Our Polar Past

Journal Article | November 2009

The study of polar exploration is fascinating and offers students insights into the history, culture, and politics that affect the developing sciences at the farthest ends of Earth. Therefore, the authors think there is…

Editor's Note: Assessment: Learning Under Construction

Journal Article | June 2011

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue.

Encouraging Balanced Scientific Research Through Formal Debate

Journal Article | February 2007

Having little or no background knowledge has never prevented seventh graders from having strong opinions on a subject! However, when asked to research a topic, middle school students (and also, many adults as well) tend…

Editor’s Corner: Assessment—Asking the Big Questions

Journal Article | December 2010

Assessment is often synonymous with measurement. We use summative assessments to determine if and where a student will go to college, how much funding a state will receive, whether teachers will stay or be fired, and…

Collaboration at the Nanoscale

Journal Article | March 2009

The Maine ScienceCorps is a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Teaching Fellows in K–12 Education (GK–12 ) program. Through this program, the University of Southern Maine’s (USM)…

A Sense of Scale: Studying how scale affects systems and organisms

Journal Article | December 2002

The concept of scale is central to many science disciplines. The authors share activities focusing on the importance of scale and its effects.

Science Sampler: Studying storms to understand weather

Journal Article | February 2007

Who isn’t awed by the power, beauty, and destructive capabilities of a hurricane, tornado, or snowstorm? Storms are one of those topics that nearly all students are interested in, and by capitalizing on this interest…

Scope on Safety: Dust off your safety procedures

Journal Article | June 2006

The National Air Pollution Central Administration estimates that over 43 million tons of dust falls on the United States yearly. Now, add to the dust and dirt scenario the exposures in a laboratory environment (such as…

Every Day Science Calendar: April 2006

Journal Article | March 2006

This monthly feature contains facts and challenges for the science explorer.

Editorial: Graphics in the Lecture Hall

Journal Article | August 1997

The Journal of College Science Teaching’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue.

After the Bell: The neurological tourist

Journal Article | October 1999

Teachers sometimes have difficulty suggesting appropriate activities for specialized topics, such as neuroscience. This article directs students to a fully interactive activity-based learning program, and it all begins…

Good Problems to Have

Journal Article | November 2003

Implementing problem-based learning (PBL) without redesigning a curriculum. This article explores ways to integrate PBL into science curricula and to introduce and use PBL lessons throughout the school year. By…

Point of View: A Gentle Reminder that a Hypothesis is Never Proven Correct, nor is a Theory Ever Proven to Be True

Journal Article | August 2006

Teachers have created a huge misconception for students and non-scientists who read and use textbooks. They have come to believe that science is absolute and not open to challenge. Worse still for the scientific…

A Message from the NSTA President: A New Era for NSTA Conventions

Journal Article | October 2005

NSTA has unveiled a new name--and an enriched format--for its time-honored conventions. The NSTA national and area conventions will now be called NSTA Conferences on Science Education. Teachers will benefit from the…

Guest Editorial: Happy anniversary, traveling companion!

Journal Article | August 2007

Fifty years ago, on Friday, October 4, 1957, a 184-pound, silver-colored, metal ball caused an event that would change the world forever and reshape science education in the United States for decades to come. That beach…