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Journal Article

Editor's Note (October 2006)

Measurement is an orphan that no one really wants. Mathematics and science standards both include measurement but few teachers really get excited by it. Despite the lack of excited in teaching measurement, some bizarre and extreme measurements do f...

Journal Article

Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication

Unfortunately, commercial Course Management Systems (CMS) are often expensive to purchase and maintain, removing them from the reach of many K-12 schools. An alternative is Moodle—Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment-- a free, ope...

Journal Article

The Polar Insulation Investigation

In this article an oceanographer discusses her development of an activity to help students explore polar-related questions more fully. "The Polar Insulation Investigation" builds on students' natural interest in "things polar" and introduces them to...

Journal Article

The Early Years: Learning Measurement

The world is filled with references to measurements that limit children's activities. It's no wonder children strive to be"big" when they often hear adults remarking, "That's too big a piece of cake for you," or "That's too far for you to walk". As...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: What is relative humidity relative to anyway?

When describing the amount of moisture present in the air, the term "relative humidity" is frequently not understood. In order to help students grasp the concept of relative humidity, it helps to ask the question, "Relative to what?" This simple demo...

Journal Article

Inquiry on Board

Helping students to identify variable can be the key to other aspects of an investigation, such as the use of tables or graphs. In this article, we describe a tool we have successfully used to highlight the role of variables in an experiment: inquiry...

Journal Article

Editor’s Note: Investigation Skills

To borrow an idea from John Dewey, problem solving is both the method and purpose of education. Teaching investigation skills can help students move into understanding and applying content to solve real problems. Investigation skills must move from b...

Journal Article

Will it Float?

Student preconceptions are one of the greatest challenges we face as science teachers. This Predict, Explain, Observe, and Explain (PEOE) activity challenges students’ preconceived notions about why matter floats or sinks when placed in a liquid. T...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Joining the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Would you like to get your students involved in an authentic search for extraterrestrial intelligence? The SETI@home project is an ongoing science experiment harnessing the power of computers via the internet. The project is a great inspirational too...

Journal Article

Earth from Above

Using free software called Google Earth, students can view Earth by hovering over features and locations they preselect or by serendipitously exploring locations that catch their fascination. This article presents a lesson in which students use Googl...

Journal Article

Thirty Frames Per Second

Analyzing toppling dominoes in slow motion sharpens students' observations of a fairly common childhood experience and stimulates creativity for subsequent explorations within the field of mechanics and forces in motion. With student participation as...

Journal Article

"Clicker" Cases: Introducing Case Study Teaching Into Large Classrooms

Case study teaching is difficult in large classes, especially in fixed-seat ampitheaters. The development of audience response systems, or "clickers," for use in classrooms has opened up exciting new possibilities for creating and implementing inter...

Journal Article

Science 101: Why is a light-year a unit of distance rather than a unit of time?

There are many issues associated with measurement that can be confusing. From light-years, to Richter scales, to logarithmics, Bill Robertson makes science more palpable for the average person. ...

Journal Article

After the Bell: Beachcombing for fossils

If you have ever taken a field trip to a natural history museum or an aquarium, you may have noticed in the gift shop a display of fossil shark teeth that can be as old as 65 million years for sale. Where did these teeth come from? How are the ages o...

Journal Article

Competing Horizons

This article explores the tensions embedded in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that pose both opportunities and challenges for biology instruction with implications for all the sciences. It highlights issues that may...

Journal Article

In Sync with Science Teaching

A handheld computer is a portable electronic device that helps organize and integrate electronic data into the mobile lifestyle of busy professionals and many students. Handheld devices have become more than just convenient, expensive, electronic dat...

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: The Great Quake of 1906

Natural disasters such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake serve as reminders of the need for geologic research and investment in disaster preparedness of all types. Although young students may view their world as a rather localized area, natural d...

Journal Article

Issues in-depth: Inside global warming

Over the last 15 years, much attention has been given to global warming, and whether the increase in the Earth's temperature in recent decades threatens the survival of life on Earth. As such, it's important that science teachers understand the basic...

Journal Article

Learning Concepts With Cases

The case study method can be an effective pedagogy to address the problems in science education. The National Research Council has identified three principals about how students learn science in the classroom. First, we must address students' prio...

Journal Article

Variations on an Historical Case Study: The Extraordinary Accident of Isidro Mejia

Activities using the same historical case study can be designed for courses of varying degrees of proficiency by altering the format to suit each academic level. The case of Isidro Mejia, a construction worker who had six nails accidently shot into...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Systems of Success -- The George Washington Carver Science Fair

In March 2007, the George Washington Carver Science Fair will celebrate its 28th anniversary. This one-of-a-kind urban enrichment program provides opportunities for middle school students to engage in authentic scientific investigations. Over the yea...

Journal Article

Perspectives: The Myth of Catering to Learning Styles

The idea that people may have different abilities to learn, depending on the modality of instruction, has been around for over 100 years. When applied to educational practice, the essence of this viewpoint is that because everyone learns differently...

Journal Article

Methods and Strategies: Thinking Metric

Despite educators’ strong recommendation for teaching students measurement skills—and specifically the metric system—measurement continues to be among the lowest scoring mathematics content areas in the United States for students. But, it does...

Journal Article

Case Studies Add Value to a Diverse Teaching Portfolio in Science Courses

Together with lectures and labs, case studies assist students in acquiring content knowledge, process skills, and an understanding of the context and application of science to their daily lives. Cases make the process of scientific learning more gen...

Journal Article

Using a Strategic Planning Tool as a Framework for Case Analysis

In this article, the authors describe how they use a strategic planning tool known as SWOT as a framework for case analysis, using it to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of public works projects intended to enhance region...

Journal Article

Every Day Science Calendar: October 2006

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

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: Kite Explorations

Children are delighted by the playful activity of making and flying kites, and this month's trade book article encourages teachers to harness this excitement and connect it to investigations relating to wind, technology, and the design of experiments...

Elementary Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

The Need for Ocean Literacy in the Classroom - Part I: An overview of efforts to promote ocean literacy

Society is largely ocean illiterate and a basic understanding of the key concepts needed for sound decision making on matters related to sustainability and the health of humankind is lacking. At present, a network of approximately 100 members of the ...

Journal Article

Ocean Science in the Classroom

Although ocean or marine science courses can effectively integrate the sciences in ways that stimulate student curiosity and interest, they have not yet received formal recognition for the role they could play in improving science education for secon...

Journal Article

Promoting Discussion in the Science Classroom Using Gallery Walks

A gallery walk is a discussion technique that gets students out of their chairs and actively involved in synthesizing important science concepts, writing, and public speaking. The technique also cultivates listening and team-building skills. This p...

Journal Article

Using Student Peer Review of Experiement Reports in an Undergraduate Physics Class

A class centered on student design of experiments and peer review of the resulting reports is described. Thirteen students in an honors seminar section of an introductory physics class designed experiments to test various types of paranormal phenome...