A troubleshooting activity was carried out by an e-tutor in two steps. First, students diagnosed a mistaken statement and then compared their diagnosis to a teacher's diagnosis provided by the e-tutor. The mistaken statement involved a widespread tendency to over-generalize Ohm's law. We studied the discourse between pairs of students…

Each year our physical science class for pre-service elementary teachers launches water-powered rockets based on the activity from NASA. We analyze the rocket flight using data from frame-by-frame video analysis of the launches. Before developing the methods presented in this paper, we noticed our students were mired in calculation details while…

Graphing is a key skill in the study of Physics. Drawing and interpreting graphs play a key role in the understanding of science, while the lack of these has proved to be a handicap and a limiting factor in the learning of scientific concepts. It has been observed that despite the amount of previous graph-working experience, students of all ages…

Featuring an increased emphasis on the way today's changing science and technology is shaping our culture, this Second Edition of "Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School" provides pre- and in-service teachers with an introduction to basic science concepts and methods of science instruction, as well as practical strategies for the…

Describes an experimental use of computer terminals for instructional purposes in a university-level general physics course over a two-year period. Programs have been written to simulate physical problems otherwise difficult for the student to investigate. (Author/DS)

An experiment assigned in a role-playing'' modern physics lab for juniors who are challenged to obtain accurate measurement with suboptimum apparatus through correct analysis. They also investigate the influence of systematic errors using a small computer. (DF)

Describes the use of a desk-top computer as an aid to analyze strobe photographs. Applications are illustrated for collision of pucks and the motion of a ball on a rubber band. (DS)

Misconceptions among students studying physics have been widely reported in the research literature. Many teachers are not acquainted with this literature. Moreover, many of them claim that only weak students have misconceptions. This paper reports on an online activity focusing on misconceptions of students regarding Newton's 3rd Law, that is…

Explains a technique to create animated films for aid in the instruction of relativistic mechanics through the use of a computer. (CP)

Utilizes the computer for analysis of the indices of refraction of several liquids in the PSSC refraction lab. (CP)