural science in grammar schools in the U.S. in 1886. Pupils are interested to study natural science. The benefits of this course to them are indicated. The connection between natural science and grammar and spelling is also cited. Moreover, this article offers ideas for teachers about teaching such course.

The author emphasizes the need to revise the education system in the U.S. as of August 1881. A remark from John Stuart Mill regarding scientific education is presented. For so many years, academies and seats of learning have almost ignored the role of natural sciences as a factor in the work of education. The coverage of scientific education is discussed.

The article suggests learning exercises for the study of wild flowers and cultivated varieties of flowers in autumn. In the general exercises, children are instructed to bring flowers to the classroom everyday. Such activity also involves recognizing the names of the flowers. In the expression exercises, children are encouraged to write what they have observed with the flowers. The special exercises involve studying the parts of a flowering plant as well as the function of each part.

The author discusses the extinction of scientific studies in establishing scientific geniuses. He points out the requirements to become a scientific genius: useful, original, and surprising ideas. He believes on the continuation of the scientific enterprise in higher, stronger, and faster aspects. He contends that most natural science disciplines are not directly associated to this knowledge crisis.

The article describes the use of museums in teaching science citing the initiatives of the Natural History Museum for Science Learning Center in London, England. A museum visit gives students the opportunity to experience science in context, which immediately makes it more relevant and engaging. It also allows them to explore a topic independently and develop some of the skills applicable in the classroom.

The article presents information about various educational resources which are used in science education. The web site www.WeatherShack.com features a page that enables science teachers understand how to use an indoor electronic weather station. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History offers the Electronic Naturalist, a web site for teaching natural science. Answers to various questions related to natural science are posted on the web site. The magazine "Discover" produces an online educator's guide that provides teachers with supplemental materials to enhance the use of the magazine in their curriculum during the period from September to May.

Discusses the need for modern science teachers to build natural science experiences into the classroom. Need for an organized set of standards to make sure that students get the kind of experiences they need; Author's recollection of science education standads and objectives while he was growing up.

The author reflects on the value of a long-term research for students in the U.S. He believes that it is important that one needs to focus on one are and research it from every angle. He comments that in natural sciences, a single discovery or invention could bring fame and fortune to a researcher, however, it is not enough to provide a stable foundation for future work. He suggests that students should develop a long-term research program and be willing to adapt one's position and be open-minded to something.

The article presents letters to the editor about the study of natural science and the moon.

The article deals with the role of the study of natural science in the cultivation of morality. The impact of a sympathy with other forms of life on the thoughtless cruelty practice on creatures considered dumb is cited. The concept of love for nature can eliminate passion and prejudice from humans.