Effective teaching requires the use of techniques and strategies to counter student passivity and enhance engagement. Research demonstrates that drawing improves memory retention, increases motivation to learn, provides an opportunity to learn what makes an image an effective communication tool, allows demonstration of conceptual understanding,…

In this paper we argue that the complexity of education systems can lead to a lack of coherence in the implementation of policy. More effective educational change requires policymakers and researchers to pay more attention to supporting teachers in classrooms. As an example, we consider decades of research attempts in STEM education to implement…

To potentially engage students in "doing organic chemistry", organic chemistry courses should foreground weaving together structure- and energy-related ideas to construct causal accounts for phenomena. Here, we investigate whether enrolling in an organic chemistry course that places substantial emphasis ([approximately]50% of total…

Gamification of learning in chemistry education is a growing field. Chemistry themed escape room activities, incorporating course learning objectives into puzzle solution, have become a popular tool allowing for students to apply course knowledge in novel settings. Escape room activities, like their public counterparts, provide subtle guidance to…

For many years, hegemonic approaches to teaching the nature of science (NOS) have focused mainly on understanding some epistemic (i.e., rational, or cognitive) aspects involved in the construction of science. So, aspects of a non-epistemic (i.e., non-rational, contextual, or extra-scientific) nature have been practically neglected in these…

Most textbooks and lecturers present Michaelis-Menten kinetics using the equation v = V[subscript max][S]/(K[subscript m] + [S]). There are advantages to presenting this relationship in a slightly different form, namely v = V[subscript max]/{1 + (K[subscript m]/[S])}. We articulate advantages for single-substrate reactions and extend the formalism…

Valence shell electron pair repulsion theory (VSEPR) as explained in most textbooks predicts that substituents bonded to a central atom in AX[subscript n]E[subscript z][superscript c] species (A = main-group central atom, X = substituent, E = lone pair on central atom, c = charge) will change their X-A-X angles to bend away from the lone pairs.…

The problem here dealt with concerns physics education, and specifically the concept of force. The idea behind this research is that a historical approach to the teaching of such a notion is of great help for the students to fully understand the meaning of this basic physical magnitude. For, most of scientific concepts can be better grasped by the…

No scientific concept in the twenty-first century has garnered more attention from scholars outside the scientific community than the Anthropocene. Despite the official rejection by the geological community in March 2024 of the proposal for an Anthropocene Epoch as a formal unit of the Geological Time Scale, it is expected to remain an invaluable…

Science should provide students an accurate and contemporary education on genetic influence, particularly how it impacts trait variability and developmental norms. Stories involving familial, racial, and sexual differences routinely appear in the popular media and sales of over-the-counter genetic tests are mounting. Unfortunately, research…

This essay opens with a question about what science teaching would look like in a world where categorical seams of human diversity were not probabilistic determinants of science learning. After revisiting Hewson and Hewson's description of an "appropriate conception of science teaching," I detail the ways in which the field of science…

Transfer of structural math knowledge to physics is difficult for students. While research suggests various improvement techniques, enhancing parallelism of algebraic structures used in physics to those studied in mathematics courses seems underrepresented. This paper proposes an alternative way of introducing wave functions as a set of parametric…

In this paper I demonstrate how zines (pronounced 'zeen', a word that is a contraction of 'magazine') about space science can be theorised as a site of science education at the margins. Through exploring different zines and their potential to create counter-narratives I offer a series of objects that might reshape how we teach and learn about…

How anthropomorphic reasoning functions in scientific thinking has been a controversial topic. There is evidence it is problematic as well as evidence it can play productive roles, for scientists and for students. In science education, however, the prevailing view remains that it is an impediment. For this study, we have chosen examples of what we…

The refractive index (RI) is probably the single most important parameter in optical systems. Chromatic dispersion, on the other hand, indicates how the RI depends on the wavelength and is central in, e.g., optical communication systems. Chromatic dispersion also plays an important role when teaching optics due to the captivating natural…