Eighth-grade science around the globe.

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released results from its 1999 video study of eigth-grade science lessons, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The report analyzes and compares U.S. instruction to the approaches used in four high-achieving countries: Australia, Japan, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The goal is to help educators identify factors that could enhance student learning and achievement.

Each nation relied on a distinct general approach, and the report finds key commonalities and differences among classrooms. According to the report, science instruction in the four high-achieving countries differs from the U.S. in two ways:

* International eigth-grade lessons focused on high content standards and expectations for student learning.

* Science lessons followed a common, content-focused instructional approach vs. a variety of pedagogical approaches and content.

On the flip side, there are common denominators in science instruction among all five nations. For example:

* 95 percent of lessons spent at least some time developing new science content.

* Practical activities such as demonstrations or model building occurred in at least 72 percent of lessons across all five countries.

* Students participated in discussions in 81 percent of lessons with whole class interactions.

* Student-generated research questions and student-designed procedures occurred in less than 10 percent of lessons.