Describes a set-up for sending the infrared signal from a common remote control device to an oscilloscope in order to "see" the infrared signal. (WRM)

Discusses environmental resource assessment research conducted by undergraduate students as part of a non-science majors' chemistry course at Santa Clara University. Describes project procedures and course grading, chemistry connections, learning goals and outcomes, and implementing change on campus. (WRM)

Presents ideas for teaching elementary school children about scientific inquiry methods. Recommends a Planning Board to scaffold students' thinking as they plan and conduct scientific investigations. (WRM)

Reports on the development of a series of assignments for use in a basic microbiology course involving sophomore-, junior-, and senior-level students from five different biology majors. Assignments include writing, a class debate, and case history studies. (Author/MM)

Describes the setup of a system that allows vibrations in two dimensions to demonstrate polarization states of light and particle spin. (WRM)

Describes a biochemistry laboratory course in which the curriculum revolves around a single theme: the purification, characterization, and molecular biology of threonine dehydrogenase (TDH) from Escherechia coli. Lists examples of related class research projects. Contains 41 references. (WRM)

Discusses preliminary research on a new heuristic tool for learning from laboratory activities in secondary science. Finds that use of the science writing heuristic facilitated students in generating meaning from data; making connections among procedures, data, evidence, and claims; and engaging in metacognition. (Contains 29 references.)…

Describes the benefits of using calculator-based laboratory equipment in science classes. (WRM)

A team of teachers, scientists, and high school students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has developed activities to teach concepts in learning through an inquiry-based laboratory method. The Learning Education and Research Network (LEARN) activities were field tested at the Society for Neuroscience Conference, in the…

Scientific knowledge is tentative and open to revision. This sense of tentativeness, or changeability, is missing in the way textbooks and teachers often portray the nature of science (NOS). Instead, students are left with the impression that the scientific method produces sure knowledge and that they can uncritically accept the knowledge because…

This article presents an activity for early-in-the-year parents' night. The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. The authors, as teachers, like to capture that excitement by engaging their 10th-grade biology students in an inquiry project demonstrating the nature of science and scientific inquiry. They developed the Next Step…

The desire to observe and understand the natural world is strong in young children, but high school students often consider science irrelevant to their daily lives. Therefore, as teachers of older age groups, the authors constantly struggle to engage students in scientific exploration so they can master concepts and appreciate the nature of…

A biochemical molecular modeling project on heme proteins suitable for an introductory Biochemistry I class has been designed with a 2-fold objective: i) to reinforce the correlation between protein three-dimensional structure and function through a discovery oriented project, and ii) to introduce students to the fields of bioinorganic and…

This study investigated the effectiveness of portfolios as an instructional technique to reduce errors associated with test scoring by graduate students. Both the control and experimental conditions consisted of a lecture and demonstration on proper administration and scoring followed by a discussion. The experimental condition also required…

The recent promotion of inquiry-based learning techniques (Uno, 1990) is well suited to the use of animals in the classroom. Working with living organisms directly engages students and stimulates them to actively participate in the learning process. Students develop a greater appreciation for living things, the natural world, and their impact on…