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Journal Article

Science 101: Why does air expand when you heat it, and why does hot air rise?

The short answer to the questions in the title are that air doesn't necessarily expand when you heat it, and hot air doesn't always rise. These two commonly misunderstood concepts related to the behavior of gases and how this behavior applies to phy...

Journal Article

Society for College Science Teachers: iPods -- Informative or Invasive?

The ubiquitous devices, known as iPods, are being used in a variety of teacher-centered ways. In some classes, students are using them to record interviews and produce reports or other audio or video products to be shared with other students. The m...

Journal Article

There's More to Teaching Science

There's more to teaching science than stuffing kids with facts. They have to learn to question, to observe, and to explore. Kids need to think like scientists; to sort and sift and muse. Encourage novel thinking; new approaches and different ways....

Journal Article

Every Day Science Calendar: September 2006

This monthly feature contains facts and challenges for the science explorer. ...

Journal Article

Score One for Alternative Assessment

"What conventional testing hides is the enormous misunderstanding that many students have about things the generic standardized tests say they 'know'...students possess a great deal of knowledge that hides a great deal of understanding." This article...

Journal Article

A "Nature of Science" Discussion: Connecting Mathematics and Science

Nonscience majors often come into science courses with misconceptions about the nature of science. As part of an integrative mathematics and science course, we have structured a continued dialogue regarding the nature of science through inquiry-base...

Journal Article

Ask the Experts -- September 2006

In this month's "Ask the Experts" column, the Experts respond to the following thought-provoking questions: "If water boils at 100°C, how can a glass full of water evaporate at room temperature, about 20-25°C? "Why do glaciers look blue?" and "How ...

Journal Article

Unlocking Reading Comprehension with Key Science Inquiry Skills

As secondary science teachers, we must remember that scientific literacy cannot be attained without fundamental literacy--the ability to read and comprehend textual information and write competently about the subject under study. To achieve literacy ...

Journal Article

Point of View: A Gentle Reminder that a Hypothesis is Never Proven Correct, nor is a Theory Ever Proven to Be True

Teachers have created a huge misconception for students and non-scientists who read and use textbooks. They have come to believe that science is absolute and not open to challenge. Worse still for the scientific community is the fact that, in commo...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Luna

Our Moon, Luna, will be the focus of the Scope on the Skies columns for this coming school year. Data and information will be provided so that each month you and your students can follow the Moon and the Earth as the two orbit together around the Sun...

Journal Article

The Confidence Game

Students are usually quick to draw conclusions about their surroundings. Their generalizations, however, are often based on a single experience or even a story recounted by a friend. As we gain more experience in the world, out ability to reason in...

Journal Article

Electrolyte Racers

A fast way to teach investigative skills in science is to tie them to NASCAR using Hot Wheels Formula Fuelers Race Cars. These inexpensive toy cars travel different distances based on the strength of the electrolyte (a substance that conducts electr...

Journal Article

A Service-Learning Model for Science Education Outreach

The Science Education Outreach Program (SEOP) engages undergraduate students from a variety of academic disciplines in service-learning experiences. University and community educators introduce and model contemporary educational theories and methods...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Monitoring the Oceans from the Classroom

Major disasters such as the tsunami of 2004 and hurricanes of 2005 have emphasized the need for an organized global network of ocean observing systems. As a result, Observing System Education has been identified as one of three National Oceanographic...

Journal Article

Teacher's Toolkit: Toolkit for improving practice

In a standards-based climate, it is important for teachers to know that they are addressing the concepts and skills that will prepare students for success on measures of achievement as well as success in the worlds of science, technology, engineering...