Commentary: Talk of the Town

Journal Article | October 2001

An opinion piece about the concerns highlighted at the Town Meeting at the 2001 NSTA Convention.

Dating the Moon

Journal Article | January 2013

This article describes ways to teach lunar stratigraphy and the nature of science.

Society for College Science Teachers: Never Underestimate the Dark Side of the Force

Journal Article | February 2007

Implementing best practices, however well supported by research, is resisted by both circumstances and people. Thus, what you read and hear about methods others have used must be modified and compromised to fit the…

Formative Assessment Probes: Is It Living?

Journal Article | March 2011

Uncover the hidden meanings children construct.

Scientific Inquiry Meets Storytelling and Filmmaking: Creating Video Lab Reports Using a Project-Based Learning Approach

Journal Article | December 2012

Design, create plan, direct, edit, and produce a video lab report using students' own experimental data.

Ask the Experts—September 2004

Journal Article | August 2004

The experts address the following question in this month’s column: Why do geckos make sounds and why mostly at night?

Arguing for Evolution

Journal Article | January 2000

On August 11, 1999, the Kansas State Board of Education voted six to four to remove references to cosmology and evolution from the state’s education standards and assessments. However, the author believes that students…

Switch on Student Interest: Learning to derive the equation for resistors in parallel

Journal Article | November 2000

In this lab activity, traditional parallel circuit problems were used to evaluate students' understanding of the relationship that exists among resistors in parallel. But the students now "owned" the equation that they…

Challenging Disciplinary Boundaries in the First Year: A New Introductory Integrated Science Course for STEM Majors

Journal Article | April 2012

This article describes the mobilization, planning, and implementation of a first-year interdiciplinary course for STEM majors that integrates key concepts found in traditional first-semester biology, chemistry, computer…

FIRST: A Model for Developing New Science Faculty

Journal Article | April 2005

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…

A Hidden GEM

Journal Article | October 2012

This article introduces a pedagogical approach to using technology to teach global warming.

Case Study: Chimpanzee Droppings Lead Scientists to Evolutionary Discovery

Journal Article | February 2009

This case study explores the evolution of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) from SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) and how scientists approach problems. The goal is for students to get a sense of how questions are…

Science 101: Why are there so many different models of light?

Journal Article | September 2008

Is light a ray, a wave, or a particle? Yes, yes, and yes. An article in this issue (“The Benefits of Scientific Modeling,” p. 40) discusses the process of scientific modeling, and light is a great example of how…

Project Notebook

Journal Article | October 2004

This article provides an overview of a professional development program designed by seven science resource teachers in which science notebooks were introduced as a means of supporting and enhancing instruction across…

Guest Editorial: Sparks That Ignite Inquiry

Journal Article | November 2010

Students ask questions all the time. They have natural curiosities about the world in which they live. Teachers help pique this curiosity with engaging activities—making students want to know more. Therefore,…