A case that reads well on paper can absolutely fail in the classroom unless the faculty member is up to the task. This article focuses on why the teaching notes are vital to the success of a case, and how they are often more difficult to write then the case story itself. It is in the notes that the reader can see what the writer was trying to do.…

A physics laboratory instructor used action research to effectively implement a 5E instructional approach, which incorporated scientific practices. The instructor explored how to integrate the instructional approach into practice, challenges present in the implementation, and students' learning experiences. The data were collected during three…

Equity, as we define it, means striving to serve the needs of others and enhancing belonging by focusing on "whole humans" in emotional, sociocultural, and personal contexts. Integrating equitable practices in STEM classrooms has advantages ranging from helping students grasp concepts to better fostering student transitions into STEM…

This article is prepared as part of a "Practice Teaching in Science" course of a teacher education program aiming for developing prospective science teachers' teaching through inquiry-based instruction involving practices of science and active learning strategies. During the semester, student teachers are required to prepare four…

Science faculty are being asked to create active learning experiences that engage students in core concepts and science practices. This article describes an approach to developing active learning lessons from authentic science research projects using the 5E lesson format. Included is a description of the 5Es and a template for creating a 5E…

The Five Minute Teach (5MT) serves as both a training tool for graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and a format for explicit discipline-based writing instruction. Here the authors describe the development and execution of the 5MT as part of a professional development course for TAs in the sciences. Specifically, the 5MT uses learning objectives and…

Despite numerous calls for science education to be driven by authentic investigation, many laboratory experiences continue to consist of disconnected weekly units during which students carry out instructions that lead to some predetermined finding. This study developed and evaluated a pedagogical design for introductory biology labs where students…

This article describes a twist on the basic "Science 101" investigation of having students observe a birthday candle before, during, and after burning. It engages students in exploring the attributes of a candle, introduces them to the concepts of empirical observation and investigation, and involves them in developing and conducting a burning…

Tips on lesson planning for college teachers are offered. A sample lesson plan cover sheet and sample lesson plan are included. (JN)