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Editor's Corner

More than a Game

More than a Game

By Steve Metz

Computer simulations have become essential to scientific investigation and engineering design, thanks to advances in mathematical modeling, game theory, and computing technology. Simulations now provide an indispensable tool for investigating the properties of natural and built systems in science, engineering, economics, and social science.

Computer simulations have become essential to scientific investigation and engineering design, thanks to advances in mathematical modeling, game theory, and computing technology. Simulations now provide an indispensable tool for investigating the properties of natural and built systems in science, engineering, economics, and social science.

Computer simulations have become essential to scientific investigation and engineering design, thanks to advances in mathematical modeling, game theory, and computing technology. Simulations now provide an indispensable tool for investigating the properties of natural and built systems in science, engineering, economics, and social science.

 

Focus on Physics

Quickly Teaching Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration—Part 2

Quickly Teaching Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration—Part 2

By PAUL G. HEWITT

In the February 2019 issue we looked at teaching speed and velocity. Now we’re ready to tackle acceleration.

In the February 2019 issue we looked at teaching speed and velocity. Now we’re ready to tackle acceleration.

In the February 2019 issue we looked at teaching speed and velocity. Now we’re ready to tackle acceleration.

 

Teaching With Simulations

Teaching With Simulations

By Argenta Price, Carl Wieman, and Katherine Perkins

Teachers use simulations for student motivation, content learning, and engagement in science practices.

Teachers use simulations for student motivation, content learning, and engagement in science practices.

Teachers use simulations for student motivation, content learning, and engagement in science practices.

 

Spicing Up Your Classroom With Games

Spicing Up Your Classroom With Games

By Melanie Pearlman

Games allow teachers to interact with their students in a different way than they normally do. They also have the potential to challenge and assess students’ understanding of content. Games allow me to “play” with my students in ways that other learning activities do not (Kirkland and O’Riordan 2010). I can be silly, competitive, cooperative, lenient, creative, and supportive alongside my students in a way that I cannot during lab activities, assessments, or even project work time.

Games allow teachers to interact with their students in a different way than they normally do. They also have the potential to challenge and assess students’ understanding of content. Games allow me to “play” with my students in ways that other learning activities do not (Kirkland and O’Riordan 2010). I can be silly, competitive, cooperative, lenient, creative, and supportive alongside my students in a way that I cannot during lab activities, assessments, or even project work time.

Games allow teachers to interact with their students in a different way than they normally do. They also have the potential to challenge and assess students’ understanding of content. Games allow me to “play” with my students in ways that other learning activities do not (Kirkland and O’Riordan 2010). I can be silly, competitive, cooperative, lenient, creative, and supportive alongside my students in a way that I cannot during lab activities, assessments, or even project work time.

 

Feature Article

From Bean to Cup

From Bean to Cup (Volume 86, Issue 7)

By Tom Cubbage

Coffee comes to the science lab

Coffee comes to the science lab

Coffee comes to the science lab

 

Do Plants Breathe?

Do Plants Breathe?

By Jennifer L. Maeng and Amanda Gonczi

The idea that plants do photosynthesis but do not do cellular respiration is a common misconception among middle and high school students that often stems from an over-simplification of these processes in diagrams and formal science instruction. The activity presented here uses a conceptual change approach (Nussbaum & Novick, 1982) and an online simulation to facilitate high school students’ accurate conceptions of the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants.

The idea that plants do photosynthesis but do not do cellular respiration is a common misconception among middle and high school students that often stems from an over-simplification of these processes in diagrams and formal science instruction. The activity presented here uses a conceptual change approach (Nussbaum & Novick, 1982) and an online simulation to facilitate high school students’ accurate conceptions of the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants.

The idea that plants do photosynthesis but do not do cellular respiration is a common misconception among middle and high school students that often stems from an over-simplification of these processes in diagrams and formal science instruction. The activity presented here uses a conceptual change approach (Nussbaum & Novick, 1982) and an online simulation to facilitate high school students’ accurate conceptions of the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants.

 

Design Your Own Navy

Design Your Own Navy

By MICHAEL BRISCOE

Virtual shipbuilding technology from professional naval engineeers

Virtual shipbuilding technology from professional naval engineeers

Virtual shipbuilding technology from professional naval engineeers

 

Feature Article

Ramp It Up!

Preschoolers investigate force and motion with a digital journal.

Science and Children—March 2019

By Ashley Lewis Presser, Ximena Dominguez, Marion Goldstein, Regan Vidiksis, and Danae Kamdar

Preschoolers investigate force and motion with a digital journal.
Preschoolers investigate force and motion with a digital journal.
Preschoolers investigate force and motion with a digital journal.

Staging Family Science Nights

Get rave reviews for science by putting this book’s step-by-step plans to work. Staging Family Science Nights is your playbook for creating an informal learning environment that will generate enthusiasm and enjoyment of science among the entire family. The book’s first section—“Producing the Event”—devotes eight chapters to planning, recruiting volunteers (including students), setting up, last-minute troubleshooting, and injecting pizazz. The four chapters in the second section—“On the Stage”—offer guidance and templates for activities at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Get rave reviews for science by putting this book’s step-by-step plans to work. Staging Family Science Nights is your playbook for creating an informal learning environment that will generate enthusiasm and enjoyment of science among the entire family. The book’s first section—“Producing the Event”—devotes eight chapters to planning, recruiting volunteers (including students), setting up, last-minute troubleshooting, and injecting pizazz. The four chapters in the second section—“On the Stage”—offer guidance and templates for activities at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.
 

Why We Shouldn’t Keep "Bugs" in a Drawer

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2019-02-28

Guest blogger Monica Dolan is the STEM Curriculum Coordinator at The Children’s Center at CalTech where she works as a liaison between the administration and the teaching staff to ensure curriculum plans are consistent with the center’s conceptual STEM based approach. This early childhood program sponsors an annual Early Childhood STEM conference, ECSTEM. Monica also works closely with the teachers documenting children’s work and reviewing data to suggest possibilities of direction, and maintains and runs the outdoor STEM lab. Monica has a Master’s Degree from Pacific Oaks College and has worked as a teacher in early childhood for fifteen years, currently also working with local colleges presenting workshops on implementing STEM activities and environments within a classroom and teaching a course on STEAM. Welcome Monica!

At The Children’s Center at Caltech we have an outdoor science lab for the children, located in the heart of our preschool yard.  When the lab was being built we were clear with the architects that we did not want locks on the drawers and cabinets so the children could access materials as needed.  

Isopod, also known as a roly-poly or pill bug, on a hand.One of the most popular spaces in the lab is the Microscope Viewing Station.  At this space the drawers are filled with bug viewers, magnifying glasses, tweezers and small lab gloves.  The children access these materials daily and run onto the yard to collect bugs, flowers, leaves, dirt, sticks and anything else they find particularly interesting that morning.  It is not unusual that children will fill a bug viewer with Pill Bugs (a.k.a. isopods, or roll-polies) and observe how they move throughout the morning.  When it was time to go inside, these bug viewers, and their contents of live Pill Bugs, would be placed into the drawers, shut and left there, ultimately to die! 

The staff found it very important to discuss with the children how to respect living things.  We spoke with the children about finding insects and other small animals, and observing the habitats in which they were found.  We spoke about returning living things to their natural habitats so they don’t die.  We also looked closely at these spaces in nature so that we could create artificial habitats within our classrooms providing the opportunity to study living creatures for longer periods of time.  We included food, water and vegetation to support the ecosystems.  

The more opportunities we provide to learn about nature, the more children take care of it.  Humans share a symbiotic relationship with nature. Through working together the children have learned to create balance. 

Guest blogger Monica Dolan is the STEM Curriculum Coordinator at The Children’s Center at CalTech where she works as a liaison between the administration and the teaching staff to ensure curriculum plans are consistent with the center’s conceptual STEM based approach.

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