Toying Around

Journal Article | October 2013

A seemingly simple pull toy can open students' eyes to the nature of science.

Inexpensive Equipment for the Physics Classroom

Journal Article | October 2013

How to construct a ramp and five labs that make use of it.

Editor's Corner: Physics Instruction in the Era of the NGSS

Journal Article | October 2013

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

Science 2.0: Gamify AP Biology

Journal Article | October 2013

This column shares web tools that support learning. This month’s issue interviews a biology teacher who has created video screencasts for his "flipped" classes and recently reinvented his Advanced Placement Biology…

The New Teacher's Toolbox: Finding Funding and Securing Swag

Journal Article | October 2013

This column shares tips for teachers just beginning their career. This month’s issue offers tips for finding funding and free equipment for the science classroom.

Career of the Month: An Interview With Microscopist Hari Shroff

Journal Article | October 2013

This column shares interviews with professionals using science in the workplace. This month’s issue highlights a microscopist career.

Health Wise: Pushing Caffeine to Teens

Journal Article | October 2013

This Q&A style column provides up-to-date information on current health topics—helping students (and teachers) make healthy choices. In this month’s issue students become more aware of caffeine in their diets.

Safer Science: Choose Biological Stains Carefully

Journal Article | October 2013

This column provides best safety practices for the science classroom and laboratory. This month’s issue discusses biological stains.

The Green Room: Why Care About Wetlands?

Journal Article | October 2013

This column focuses on making your teaching more environmentally friendly. This month’s issue offers activities to help students learn about wetlands.

Implementing Pedagogical Change in Introductory Biology Courses Through the Use of Faculty Learning Communities

Journal Article | October 2013

This article discusses the implementation of student-centered learning in introductory biology classses that is being facilitated by the use of faculty learning communities.

Scientists' and Teachers' Perspectives About Collaboration

Journal Article | October 2013

The authors recently completed a six-year regional project that used several approaches to develop scientist-teacher relationships. At the conclusion 38 scientists and teachers were brought together to reflect on their…

Transformative Research-Based Pedagogy Workshops for Chemistry Graduate Students and Postdocs

Journal Article | October 2013

This article discusses one-day professional development workshops for graduate students and postdocs. The workshop introduced strong instructional approaches, established the importance of theory, and introduced novel…

Online Reading Informs Classroom Instruction and Promotes Collaborative Learning

Journal Article | October 2013

This article describes an online annotation tool that was tested in two biology courses: intermediate-level Molecular Biology and upper level Cancer Biology.

Reforming an Undergraduate Environmental Science Course for Nonscience Majors

Journal Article | October 2013

This article discusses the key components of a reform-based introductory undergraduate environmental science course for nonscience majors and elementary teacher candidates as well as the impact of such components on the…

Light, Brain, and Action: An Introductory, Interdisciplinary Course on Optogenetics for Undergraduate Students

Journal Article | October 2013

This article discusses a semester-long interdisciplinary science course using recently developed optogenetic technique as a main context. This technique provides an engaging modern context for studying and connecting…