Rethinking Laboratories: Tools for converting cookbook labs into inquiry

Journal Article | August 2003

An inquiry analysis tool and adaptation principles help teachers evaluate and adapt laboratories to be more inquiry-oriented.

Editorial: Moving On but Staying Around

Journal Article | August 2005

One of the many benefits of college and university teaching is that it is often possible to remain active in school affairs after retirement. Some elder faculty continue to teach while others participate in research…

A Wave of Interest

Journal Article | August 2011

This article uses current events and models to generate inquiry. The teacher uses recycled materials to build a tsunami model.

Becoming A National Board Certified Teacher: One Teacher’s Perspective

Journal Article | June 2007

Reflecting on one’s practice, whether it is a conversation with a single student, a lesson, or a unit plan, is the surest way for a teacher to improve. Going through the process of becoming a National Board Certified…

Editor’s Roundtable: Woods full of wisdom

Journal Article | February 2003

We should all strive to use the study of trees to elevate students’ feelings and attitudes and to create a sense of wonder, appreciation, and personal attachment. Two great American writers, Ralph Waldo Emerson and…

Tried and True: Volcano résumés

Journal Article | February 2008

Tired of building a paper mâché volcano to teach about plate tectonics? Do you want to connect science and writing? Then the volcano résumé project is perfect for you. This one-week, problem-based learning (PBL) project…

Can Trains Really Float?

Journal Article | February 2008

Have you ever heard of a Maglev train? Who would be crazy enough to think that exploring how a high-tech train little known in the United States works with a group of fourth-grade students would yield understandings…

Cougars and the Community

Journal Article | March 2008

In a research collaboration with government biologists and university educators, K—12 students in the Cle Elum-Roslyn (CER) School District in eastern Washington are investigating where cougars go when their habitat…

After the Bell: Where do we go next?

Journal Article | January 2001

As teachers, we need to connect students’ informal mapping skills to formal mapping concepts that they can learn in school. An important way that school districts or teachers themselves can solve this dilemma is to…

Scope on Safety: Chemical tracking systems—not your usual global positioning system!

Journal Article | March 2007

The haphazard storing and tracking of chemicals in the laboratory is a serious safety issue facing science teachers. To get control of your chemicals, try implementing a chemical tracking system. A chemical tracking…

Point of View: Planting the Seeds—The Influence of College Science Teaching on the Generation of Science Teachers

Journal Article | November 2008

Most undergraduate science students will likely not become science professors, much less people of science (Fox 1998; Tobias 1992). However, some may become K—12 science teachers. Are we, as science professors,…

Scope on the Skies: Watch your weight

Journal Article | January 2002

This column focuses on astronomy throughout the year. This month’s issue focuses on gravity, one of the four forces in the universe that scientists refer to as a fundamental force.

Investigating the Mercalli Intensity Scale Through "Lived Experience"

Journal Article | November 2012

Shake up your class with a look at the intensity-based alternative to the Richter scale.

In-Class Incentives That Encourage Students to Take Concept Assessments Seriously

Journal Article | October 2012

This article explores whether administering a posttest on the final exam differs from administering it on the last day of class with extra final exam points for scoring 100% on the posttest as an incentive.

Chef of the Week

Journal Article | August 2012

A student-led program promotes healthier snacks.