Author Archives: Robert Yager

The place of inquiry in the reform of science education

By Robert Yager | Published: September 10, 2012

The National Science Education Standards use the word “inquiry” in two ways. It was to be a form of content while also being a way science must be taught. Some argue that the term inquiry needs to have “scientific” in front of it (that is, scientific inquiry) before it has real meaning and use in [...]

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How professional development programs can model science

By Robert Yager | Published: August 22, 2012

No one is against Professional Development (PD) for science teachers. But, how it is typically structured remains a major problem. Not many Professional Development efforts outline how the PD can be structured as an example of science itself. Professional Development efforts, even those funded by NSF and offered by organizations like the National Science Teachers [...]

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Does “hands-on” indicate real reforms of science teaching?

By Robert Yager | Published: August 19, 2012

Too often the reform of science for K-12 students is described as being “hands-on.” Analyses of the “Hands-On” ideas for classrooms seem to miss how and why hands-on actually does not define needed reforms adequately. Hands-on often become merely directions students are expected to follow. Teacher directions also often refer to specific information included in [...]

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Is science literacy an appropriate major goal for science education?

By Robert Yager | Published: August 19, 2012

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983) Science Literacy is widely used as an important goal for science teaching. The term Popularity and Relevance of Science Education for Scientific Literacy (PARSEL) in Europe is used to indicate science reforms for every K-12 classroom; the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in the U.S. lists [...]

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A new vision for reform of science teaching: beyond mindless progressivism

By Robert Yager | Published: August 2, 2012

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983) James Paul Gee (2012) has written a publication titled “Beyond Mindless Progressivism”.  He confesses his surprise that so many educators lapse into “mindless progressivism” with the assumption that children learn best by participation and immersion in activities proposed by teachers and/or the directions provided in textbooks [...]

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Students as part of school leadership for promoting reforms in science

By Robert Yager | Published: July 22, 2012

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983) Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students (CLASS) is a Professional Development (PD) effort for teachers operating throughout Indiana and several other States, including Iowa. One of the innovations tried was the use of students as part of school leadership teams; students at varying grade levels were called [...]

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Features of STEM education envisioned for needed reforms

By Robert Yager | Published: July 10, 2012

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983) In December 2011 the National Governors Association (NGA) released a forty-four page report for use in shaping science education reforms across the U.S. It was designed to advance the current reform efforts in four areas now commonly called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This report [...]

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Getting more science teachers to model “doing” science

By Robert Yager | Published: June 22, 2012

  –Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983) Why is there not more attention for getting all students (and teachers) actually “doing” science in every K-16 science classroom? The faulty assumption is that there is information thought to be accurate that all must “Know” before really “doing” science. Most science teachers continue to [...]

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