Instructing Students in Academic Integrity

Journal Article | October 2010

Plagiarism is a great temptation to students in this digital age, in areas ranging from the purchase of term papers on the internet to improper citing of sources in reports to the inappropriate use of clickers in the…

Developing an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Framework for Aquatic-Ecosystem Modeling

Journal Article | October 2007

This paper presents results from a July 2005 workshop and course aimed at developing an interdisciplinary course on modeling aquatic ecosystems that will provide the next generation of practitioners with critical skills…

A Week for Space

Journal Article | August 2008

Space Week focuses on concepts that enable students to make concrete observations in the early grades (K—2) and move to concepts that help students develop their internet research and writing skills in middle and upper…

Using Japanese Lesson Design to ANTicipate an Invasion on Maui

Journal Article | October 2007

Native ant species do not exist on the island of Maui, the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands. However, one ant, the little fire ant (LFA or Wasmannia auropunctata) has recently appeared in the region, being…

Teaching Tomorrow’s College Science Courses: Are We Getting It Right? Preparing Students to Become Informed and Responsible Participants n the Decision-Making Process

Journal Article | April 2000

The goal of educational reform in the United States is to shift from the dominant method of teaching facts to emphasizing higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) learning. Outlining the benefits and feasibility of…

A Backward Approach to Inquiry

Journal Article | December 2005

In the sciences, the National Science Education Standards further emphasize that learning science is an inquiry-based process; therefore, teaching methods should be inquiry-based. Use a backwards design approach to…

Scope on the Skies: Deep-sky objects

Journal Article | February 2008

Beyond the region of our solar system is the rest of the Milky Way galaxy, and of course the rest of the universe. To the amateur astronomer or casual observer, the phrase deep-sky objects is a reference to those dim…

Their Turn to Teach: High school students teach physics to elementary students

Journal Article | October 2001

As all educators realize at some point in their careers, the best way to learn something is to teach it. This is also an excellent way to demonstrate a sound understanding of a topic. So, when the authors’ physics…

Unlocking the Atom

Journal Article | January 2007

In this project, high school chemistry students investigate atomic structure from a historical perspective. Assuming the personas of eight legendary scientists and their assistants, students stage a mock gathering to…

After the Bell: Mapping for geographic awareness -- Part I

Journal Article | October 2004

Maps and mapping are of great importance in the field of education because mapping concepts are linked to the development of students’ thinking and cognitive structures. In addition, mapping concepts are based on…

Learning to Teach: The Role of Evidence

Journal Article | February 2005

Prospective science teachers should be taught how to base their planning and instructional decisions on the systematic analysis of evidence of student understanding. We describe three investigations that teach future…

Safer Science: Clean and Green

Journal Article | June 2012

This column provides best safety practices for the science classroom and laboratory. This month’s issue discusses cleaning methods in schools.

After the Bell: Developing an awareness of pet stewardship

Journal Article | September 2008

Given the commonness of pets in communities throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia, among other countries, pet stewardship should be a natural topic of study for the integration of science, mathematics, and…

Editor's Corner: Our Science Report Card

Journal Article | February 2011

Despite some gains, significant disparities in achievement remain a major challenge for educators and schools. In this month's column, TST's Field Editor presents the results of the most recent National Assessment of…

Science Shorts: Does the Moon Still Matter?

Journal Article | January 2012

This column provides classic classroom activities that emphasize science process skills. This month’s issue provides several stand-alone and interconnected activities for third graders that are associated with teaching…