Discovering concepts through observation, exploration, and constructing scientific explanations of phenomena is best practice in science education. Instead of following lab procedures to verify a known answer or solution, involve students in the work of science. Begin by presenting a phenomenon to engage students in scientific inquiry and uncover…

Already when they enter primary school, children have rich everyday experience with factors influencing the rate of liquids' evaporation. Tea spilled into a large puddle on the table evaporates more rapidly than the same amount remaining in the cup, laundry hanging on a clothesline dries faster on a hot and windy day in comparison with a cold and…

Kids are drawn to dolls and dump trucks, and crashing the two together might just be a child's favorite pastime. Who knew such a simple pleasure could serve as an accessible, compelling phenomenon for instigating investigations of force and motion. With a few inexpensive materials straight out of the toy box (literally, a doll, a dump truck, a…

Previous generations of physics students learned how common machines work, as evidenced by their textbook illustrations. Such understanding of machines that daily life depends on seems to be evaporating. In response, for two decades I have conducted an introductory physics "engine cadaver lab." It offers opportunities for hands-on…

The time-resolved detection of very low intensity light emission has become an essential capability in many areas of science including molecular biology, fluorimetry, DNA sequencing, virus detection, nanoparticle research, and optical materials development. Among the most basic techniques for the detection of rapidly fluctuating low-intensity…

Background: Practical work in school science has been ineffective due to students not connecting hands-on to minds-on aspects. With the designation Thinking-Back-and-Forth (TBF)we present a framework with a taxonomy of TBF activities. Purpose: Aim was to gain insight how teachers stimulate and support their students in TBF. Detailed information…

Integrating scientific investigations into science instruction has been a global phenomenon. Particularly in the US, this emphasis has been suggested by the nation-wide science educational standards over decades. However, the details on how the integration could be carried out remain under discussed. The present study focuses on the integration of…

Heat transfer is a phenomenon well known from everyday life. It is intuitively connected to the properties of materials, that is, to the physics concept of thermal conductivity relevant for cooking or maintaining the constant temperature in rooms, even without being familiar to the underlying physics. However, measurement of thermal conductivity…

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for practical teaching within the sciences. While many instructors adopted innovative alternatives to conventional practicals, many relied on digital approaches that did not give students hands-on experience. In this study we evaluate the use of 'at home' practical kits used in first year physics…

Special Relativity introduces students to Modern Physics, whose importance in the high school is increasing. Nevertheless its teaching and learning is a critical issue. Different solutions have been developed to overcome the encountered difficulties. In this paper we describe the spacetime globe, a mechanical instrument that allows to experience…

The research examined the effects of hands-on teaching strategy on senior school learners' performance waves in Ilorin, Nigeria. Senior secondary school (SSS2) science students were sampled at intact classes using a purposive sampling technique. Researcher-designed instructional packages on waves and Physics achievement test on waves (PATW) were…

Watching over a coffee maker in operation, and designing a simple experiment using it, invokes familiar and unfamiliar physical phenomena and techniques involving calorimetry and heat transfer.

A simple apparatus consisting of a plastic syringe coupled with a U-tube has been constructed. This setup is filled with water to trap air in one arm of the U-tube. A change in the volume of the enclosed air causes a change in its pressure that is indicated by the difference in the water levels. Boyle's law is shown by a linear relation between…

Polymer materials are indispensable in our daily lives. This makes polymer technology of critical importance in higher education. In particular, hands-on experiment-based practicals/laboratories with a focus on polymer science are of tremendous value in the undergraduate curriculum. Along these lines, hydrogels are highly cross-linked polymer…

A simple, cheap, and easy to make ionisation chamber to investigate the decay of Radon-220. Requires no expensive meters, experiment is carried out using thoriated gas mantles to produce the Radon-220, and the chambers are used with low cost digital multimeters. An opportunity for 16-18 students to carry out a hands-on experiment with an ionising…