Engineers are inventors, designers, and creators—they apply science, math, and imagination to make dreams a reality. As they work to craft technical solutions to consumer and societal needs, engineers bridge the gap between scientific ideas and commercial applications. The subfield of aeronautical engineering involves designing, developing, testing, and overseeing the building of flight-capable machines, such as aircrafts and spacecrafts. For the past 40 years, aeronautical engineer Paul Moller has been working to make his dream—a flying car—take off.
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Project-based science (PBS) is finding a place in more and more secondary school science programs as teachers discover its power to engage students and develop critical-thinking skills. PBS is firmly rooted in constructivism—the idea that individuals construct knowledge individually, through active and meaningful interactions with their environment, rather than by passively receiving transmitted information. PBS is also strongly indebted to the somewhat more obscure "constructionism," which, inspired by constructivism, suggests that learning is an active process and students learn most effectively when they are constructing a meaningful product. This month's column discusses the benefits of doing science with PBS.
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A student recently asked me about the bird flu. Is it still a threat?
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Understanding how geckos—small lizards belonging to the family Gekkonindae—can “defy gravity” and walk across a ceiling provides a fascinating frame through which students can not only learn valuable content about electrostatic forces, but also engage in authentic scientific practice and explore new technologies based on gecko adhesion. In this article, the authors describe how the curriculum materials they designed explore the gecko’s amazing ability through project-based science (PBS).
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Performance-based assessment is appropriate to use in a project-based, problem-based, or inquiry-based science classroom because it is consistent with the way students learn—by investigating a question or problem using tools and materials (i.e., performing an act). Since students in a project-based classroom learn by producing a product or performing an act, it is only fitting for them to be assessed using methods similar to those used to teach them—thus aligning assessment with instruction. This article provides two common examples of performance-based assessments that science teachers can use in (or adapt for) their classrooms and a discussion of their strengths and limitations.
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All teachers face the classic struggle of convincing students that material learned in class is important and relevant. However, science teachers are fortunate because much of the material they teach comes up in everyday life. For example, the science involved in political issues is covered by daily newspapers, internet news sites, and the nightly news. Using the science in politics—particularly during a presidential election year—is a powerful method to engage students in science and demonstrate that the material they learn in class applies outside the classroom as well. Here you’ll discover how one physics teacher encouraged his juniors and seniors to consider the interdisciplinary nature of modern science as it relates to political issues.
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Invasive species, commonly known as “invasives,” are nonnative plants, animals, and microbes that completely take over and change an established ecosystem. The consequences of invasives’ spread are significant. In fact, many of the species that appear on the Endangered Species list are threatened by invasives. Therefore, the topic of invasive nonnative species can provide the focus for projects that engage students in authentic science investigations. Here the author describes how she launched her students into a study of invasives while supporting their local environment using the 5E Learning Cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, evaluate).
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Inquiry, a prominent feature of the National Science Education Standards, is the instructional keystone that connects doing and learning science (NRC 2000). Because it is integral to the Standards, inquiry is also emphasized in science curriculum standards adopted at state and local levels. Inquiry-based classes allow for scientific learning through investigation, which develops the abilities students need to design and conduct scientific studies (NRC 2000). Project-based science (PBS) instruction addresses these criteria for inquiry. This article highlights ways to design and incorporate substantive PBS activities in the classroom.
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One way of implementing project-based science (PBS) is to use problem-based learning (PBL), in which students formulate their own problems. These problems are often ill-structured, mirroring complex real-life problems where data are often messy and inclusive. In this article, the authors describe how they used PBL in a ninth-grade biology class in Singapore, where the socio-cultural context is different from the United States in some aspects. They discuss the tools, pedagogy, and strategies that they used during a unit on food and nutrition.
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Project-based science (PBS) instruction can simply be defined as a student-centered science teaching approach, in which students produce tangible learning outcomes by posing and answering research questions that are relevant to their own lives and communities. In a PBS classroom, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. This article provides an introduction to PBS instruction for both beginning and veteran science teachers who are interested in implementing this approach in their classrooms.
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Before conducting any laboratory activities, science teachers need to be in the know about the OSHA-required hierarchy of defense in the laboratory. At the top of OSHA's list are engineering controls, which are designed to reduce exposure to a chemical or physical hazard by using engineered machinery or equipment. This month's column outlines specific engineering controls required in academic laboratories. Although requirements will depend on individual states and which codes or standards they have adopted, the following are prudent safety practices that represent the professional safety standard recognized by the court in a legal situation.
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“It was helpful to keep track of questions we had at the beginning so we knew what we were trying to find out.” With these words, a student described the value of using a Driving Question Board (DQB) in a project-based science (PBS) unit. This instructional tool is designed to support inquiry and project-based learning by organizing and focusing students’ questions and linking them to content learning goals. The authors have used this tool in both physics and chemistry classes, but it can be used with any subject matter. This article describes the purpose and process of DQB.
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In this article, the authors describe their ongoing experience with the Herpetology Project. Through this field study, students catch and track amphibians and reptiles in the Assabet River area, record and analyze data, share their findings with the community, and ultimately, work toward protecting turtles’ habitats. The authors chose to focus on turtles in this article because they helped to inspire the project and because they have a method of tracking their recapture.
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When asked what scientists do, people generally respond with “experiments.” We often base critical decisions, such as those related to our personal health, on the results of scientists’ experiments. But what really is involved in how scientists investigate the world? This month’s column provides the answer to this relevant question. After all, as teachers creating informed consumers of scientific information, we owe it to our students to help them understand the varied ways scientists investigate the world.
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