The 2015 TIMSS Grade 5 study was administered for the first time in South Africa in August 2015. The study was led by a team of researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Providing the first, nationally representative, internationally comparative compendium of data on Grade 5 learners in South Africa, the report is a new indicator of the health of our educational system. The analyses describe in detail the current picture of achievement for learners in the country, highlighting key individual, family, school and provincial differences. The results also include key developments concerning preschool attendance, early learning environments, as well as the importance of educational expectations and academic beliefs, and the damaging effects of bullying. The findings highlight the importance of early achievement and the need to understand the multiple layers of influence on educational pathways, with the conclusions and recommendations highlighting an unequal, yet treatable system. The Grade 5 study sits alongside the Grade 9 study which has been carried out in South Africa since 1995, recently completing its fifth round.

The 2015 TIMSS Grade 9 study was administered in August 2015 by a team of researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This was the fifth time that South Africa has participated in TIMSS since 1995. In addition to the learner assessment data, the study also collected contextual information from learners, teachers and school principals, making it possible to explore the factors that are related to Grade 9 mathematics and science achievement. This report was written to provide some perspective about how the results of international assessments can be used to provide meaningful national insights. Sections of the report bring together the main findings based on descriptive, inferential and psychometric analysis of the data. The report concludes with recommendations of how the results relate to policy and practice for improving educational quality.

Platinum natural sciences and technology grade 6 provides superior CAPS coverage and has been approved by the Department of Basic Education. What makes the Platinum natural sciences and technology grade 6 course unique? Special skills focus pages are provided to develop a new skill or to revise a prior skill; key concepts boxes summarises the unit in just a few sentences making it easier for learners to recall what's important; the programme of assessment is built in throughout each term of the learner's book, exactly where you need them for ease of use; revision sections include summary activities, language activities and revision activities giving your learners many chances to revise content and concepts; free book of photocopiable remediation & extension worksheets.

Really Really Big Questions About Science is an unusual and fun introduction to science and philosophy that explores important, weird and often unanswered questions, such as What's the best invention? What makes something funny? and Is it right to test medicine on animals? Witty, thought-provoking text and humorous, retro-cool illustrations make this journey an unforgettable one! Really Really Big Questions About Science is the latest in this highly acclaimed philosophy series. "It is definitely worth spending time on every page of this life-enhancing book. Every home should have a copy." The Independent, on Really Really Big Questions

Since its beginnings, science education has been under the influence of psychological theories of knowing and learning, while in more recent years, social constructivist and sociological frameworks have also begun to emerge. With little work being done on showing how the perspectives of these separate approaches might be integrated, this work aims to plug the gap. The book helps lay the groundwork for reuniting sociological and psychological perspectives on the knowing, learning, and teaching of science. Featuring a range of integrative efforts beginning with simple conversation, the chapters here include not only articles but also commentaries that engage with other papers, as well as a useful running narrative that, from the introduction to the epilogue, contextualizes the book and its sections. Specific attention is given to cultural-historical activity theory, which already offers an integration of psychological and cultural-historical (sociological) perspectives on collectively motivated human activities. A number of chapters, as well as the contextualizing narrative, explicitly use this theory as a framework for rethinking science education to achieve the reunification that is the goal of this work.

All the contributors to this volume have produced texts that contribute to the effort of overcoming the extant divide between sociological and psychological approaches to science education research and practice. From very different positions-gender, culture, race-they provide valuable insights to reuniting approaches in both theory and method in the field. As an ensemble, the contributions constitute a rich menu of ideas from which new forms of science education can emerge.

Federal and state funding agencies have invested billions of dollars into secondary STEM (Science, Technology, Education, Mathematics) educational reform over the past decade. This volume addresses the interplay of external and internal variables associated with school reform and how this dynamic has impacted many efforts.

HORRIBLE SCIENCE: DANGEROUS DISEASES coughs up all the disgusting details of the squelchiest sicknesses that mankind has suffered through. From the cruel common cold to shocking smallpox, see what happens when your body is attacked by germs! Find out which brave nurse drank diarrhoea, which scientist used eyeballs as food for bacteria, why deadly cholera makes your skin turn blue and how munching maggots can cure flesh diseases! With sickening sick notes, dreadful disease facts, and lots of vicious viruses to make you vomit, it'll leave you bursting with the knowledge of dangerous diseases! This reloaded edition also includes a chapter on the coronavirus crisis. Redesigned in a bold, funky new look for the next generation of HORRIBLE SCIENCE fans.

Fully revised and updated according to the specific needs of your high attainers, with appropriate language and content. A wealth of questions in each of the text books challenge, reinforce and consolidate learning. The structures support a condensed two year Key Stage three and are ideal preparation for GCSEs or IGCSE. Practical Resource and Assessment Packs provide teachers with additional support for practical work, assessment, end of unit tests and extension work.

Fuel curiosity, spark imagination. Science Bug International is an exciting and comprehensive science programme that has been designed to make sure your children never stop asking questions about their world! This Workbook contains questions from the Topic Book plus additional questions to reinforce and extend learning. With full and comprehensive coverage of the skills and knowledge required for curriculum attainment, Science Bug International will help you to nurture and inspire your young scientist.

Get to grips with the practical techniques and data analysis skills needed to succeed in AS/A2 Unit 3 Physics with an in-depth assessment-driven approach that builds and reinforces understanding. Clear summaries of practical work with sample questions and answers help you improve your exam technique to achieve higher grades. Written by experienced examiner Roy White, this student guide for practical physics: - Helps students easily identify what they need to know with a concise summary of required practical work examined in the CCEA AS/A2 Unit 3 Level Physics specification. - Consolidates understanding of practical work, methodology, mathematical and other skills out of the laboratory. - Provides plenty of opportunities to improve exam technique with sample questions, answers and commentary on the answers. - Offers support beyond the textbooks with coverage of methodologies and generic practical skills not focussed on in the textbooks.

Invitation to Invent, a physical science unit for grades 3-4, engages students in investigations and observations that support their learning about simple machines and their uses. Students explore force, motion, and friction as they learn about the six simple machines and how they are put together to form compound machines. Invitation to Invent was developed by the Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary to offer advanced curriculum supported by years of research. The Center's materials have received national recognition from the United States Department of Education and the National Association for Gifted Children, and they are widely used both nationally and internationally. Each of the books in this series offers curriculum that focuses on advanced content and higher level processes. The science units contain simulations of real-world problems, and students experience the work of real science by using data-handling skills, analyzing information, and evaluating results. The mathematics units provide sophisticated ideas and concepts, challenging extensions, higher order thinking skills, and opportunities for student exploration based on interest. These materials are a must for any teacher seeking to challenge and engage learners and increase achievement. Grades 3-4

Planet Earth is in troubleaEURO| it's time to Take Action! But what can you do, you're just a kid, right? Wrong! The future of the planet is in the hands of young activists like you, and there is plenty you can do to help! From getting your hands dirty to unleashing your Pester Power, with our handy guide you too can change the world!

Get readers excited to learn about the various technological innovations that have occurred throughout history--and what could be possible in the future! Through informational text featuring Time For Kids content, intriguing facts, vivid images, diagrams, and charts, readers will learn about miraculous inventions such as holograms, 3D printing, virtual reality technology, personalized medicine, and bionic body parts. Readers will be engaged and encouraged to imagine the next big technological innovation that could change the world! This book also includes text features such as a table of contents, glossary, and index, as well as resources such as a bibliography and a list of useful websites for learning more about technological inventions.

Since its appearance in 1859, Darwin's long awaited treatise in genetic biology had received reviews both favorable and damning. Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce presented arguments for and against the theory in a dramatic and widely publicized face-off at the 1860 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Oxford. Their encounter sparked a vigorous, complex debate that touched on a host of issues and set the stage for the Royal Society s consideration of whether or not they ought to award Darwin the Copley Medal, the society s most prestigious prize. While the action takes place in meetings of the Royal Society, Great Britain s most important scientific body, a parallel and influential public argument smoldered over the nature of science and its relationship to modern life in an industrial society. A significant component of the Darwin game is the tension between natural and teleological views of the world, manifested especially in reconsideration of the design argument, commonly known through William Paley s Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802) and updated by Wilberforce. But the scientific debate also percolated through a host of related issues: the meaning and purposes of inductive and hypothetical speculation in science; the professionalization of science; the implications of Darwinism for social reform, racial theories, and women s rights; and the evolving concept of causation in sciences and its implications for public policy. Because of the revolutionary potential of Darwin s ideas, the connections between science and nearly every other aspect of culture became increasingly evident. Scientific papers and laboratory demonstrations presented in Royal Society meetings during the game provide the backdrop for momentous conflict, conflict that continues to shape our perceptions of modern science.

Reacting to the Past is a series of historical role-playing games that explore important ideas by re-creating the contexts that shaped them. Students are assigned roles, informed by classic texts, set in particular moments of intellectual and social ferment.

An award-winning active-learning pedagogy, Reacting to the Past improves speaking, writing, and leadership skills, promotes engagement with classic texts and history, and builds learning communities. Reacting can be used across the curriculum, from the first-year general education class to capstone experiences. A Reacting game can also function as the discussion component of lecture classes, or it can be enlisted for intersession courses, honors programs, and other specialized curricular purposes."

This book is based on presentations at the International Science Education Conference (ISEC) 2014. It showcases a selection of the best papers by researchers and science teachers from the Asia-Pacific region, North America and the United Kingdom. Centered on the theme of "Pushing the boundaries - Investing in our future", they pursue new ways of helping learners appreciate the diversity and changes in science that result from a globalised world facing complex and diverse environmental and technological issues. The chapters touch on various themes in science education that explore and investigate issues of scientific literacy, societal challenges and affect, and teacher professional development. Its comprehensive themes make it a valuable textbook for graduate students of master's and Ph.D. programs. It also appeals to pre-service and in-service teachers as a resource on innovative pedagogical practices and creative methods of professional development. With a selection that emphasises the research-practice nexus in education research, it serves as an introductory handbook for teachers to connect with the current issues facing science education.