Inquiry-based learning is more work than passive learning, and there is a body of students who prefer to take the easier route. But there is also a body of students who wish to explore science. Two descriptive evolutionary experiments conducted by university freshman/sophomore biology majors, enrolled in General Zoology are described.

A simple and effective way of exposing chemistry students to some of the effects of scaling up an organic reaction is described. It gives the student an experience that may encounter in an industrial setting.

Makes a case for the assessment of investigations against the Concept of Evidence in written tests as a potentially more reliable and valid way of assessing the ideas used in all types of biology investigations, thus reducing the distorting effect of assessment on the curriculum. (Author/SOE)

In this article, the author shares some notes from her own experience of supporting and delivering many hands-on datalogging workshops and using a variety of datalogging systems. She hopes they will be useful to those with less experience. She has broken down the notes into two main areas: the practicalities and learning about datalogging.…

Teaching Newtonian physics involves the replacement of students' ideas about physical situations with precise concepts appropriate for mathematical applications. This paper focuses on the concepts of "matter" and "mass". We suggest that students, like some pre-Newtonian scientists we examine, use these terms in a way that conflicts with their…

Piaget's investigations into children's understanding of the laws governing the movement of a simple pendulum were first reported in 1955 as part of a report into how children's knowledge of the physical world changes during development. Chapter 4 of Inhelder & Piaget (1955/1958) entitled "The Oscillation of a Pendulum and the Operations of…

This paper traces the sophisticated negotiations to re-inscribe the authority of Nature when a school science experiment fails during the enactment of a highly rated science curriculum unit. Drawing on transcriptions from classroom videotapes, we identify and describe four primary patterns of interaction that characterize this process, arguing…

We present a simple computer-aided experiment for investigating Coulomb's law of sliding friction in a classroom. It provides a way of testing the possible dependence of the friction coefficient on various parameters, such as types of materials, normal force, apparent area of contact and sliding velocity.

A study involves multiple chemistry and physics concepts applied to a state of matter that has biological relevance. An experiment involving the synthesis and physical properties of liquid crystals illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of liquid crystal research and the practical devices derived from such research.

An experiment is conducted for the oxidation of iron in a gel using consumer chemicals, which is pertinent to the students' understanding of redox chemistry and of the relative oxidation potentials of various metals. The experiment can be carried out with consumer chemicals that might be purchased at a supermarket and commonly found in the home.

The self directed study of a 3D image of a biomolecule stresses the complex nature of the intra- and intermolecular interactions that come together to define its structure. This is made up of a series of in vitro experiments with a wild-type and mutants forms of human carbonic anhydrase II (hCAII) that examine the structure function relationship…

Despite the growing popularity of robotics competitions such as FIRST LEGO League, robotics activities are typically not found in regular K-12 classrooms. We speculate that, among other reasons, limited adoption is due to the lack of empirical evidence demonstrating the effect of robotics activities on curricular goals. This paper presents a mixed…

Science projects which can be used by high school students who have minimal experience with computers or electronics are presented in this book on laboratory interfacing. These laboratory interfacing projects include either the connecting of measuring instruments directly to a computer or using a computer to control external devices. All of the 14…

Explores the application of the microcomputer as an adjunct to laboratory experiments within the science curriculum. Identifies needs and critical competitors that may affect implementation. Indicates problems along with suggestions for improving the effectiveness of this method. (RT)

Discusses the use of a teaching fellows program (undergraduates teaching undergraduates) in a psychology laboratory class. Examines the goals, outcomes, curriculum, and implementation of the laboratory class and how these were impacted through the use of teaching fellows. Includes a table showing curriculum, content area, laboratory activities,…