Over the past 20 years 164 children and educators have been reported as injured in demonstrations using flammable solvents. The injuries were the result of flash fires, flame jets, and projectiles which occurred once control was lost by the presenter. "The rainbow demonstration" using methanol as the solvent has by far been the most…

Instructor modeling is a practice that is supported by bold claims of effectiveness and importance in teacher education. In this literature review, we identify theoretical and constructive frameworks used to guide instructor modeling and use these to further examine the extent to which existing literature demonstrates the effectiveness of…

Hands-on projects have been widely used as alternative approaches for teaching and learning of science with direct practical experience on doing to promote students' development of 21st-century skills. Here, we present an implementation of hands-on projects into teaching and learning of magnetic field topic that corresponds with indicators and…

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education is one of the most discussed topics among educators today. The current high-tech world requires more scientists and engineers than ever before. Although many strategies have been introduced to motivate students to enter technical fields, additional approaches are needed to continue to…

Introduction: Philanthropism, as it evolved at the end of the 18th century in Germany, wanted to break completely with the contemporary methods persisting in education, with the hegemony of classical languages, and with the study of antique authors' works; instead, it laid emphasis on practical and useful knowledge, on teaching modern languages,…

The purpose of this brief is to synthesize research on coaching and to offer a framework of effective coaching practices. Part 1 provides general information on coaching, including the need for coaching and the goals of coaching. Part 2 describes critical coaching practices that are linked to improvements in teacher practice and learner outcomes.…

Many students struggle with algebra, from simplifying expressions to solving systems of equations. Students also have misconceptions about the meaning of variables. In response to the question "Can x + y + z ever equal x + p + z?" during a student interview, the student claimed, "Never . . . because p has to have a different value…

Sense-making has been described as working on and with ideas--both students' ideas and authoritative ideas in texts--to build coherent storylines, models, and/or explanations. This article describes the process for developing storyline units to support students' making sense of and explaining a rocket launch. The storyline approach, which aligns…

This article explores the potential for aspects of abstract algebra to be influential for the teaching of school algebra (and early algebra). Using national standards for analysis, four primary areas common in school mathematics--and their progression across elementary, middle, and secondary mathematics--where teaching may be transformed by…

We describe a range of practical activities that allows students to investigate the properties and applications of magnets. The activities can be used in isolation or used together to build a rounded understanding of the subject area. The activities include simple demonstrations using common or inexpensive equipment, hands-on experiments for small…

The topic of sorting algorithms is a pleasant subject of informatics education. Not only is it so because the notion of sorting is well known from our everyday life, but also because as an algorithm task, whether we expect naive or practical solutions, it is easy to define and demonstrate. In my paper I will present some of the possible methods…

The rising need for engineers has led to increased interest in community outreach in engineering departments nationwide. We present a sustainable outreach model involving trained undergraduate mentors to build ties with K-12 teachers and students. An associated online module database of chemical engineering demonstrations, available to educators…

The authors illustrate three basic types of reasoning used in mathematics by showing how they operate in practical and mathematical situations. The importance and function of the different types of reasoning in each situation is outlined. As a consequence the authors note that while introducing new techniques by example is good from a pedagogical…

Lightsticks, or glowsticks as they are sometimes called, are perhaps the chemist's quintessential toy. Because they are easy to activate and appealing to observe, experimenting with lightsticks provides a great way to get young people interested in science. Thus, we have used lightsticks to teach chemical concepts in a variety of outreach settings…

The overarching goal of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Initiative is to foster effective STEM teaching and learning throughout the educational system at the local, state, and national levels, thereby producing science literate citizens and a capable STEM workforce. To contribute to achieving this goal, we…