A simple blind spot activity has been devised to help students discard misconceptions about image formation by lenses. Our hands-on experiment, in which students determine the location and size of their blind spots, is suitable for various age groups at different educational levels. The activity provides an opportunity to teach students how to…

Health educators play a key role in assisting the nation deal with and be prepared for potential biological attacks. This article summarizes information found in the literature about likely bioterrorist threats to the U.S. population and discusses the responsibilities of health educators in regard to these threats. Among the important roles health…

We present and discuss three examples of misapplication of the notion of conditional probability. In each example, we present the problem along with a published and/or well-known incorrect--but seemingly plausible--solution. We then give a careful treatment of the correct solution, in large part to show how careful application of basic probability…

Prior research has shown that students consistently overestimate their performance on academic exams, with the error being inversely related to their grades. The effect has been explained as a matter of competency. If true, then students who do not know what they do not know are put in a double bind. They do not have the cognitive ability to…

According to Alan Slonsom, "Mathematics without proof is like brandy without alcohol: the spirit of the subject is missing." This author relates how she became motivated to pick proof as an exciting topic to teach. It is important to distinguish between the usage of the word "proof" in everyday life and its meaning in a mathematical context.…

Purpose: This research note discusses a common misconception in speech science and speech-language pathology textbooks that rib torque (i.e., "rotational stress") assists resting tidal expiration and conversational speech production. Method: The nature of this misconception is considered. Conclusion: An alternate conceptualization is offered that…

In the commentary provided by Taskin (2006), he states that the authors' study did not provide valid information regarding the research sample. Taskin implies that it is therefore difficult to generalize findings of this study to Turkish elementary and middle school students. In this article, the author states that in their paper they provide…

This article illustrates the misconceptions that students have when using the equals sign and describes a lesson used to give students the foundation for an accurate conception of equivalency.

Several myths have grown up around problem solving as a result of the manner in which problem solving has traditionally been taught in schools. These myths are harmful to children, they affect curriculum decision of teachers, distort discussions about problem solving and undermine the mathematics reform movement in general.

This paper discusses seventh-grade students' explanations of dissolution and combustion and also identifies their understanding of the differences between physical and chemical changes. A teaching strategy was initially negotiated within an action research group and this strategy was then employed in teaching seventh-grade students. The teaching…

This paper presents and discusses examples of works of art which, if included in science curricula, could prompt an understanding by students of some concepts in optics through a discussion of the context in which they were created. Such discussion would elucidate the meaning of the artworks and, at the same time, challenge students'…

Optimal therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) follows logically from an understanding of etiological models describing the development and maintenance of the disorder. Accordingly, the present article provides a brief overview of PTSD with particular attention paid to etiology. Exposure-based interventions have consistently been shown…

Since the late 1990s, enrollments in Information Technology and Information Systems-related academic programs have declined sharply. This paper addresses possible causes of the enrollment decline, and some of the "myths" regarding careers in IT/IS are dispelled. A number of efforts underway at various universities and professional organizations in…

This study aimed to describe seventh grade English and Turkish students' levels of understanding of decomposition. Data were analyzed descriptively from the students' written responses to four diagnostic questions about decomposition. Results revealed that the English students had considerably higher sound understanding and lower no understanding…

David Milch, creator of HBO's critically acclaimed Western series, "Deadwood," said, "The only reason the town of Deadwood exists is gold." Milch bluntly discards the Western genre's foundational ideology of self-determination, considering these principles a delusion that obscures the material realities of the late nineteenth…