All Resources

Journal Article

Is Science Really Value Free?

In general, the way that introductory courses in science are taught leads students to a limited view of science: science as totally objective—as the truth, constructed out of numbers, wires, and laboratory animals by faceless and dimensionless rese...

Journal Article

Student-Centered Seismology Activities

This article describes a three-week unit on earthquakes, a high-interest topic that is no doubt taught in most science classrooms. But in this unit, students learn about earthquakes by building equipment for experiments; using physical models, maps, ...

Journal Article

Fan Car Physics

Fan-powered cars are a great way to explore the concept of motion. The handheld fan allows students to control the force acting on the car, thus eliminating a variable that would arise if students pushed the vehicles by hand. This article describes h...

Journal Article

The New Curriculum Movement in Science

The new science courses differ in purpose from traditional courses and so do the tests. A student is first of all required to understand the facts, formulas, and principles he has learned. Therefore, knowing about science and having the ability to me...

Journal Article

Shrimp Farming in the Classroom

In inquiry-based instruction, discovery and learning belong to the students. In this exploration, jumbo shrimp are the source of inspiration. The magic in this project lies not in successfully culturing these shrimp, known as Macrobrachium rosenbergi...

Journal Article

Sowing the Seeds of the <em>Standards</em>: Applying the <em>Standards</em> in the elementary classroom

In this article, the author shares how she developed a unit of study aligned with the Standards that focused on the question “Why do plants have flowers?” The standard that applies to this question is the K–4 Life Science Content Standard C. Pe...

Journal Article

Reaching to the <em>Standards</em>

Sharing inquiry-based teaching ideas with preservice and in-service teachers, other colleagues, and parents will only enhance how science is taught to and perceived by children. With the integration of many subjects, infusion of high-quality literatu...

Journal Article

The Social Responsibilities of Scientists and Science

The following article is based on Dr. Pauling’s address at the annual Convention of the National Science Teachers Association in New York City, April 3. This article was first published in May, 1966....

Journal Article

“Science is About Facts,” or Is It? Changing Student Conceptions About the Nature of Science

This paper analyzes some of the issues in teaching and learning in an introductory physical science course to a group of nonscience majors: elementary teacher education students. In particular, it examines the influence of the course on the students�...

Journal Article

The Case Study: Cooking with Betty Crocker—A Recipe for Case Writing

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month’s issue features the general approaches to writing case studies....

Journal Article

Comparing the CO Content of Cigarette Smoke and Auto Exhaust: Measuring Concentrations of Toxic Vapor Using Gas Chromatography

This lab exercise investigates and compares the carbon monoxide content of automobile exhaust and cigarette smoke. The experiment uses gas chromatography with thermal conductivity detection to analyze the percentage by volume concentrations found in ...

Journal Article

Using Dramatizations to Present Science Concepts: Activating Students' Knowledge and Interest in Science

Incorporating dramatizations into science classes is a useful strategy for demonstrating phenomena that are difficult or impossible to observe directly. The dramatizations are designed to help students learn by translating an abstract concept into an...

Journal Article

Multimedia Term Papers in Introductory Earth Science Classes: Using Multimedia Project Technology to Combine Writing, Science, and Technology Instruction

This article explains a methodology to successfully implement student multimedia presentations in introductory earth science classes. Students learn to incorporate World Wide Web images, sound, movies, and text into projects using templates, clip art...

Journal Article

SCST: National Standards for Introductory College Science Courses? Can and Should We Develop Them?

In this column the leadership of SCST shares its views with JCST readers. In this month’s issue the author focuses on establishing national standards for college science teaching—can or should we?...

Journal Article

Why Do Students “Cook” Data? A Case Study on the Tenacity of Misconceptions

This paper describes an extraordinary example of data fabrication in which two students and their course instructor are so certain that they know how an experiment should turn out that they repeatedly dismiss contradictory data until they finally rep...

Journal Article

Guest Editorial: To Reweave a Rainbow—Reflections on the Unity of Knowledge

An opinion piece about the "Unity of Knowledge."...

Journal Article

The Paradigm Changes: But Do Our Students Know That? Tracking the Gradual and Continual Evolution of the Periodic Chart

Although Mendeleeff presented his periodic chart in a paper to the German Chemical Society in 1869, its acceptance was a gradual process. The changes in the chart and its movement to its present position inside the front cover of all texts is a perfe...

Journal Article

Favorite Demonstration: The Effect of Calcium on the Binding of Calmodulin to Calcium/Calmodulin Protein Kinase II: Demonstrating the Calcium-Dependent Binding of Calmodulin to a Target Protein

This exercise visually demonstrates that the binding of calcium to calmodulin changes its conformation to allow binding to a target protein, calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II. It introduces undergraduates to the concept of regulatory pathways cont...

Journal Article

Integrating Introductory Biology and General Chemistry Laboratories: Making the Necessary Connections Between Scientific Disciplines at Boston University

This paper discusses how two different laboratory sections can employ nontraditional investigative laboratory modules that integrate concepts from cell biology, molecular genetics, and chemistry. During each module, students analyze data, draw conclu...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Using Learning-Styles Data to Design a Microbiology Course: Addressing a Spectrum of Learning Styles at the University of Puerto Rico

Studies in learning theory indicate that active learning is more effective than passive learning (Matthews, Cooper, Davidson, and Hawkes 1995; McKeachie 1980). Today’s students must be independent thinkers who can function well as team members. Lis...

Journal Article

http://World Wide Weather: Involving students in GLOBE's real-life scientific research

Students at Norwood School and more than 8,000 other schools on seven continents (including Antarctica) learn how scientific research works by participating in the GLOBE program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment). Involving...

Journal Article

Using an Environmental Science Course to Promote Scientific Literacy: Expanding Critical-Thinking Skills Beyond the Environmental Sciences

The scientific and technological issues surrounding environmental problems exemplify why teaching scientific literacy is so vital to environmental science courses. In this paper, the authors analyze some of the strategies that instructors of an envir...

Journal Article

Tech Trek: Distant partners

The projects in this article focus on how a team approach can take advantage of the best of the Internet. To spread the word about these projects information is posted on teacher listservs, discussion areas, and Internet clearinghouses for online col...

Journal Article

Enhancing Undergraduate Science Instruction: The G-Step Approach: Capitalizing on the Pedagogical Strengths of Science Educators and the Content Expertise of Science TAs

Only rarely do teaching assistants (TAs) attend professional development workshops designed to acquaint them with pedagogical models. Thus, new instructors typically engage in ineffective instructional methods built on their experiences rather than o...

Journal Article

Library of Conservation: Using children's literature to teach the concept of stewardship integrates science and language arts

As we try to achieve the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) and promote general science literacy for young children, we might begin by discussing conservation or stewardship. Children can readily understand the ide...

Journal Article

Editor's Note: It <b>Is</b> Exciting

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue and introduces NSTA's SciLINKS® connection....

Journal Article

Problem Solver: Teaching Tropisms

Plants are found in most locations in the world and have the remarkable ability to capture and store energy from sunlight. Without the green plant’s ability to carry out the process we call photosynthesis, Earth would be a lifeless, barren planet. ...