Teacher Action Research. Learning with Life Lab: Reports from the Field 1993-1994.

Teacher action research is a powerful tool for change that begins with teachers conducting research in their own schools and classrooms in order to discover how to do something in a better way. This book contains a collection of action research reports written by seven elementary teachers (K-4) who were in their first year of implementation of Life Lab, an integrated garden-based science curriculum. In Part I, two teachers write about issues they faced surrounding students' motivation and persistence when learning mathematics and science. The reports in Part II explore how teachers and students ask questions when they are engaged in science investigations. In Part III, two teachers explore the relationship between learning about science and learning to read. By teaching a first grade curriculum that integrated science and language arts, each teacher investigates a specific dimension of what students gain. Contains 12 references. (MKR)