Elementary, middle-level, and high school science teachers commonly find their students have misconceptions about heat and temperature. Unfortunately, student misconceptions are difficult to modify or change and can prevent students from learning the accurate scientific explanation. In order to improve our students' understanding of heat and…

Everyone enjoys seeing the cloudy white fog generated when solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) is placed in water. Have you ever wondered what physical and chemical processes occur to produce this fog? When asked this question, many chemical educators suggest that the fog is produced when atmospheric water vapor condenses on cold carbon dioxide gas…

For students to develop an understanding of science content and processes, teachers must create classroom environments in which students use inquiry to understand the natural world. However, teachers frequently find it difficult, if not impossible, to demonstrate complex scientific concepts, which textbooks often fail to properly explain. During…

The United Nations has proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry and, as part of that designation, has invited teachers worldwide to participate with their students in the Global Water Experiment (IYC 2010). Students have the opportunity to take part in four different water-related investigations to assess water quality and then share…

Mr. Smith and Ms. D'Amico are two veteran science teachers in a well-performing school district. Both teachers use weekly lab exercises and experiments as formative assessments. In their middle school classrooms, children are engaged and eager to learn. As students walk into Mr. Smith's classroom, a prescribed, step-by-step procedure of the day's…

A mixed-methods sequential research design has been used to test the effect of introducing teacher science demonstrations to a traditional book-learning sample of 384 Grade 7 boys and girls from five schools in Lahore, Pakistan. In the quasi-experimental quantitative study, the eight classes of comparable ability were designated either…

Research has shown that certain ways of teaching can make a difference in whether students learn standards-based content. Many strategies have proven to be effective in teaching literacy, mathematics, science and social studies. These strategies have facilitated blending academic and career/technical subjects to make learning more meaningful for…

This study focused on differences between teacher-centred and learner-centred experiments in soil ecology. After a pilot study, we selected three experiments simple enough to be carried out by pupils even with little experience in self-determined learning and hands-on practice. The sample comprised 123 fifth and sixth graders from a middle school…

Examines the relative importance of middle school students' explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge in carrying out open-ended laboratory investigations. Results indicate the students (n=207) provided with explicit knowledge through instruction performed significantly better in overall achievement in such investigations than those using only tacit…

The quest for the inclusion of science inquiry in the curriculum now spans three centuries. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Armstrong, Dewey, and others espoused the teaching of science inquiry. The launch of Sputnik in 1957 began the strong emphasis on inquiry. Renewed interest in inquiry occurred in the late 1980s and 1990s with science…

Describes an activity for helping students understand and use data tables. (PR)

Describes making a magnetic pendulum similar to those seen in novelty shops. Presents an open-ended activity and a more structured activity using this pendulum. (PR)

Describes the use of Vee maps in helping students understand scientific investigations. (PR)

Presents seven selected middle school science activities which could be used in school science courses. (HM)

FAST I (Foundational Approach to Science Teaching I) is an inquiry and inductive-reasoning approach to learning physical science, ecology, and relational study. The program was successfully adapted for middle school students with mild disabilities. Teacher preparation, classroom groupings, behavior management procedures, evaluation, and…