JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
Are you looking for ways to log professional development hours without traveling too far away from home this summer? Through reading, a teacher can spend valuable hours updating content background and methods, or simply refreshing the spirit --at you...
Journal Article
Sixth-grade students learn about the scientific processes of archaeology and paleontology when they participate in this activity. Students participate in integrated lessons based on the two disciplines, with language arts, social studies, and mathema...
Journal Article
Ask the Experts -- Summer 2005
The questions presented in this month's Ask the Experts section include, Can a chemical equation have two correct ways to balance it? and Why is the first electron shell in atomic structure designated with "K" (K, L, M, N...) rather than "A"?...
Journal Article
Tried and True: Presenting mitosis
Bring the stages of mitosis to life for your students with the use of technology. In this engaging lesson, students are introduced to the topic of cell division, and then students can showcase their interpretations of the stages of mitosis by creatin...
Journal Article
Editor's Corner: Reflection and Renewal
According to Field Editor, Steve Metz, science teachers know that the traditional time for reflection on the past year is more likely to come in July than in January. Since summer is the time for reflecting on past practices and planning in anticipat...
Journal Article
Science teachers don't always have to write their own case studies; after all, there are plenty of books that feature science in their plots. This case study uses the book State of Fear as the basis for a discussion of global warming issues....
Journal Article
Issues in-depth: Setting FIRES to stem cell research
Stem cell research is constantly under "fire" in the media today. Use this effective strategy to present the basic scientific knowledge about stem cells, the promise of stem cell research to medicine, and the ethical considerations and arguments invo...
Journal Article
Science Shorts: Heating Up, Cooling Down
Have you ever stepped barefoot onto a sandy beach on a warm and sunny day? Chances are you started to move fast as the hot sand began to scorch your feet! When you return in the evening you'll find the sand has become cool and soothing. This artic...
Journal Article
Guided by an Inventor’s Log and the process of scientific inquiry, students problem solve, think creatively, and budget their time and resources to brainstorm and build an invention. Students present their inventions to the class and to the communi...
Journal Article
Dolphins, manatees, and sea lions are all aquatic mammals but are not closely related taxonomically. All three species are marine mammals, meaning they spend part or all of their lives in the sea and contiguous bodies of water. In this unique standar...
Journal Article
Scope on Safety: More ergo, less aargh!
Is your job a pain in the neck, wrist, or back? If so, ergonomics may provide you with some relief. Ergonomics is the science of adapting workstations, tools, equipment, and job practices to be compatible with the individual worker and thus reduce th...
Journal Article
Career of the Month: An Interview with Aquaculture Veterinarian Roy P.E. Yanong
Did you know that fish have doctors too? Although this may sound "fishy", it's true! In this issue's Career of the Month column, you'll meet fish doctor Roy P.E. Yanong, an Aquaculture Veterinarian, and discover this intriguing career in the process....
Journal Article
Field and Natural Science: A Blend of Content and Pedagogy for Preservice Teachers
This article describes a field biology course specifically designed for students planning to teach in the elementary or middle-level grades. The fundamental goal of the course is to improve students’ science literacy and enhance their ability to ap...
Journal Article
Lessons from The Little Prince
This article discusses the ways the classic children’s book touches on issues teachers face and suggests analogies between the encounters of the Little Prince and the challenges of making science meaningful for our students....
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Analogy of the cell project
In this inquiry-based science project, students compare the makeup of a cell to an everyday working unit or system and create a three-dimensional object that represents their analogy. In addition, students select five specific organelles to include i...
Journal Article
AIDS and other Human Diseases: Teaching Science in the Context of Culture
A course on AIDS presents many interdisciplinary opportunities as well as interactive pedagogies. In an AIDS course at Whittier College, students learn about the biological basis and epidemiology of the disease, tackle current policy issues in the Un...
Journal Article
Research and Teaching: Using Action Research to Improve Teaching and Student Learning in College
An action research approach was used to examine revisions made to the design and delivery of a freshman zoology laboratory section. Because action research involves iterative cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, we raised and invest...
Journal Article
Editorial: A Community Challenge -- Career Support for Postdocs
Those long in the tooth will remember when a typical postdoc appointment was usually a relatively short hiatus between the completion of a dissertation and a more permanent position. Once finished polishing the work, got a publication or two out of ...
Journal Article
Teaching with Java Applets: Using Online Demonstrations in Large Classes of Nonscience Majors
Instructors can use interactive Java applets to present science in a concrete and meaningful manner to nonscience majors. This article shows how applets can take the place of laboratory work and gives examples and benefits of using applets....
Journal Article
Teaching Critical-Thinking Skills Using Course Content Material: A Reversal of Roles
The strategy of getting students to understand science content using critical thinking has been widely used by instructors for decades. The methodology presented here was used to teach and improve critical-thinking skills in an atmosphere that focuse...
Journal Article
Genes and Race in the Classroom: Science in a Social Context
This article describes a course for nonscience majors that uses the issue of race in humans to stimulate interest in genetics and other sciences. Student outcomes, including valuing and understanding science, plus an ability to discuss the sensitive ...
Journal Article
The Living Earth: Inviting Students into the World of Scientific Research through Seismology
In an introductory geoscience course, various elements of seismology were combined -- such as seismographs, seismograms, simulation of earthquake processes, and data analysis -- with open-ended problem solving to support preservice elementary teacher...
Journal Article
FIRST: A Model for Developing New Science Faculty
Developing education skills in future college faculty is challenging. At the postdoctoral level, Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) fellows effectively integrate research with mentored undergraduate teaching experiences and foster i...
Journal Article
Modeling the Research Process: Alternative Approaches to Teaching Undergraduates
An Introduction to Research course was modified to better teach the process of scientific inquiry to students who were not engaged in research projects. Students completed several tasks involved in research projects, including making presentations in...
Journal Article
Favorite Demonstration: A Fruity Biochemistry Demonstration
Inquiry, high-order thinking, reasoning skills, and critical thinking are buzzwords for the outcomes for which college science instructors strive. They can all be succinctly summarized as "get students thinking about what they are learning." Classr...
Journal Article
Society for College Science Teachers: Grade Inflation -- Is Ranking Students the Answer?
In recent years, several solutions have been proposed at various institutions nationwide to curb the phenomena of "grade inflation". Solutions include limiting the number of A's awarded, converting to a +/- system, publishing the class GPA next to e...
Journal Article
The Case Study: The Pima Experience -- Three Easy Pieces
The Academic Director of a University Honors Program in Buffalo, NY finds himself at Pima Community College, one of the nation's premier minority/majority systems. While working on an NSF grant, it was proposed that his group travel the country, dis...
Journal Article
Spice up your science curriculum by partnering with a local university to bring talent and resources into your classroom-- it's not as daunting as you think! This article raises awareness of GK-12 programs by sharing experiences from SPICE (Science P...