Redox reaction is a core concept in teaching and learning chemistry. This article explores a new method for balancing organic redox reactions that requires the balancing of both atoms and charges. The H+, O, H[subscript 2]O, and e- are used as balanced vehicles in two half reactions. A non-oxidation number approach can be applied to both molecular…

A comparison of student performance in an introductory biology class that used a lecture-based approach (N = 15 classes; 462 students) with those that had a no-lecture approach (N = 9 classes; 238 students). All classes were taught by the principal researcher. In the no- lecture environment, shifts in student perceptions of science were…

Graduate students in STEM fields undertook a 9-month training program focusing on practice-based development of active teaching methods. As instructors of record in their own senior-level courses, these trainees were observed on their independently designed classroom sessions using the COPUS classroom observation tool. Compared to a large sample…

This study contributes to the growing body of research on the role of crosscutting concepts (CCCs) in three-dimensional teaching and learning by examining the complexity of elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs) knowledge for teaching related to CCCs. The researchers used qualitative methods to analyze PSTs' responses to a questionnaire about CCCs…

Active learning is the new standard for teaching in higher education. As more faculty seek to expand their teaching practices by including active-learning activities that promote higher levels of learning, many are doing so in small doses by temporarily postponing traditional lectures in favor of group activities. While there is evidence…

This qualitative study compares the views about nature of science (NOS) between students enrolled in a traditional lecture and laboratory course and students in an inquiry-based class to the view of the scientists who taught the course. We administered the Views of Nature of Science Form C (VNOS-C) to identify students' views after partaking in…

Critical thinking is essential in academia and the workforce. Although writing can be used as a pedagogical tool for fostering deeper subject matter understanding, increased retention, and critical thinking, relatively few science courses are writing based. This writing-based introductory science course provided an opportunity for students to…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Biology Teaching Assistants (TAs) were tasked with transitioning and adapting their instruction to an online environment by quickly implementing Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) practices. Effective online and in-person teaching requires student-centered approaches to support undergraduate student learning. Using…

Data modeling practices are often invisible to students in introductory biology courses. However, developing a well-rounded understanding of these practices is critical for scientific literacy. Furthermore, introductory undergraduate science laboratory courses are often taught by graduate students or novice instructors with little autonomy,…

Many teacher educator preparation programs do not provide opportunities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to experience and examine the use of popular fiction as a connection point to science teaching. This study explores a unit designed to support PSTs in learning and applying core concepts and processes of literacy and science by leveraging a…

Preliminary evidence regarding the effectiveness of a participation-based, formative assessment pedagogy in the laboratory component of undergraduate science classes is presented in this paper. The formative approach to teaching lab is unique in science education given the prevailing paradigm of summative assessment via grading lab reports. The…

The purposes of this study were to examine preservice elementary teachers' conception of the water cycle; determine if participating in a conceptual change-based role-play alters these conceptions; and ascertain if any conceptual change brought about by the intervention is lasting. We found that most of our students held naive conceptions of the…

Practice effects are ubiquitous human phenomena that have been scientifically studied for over half a century. They are also among the most directly applicable psychological phenomenon, holding broad implications for any domain involving human expertise, and especially for education. Yet the details of how practice works to improve performance are…

Part of learning science is practicing reasoning, but some of the most common approaches to science instruction offer students little opportunity to do that, especially in the whole-class setting of large-enrollment courses. We present and closely examine a single episode of instructor listening--an instructor deliberately adopting a stance, and…

An introductory physics course may be run like a video game, where students have an almost unlimited number of attempts to demonstrate their competencies through a sequence of zero-penalty assessments until the end of a semester. Each checkpoint is conducted as a 10-minute, one-on-one oral interview with the instructor, and students are not…