Describes an instructional strategy to develop creative thinking. Students learn what information scientists had prior to formulation of an idea and attempt to devise their own solutions to the problem. However, no experimentally verified solution to the problem is known. Advantages to this approach are discussed. (Author/JN)

Uses a hypothetical ecology problem in which students need to apply problem based learning for a town government. Explains how to evaluate student results. (YDS)

Explains a series of laboratory activities which employ a microwave oven to help students understand word problems that relate to states of matter, collect data, and calculate and compare electrical costs to heat energy costs. (DDR)

Introduces the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) which was created by West Virginia University for secondary school students to address the shortage of minorities pursuing science careers. Aims to improve science and mathematics education and increase the college attendance rate among underrepresented students. Indicates the importance…

Introduces a project of constructing a rover that can maintain its upright position with minimal gravitation that is based on National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratories rover designs. Tests the project in NASA's "Vomit Comet" under zero-gravity environment. (YDS)

Introduces conceptual physics, which does not have the computational roadblock typical to most physics courses and appeals to both science and non-science students. First published in 1990. (YDS)

Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has yielded a more comprehensive understanding of brain function. Some of these diagnostic techniques include the event-related potential, which depicts brain electrical activity, and magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, which are particularly sensitive to the delineation of brain…

Examines the processes involved in problem solving and provides twelve problems that may be used to illustrate these processes. (JR)

Describes the stages and outcomes of a junior high school science lesson on erosion and deposition utilizing a "kids as researchers" theme. Stages include awareness, discussion, investigation, experimentation, generalization, and extension. (SK)

Examines the nature of observational science and cites its role as a foundation for subsequent scientific research. Uses a case history to illustrate the interplay of observation, problem recognition, and hypothesis testing. (DDR)

Presents John Collier's "Problem-Solving Loop" as a structure for finding the most acceptable solution to any problem. Describes a project that uses the problem-solving loop to analyze some problems outside the classroom related to kinematics and dynamics. (JRH)

Details a lesson that utilizes trigonometric identities to determine the optimal angle between the atoms of covalent bonds. Generates a proof of the optimal angle for a molecule with four identical atoms bonded to a central atom that has a complete valence shell. (DDR)

Presents the EnergyNet Energy Audit Project, a project-based curriculum on energy education. Includes ideas for working with the community and cost analysis. (YDS)

Describes a lesson that utilized inquiry to teach the students a scientific concept and to emphasize the fact that they shouldn't jump to conclusions. (LS)

Incorporates some ideas from a book by Galileo into a problem-solving format that challenges students. (LS)