Active Learning Strategies

Journal Article | November 2008

When students understand content deeply, they recognize main concepts and understand the relationships among ideas. But the typical processes students use to study are generally not designed to generate conceptual…

Editor’s Note: Inquiry—Process Skills

Journal Article | September 2010

We take for granted that students have some abilities in questioning, observing, predicting, planning an investigation, collecting data, interpreting information, and communicating their ideas. But, this is more than…

Computer Use in the Science Classroom: Proceed with Caution! What Educators Still Need to Learn About Computer Exploitation

Journal Article | January 1997

Compared with books, black boards, calculators, and overhead projectors, the computer is a very new entity in the classroom. Despite its newness, this field must mature quickly to keep pace with the rapidly increasing…

Research and Teaching: Student Perceptions of the Use of Inquiry Practices in a Biology Survey Laboratory Course

Journal Article | October 2011

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of inquiry that students in a Biology Survey Laboratory course considered to be the most supportive of their learning at a small, rural midwestern university. When…

Engaging Students in Scientific Practices: What Does Constructing and Revising Models Look Like in the Science Classroom?

Journal Article | February 2012

In this article the authors look in-depth at scientific practice number 2—developing, evaluating, and revising scientific models to explain and predict phenomena—and what it means for classroom teaching.

Natural Resources: The Naming Convention

Journal Article | February 2012

This column helps bring the outdoors into your curriculum. This month’s issue talks about species identification.

Favorite Demonstration: Using a Demonstration for an End-of-Semester Review

Journal Article | October 2006

Demonstrations are an ideal way to end a course, and can be much more than a fun or even memorable diversion before the intense week of final exams. When paired with an in-class worksheet, they can serve as an excellent…

Biology of the Southeast

Journal Article | April 2004

A learning community for science students gives participants an opportunity to design and implement a field biology research project. Integrated into the scientific emphasis on ecology, evolution, natural history, and…

This Isn’t English Class! Using Writing as an Assessment Tool in Science

Journal Article | December 2007

We know that writing is a huge part of science. It is the way scientists communicate ideas, results, conclusions, and opinions to other scientists. Thus, the author uses writing in a number of ways to have students…

Travel Without Leaving the Classroom

Journal Article | October 2002

Create travel brochures that explore the flaura and fauna of different biomes to persuade travelers to pay a visit. In this project, students research and report on a particular biome. The final product is a magazine…

Editor's Corner: Science for All

Journal Article | March 2013

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue.

Favorite Demonstration: The Johnson D.C. Electric Motor Recipe—A New Twist to the Mystery of the Electric Motor

Journal Article | April 1997

The world of electric motors is of interest to students of all ages. To teach students the basic principles underlying the direct current motor, an instructor needs a model that students can handle during a classroom…

Three Keys to Success in Science for Students With Learning Disabilities

Journal Article | October 2011

Students with learning disabilities often need additional supports and structure in inquiry classrooms. The authors describe three ways teachers can enhance the achievement of these students: focusing on big ideas,…

Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools

Journal Article | February 2006

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations are in the midst of a Type 2 diabetes epidemic. To address this crisis, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) began funding a…

Editor's Note (March 2004)

Journal Article | February 2004

If science is the study of the natural world, how can we avoid physics and chemistry? Our students should understand the connections of the biological and physical realms before they hit the more abstract treatment in…