Problem-Based Learning
Overwhelming evidence exists that students from all backgrounds have the capacity to
become proficient in math and science, and that children of all ages can and do engage in
complex reasoning about the world [8, 9]. The National Academies reported in its recent
publication, Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8, that
“Comparisons of science standards and curricula in the U.S. with that of countries that
perform well on international science tests reveal overly broad and superficial coverage of
science topics in U.S. classrooms … an overemphasis on recipes for data collection
Proceedings of The 2011 IAJC-ASEE International Conference
ISBN 978-1-60643-379-9
procedures—whether experimental, observational, or archival—may strengthen the
misconceptions that some students hold about the so-called scientific method—the image
that scientific discoveries emerge unproblematically if one just faithfully follows the steps
outlined in the science text [8].”