This month’s column addresses the following question: How did the Cartesian diver (devil) get its name?
[hide full abstract]

In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, nature-study was the most widespread orientation to science instruction in the nation’s schools. During the four or so decades of its existence, nature-study evolved to become both a common body of knowledge and a philosophical orientation to instruction. To some here at the dawn of the 21^st century, the study of nature may seem antiquated, but nature-study, with its integrated content and surprisingly modern and synthetic method of teaching, should be recognized by teachers as a useful reference for instruction.
[hide full abstract]

When we think of sound, several things come to mind, from irritating noises to our favorite songs. Musical acoustics is the scientific study of sound as it relates to music. Some musical acousticians research how instruments work and how they can be improved, others investigate how we perceive and think about music and musical sounds. James Beauchamp has developed computer programs that produce musical sounds similar to those created by instruments—in essence, virtual instruments. Because of scientists such as Beauchamp, computer music has evolved from only abstract layers of sound, to sounds that include replicas of real instruments.
[hide full abstract]

Field studies are an excellent way for students to learn ecological concepts and practice doing science. This article presents an approach for the secondary science classroom that permits students to ask and answer their own questions, a prerequisite for truly experiencing the process of science. When students ask their own questions, ecological investigations can be the ultimate inquiry-based activity with students experiencing the contagious excitement of doing science firsthand.
[hide full abstract]

In the recent book by Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods (2005), he suggests that, for the first time in human history, young people today are growing up with little or no meaningful contact with the natural world. Louv cites various causes for this “nature-deficit disorder,” including loss of green spaces to development, parents’ exaggerated fears and over-protectiveness, and our growing addiction to electronic media. In this month’s column, the field editor provides further evidence to support the notion that we are increasingly alienated from nature.
[hide full abstract]

“Show-that” problems provide the answer in the form of an equation in the question itself—which changes the goal from finding a number to showing the reasoning behind the answer. Is that not what problem solving should be about? The following series of problems illustrate the “show-that” framework.
[hide full abstract]

In the following demonstration, students are asked to form a mental picture of an object hidden beneath a cardboard blind. Students must formulate hypotheses about the size, shape, and composition of the object while watching their teacher probe the object with a laser beam. This exercise in indirect observation will prepare students for the details of Ernest Rutherford’s “Gold Foil Experiment” (GFE), providing them with a deeper understanding of how scientists such as Rutherford “know without seeing.”
[hide full abstract]

Zoos and similar non-school sites have the added advantage of getting students out of school and into another environment, demonstrating that science learning can take place anywhere—not only in formal school settings. Through the animal behavior project described in this article, high school biology students are challenged to apply their scientific-inquiry skills to the study of animal behavior.
[hide full abstract]

Because of the variability exhibited by individual animals’ responses to their environment, studying animal behavior can be a wonderful way to engage students in self-directed, open-inquiry investigations. Individual animals react in ways that are a combination of instinct and learned behavior, but collectively they exhibit broader tendencies that can be discussed in terms of ecology, animal behavior, and natural selection. The binary choice activities detailed in this article encourage inquiry by fostering student engagement and purposeful learning through an investigation of animal environmental preferences.
[hide full abstract]

In place-based inquiry, the context of an investigation involves a place about which students already have some interest, curiosity, or knowledge. Their interest makes the application of scientific investigation and inquiry techniques more meaningful because the techniques will be applied in a realistic context, not in an isolated, disconnected, imaginary, and abstract fashion. This strategy elevates hands-on activities to a meaningful level, one that fosters student engagement and with it, purposeful learning.
[hide full abstract]

The aim of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign” (SC3) is to ensure that all schools are free from hazards associated with mismanaged chemicals, including science laboratories. SC3 gives schools information and tools to responsibly manage chemicals. SC3 partners with schools, parents, and local organizations to create a chemical-management program unique to the needs of each school.
[hide full abstract]

The 1988 fires at Yellowstone National Park burned 1.4 million acres in the tri-state areas of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho—encompassing the greater Yellowstone area—and burned some 800,000 acres within the park itself (Franke 2000). This article discusses this extraordinary fire event and contains helpful resources for bringing the science of fire, or fire ecology, into the classroom.
[hide full abstract]

We are awash in data! Every week brings stories about scientific studies—especially those related to personal health. The news also brings stories about unscientific work that seems scientific, lending a veneer of importance to the work. Being scientifically literate means critically analyzing these types of reports. Issues or misconceptions related to analyzing and interpreting data come through clearly when students discuss newspaper articles. Among the most common issues is differentiating between cause and correlation. This month’s column offers some strategies for helping students to recognize this important distinction for themselves.
[hide full abstract]

The “Under the Mistletoe” project was developed to capitalize on student curiosity about the American Christmas Mistletoe plant and draw learners into an engaging, inquiry-based exercise that incorporates numerous life science standards and collaborative research. By collecting data on host and nonhost tree size, location, and number of mistletoe present during the winter months—after the trees have lost their leaves—students investigate the host-parasite relationships of mistletoe. Students gain experience developing research questions, using scientific equipment to collect data, and drawing conclusions based on the integration of math and science.
[hide full abstract]