We describe an interactive collaborative environmental education project that makes advanced laboratory facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory accessible for one-year or multi-year science projects for the high school level. Cyber-enabled Environmental Science (CEES) utilizes web conferencing software to bring multi-disciplinary,…

This article describes how the author got his 8th-grade students thinking about greener modes of transportation--and got them excited about technology education--in the course of rebuilding a badly damaged 1966 Vespa scooter. This turned out to be a wonderful project because it included almost the entire 8th grade, and showed students that…

Problem Statement: Research studies indicate that teachers with negative attitudes toward science tend to use didactic approaches rather than approaches based on students' active participation. However, the reviews of the national academic literature in Turkey located a few research studies on the relationship between playful science experiences…

This paper explores how wiki may be used to support secondary education students' collaborative creativity processes and how such interaction can promote critical and creativity thinking. A science case-based project in which 81 secondary students participated was designed, implemented and evaluated. Students worked in the science wiki project…

This article features five schools (John P. Oldham Elementary, Norwood, Massachusetts; R. J. Richey Elementary, Burnet, Texas; Pittsburgh Carmalt Science and Technology Academy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; John D. Shaw Elementary, Wasilla, Alaska; and Springville K-8, Portland Oregon) that offer five promising practices. From fourth graders learning…

The 1993 inaugural issue of the "Journal of Statistics Education" ("JSE") published an article about a small conference for Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs of twelve projects in statistics education funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This twenty-year retrospective (1) offers some personal memories related…

Problem solving is a valuable skill in the science classroom. Students often use a variety of inquiry strategies to identify problems and their implications; develop action plans; locate relevant sources, information, and data; and formulate solutions. Problem solving is a logical, analytical, and sometimes creative process. The less tangible,…

Gliders and sailplanes provide a great launching platform for teaching about technology and scientific principles. Soaring is technological innovation in action, using earth's natural resources for energy and endurance during flight. This article focuses on the basics of soaring, which educators can use to increase excitement and interest in the…

While the term mentor can mean different things to different people, a true mentoring relationship is "characterized by a richness of interdependence between two people" (O'Neill, Wagner, & Gomez, 1996, p. 42). In the last 20 years, mentoring has become more popular in education. The increased interest in mentoring has resulted in part from the…

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to develop a model of informal online learning communities based on theory, research and practice. Case study methodology was used to examine the NASA Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience (INSPIRE) Project as an example of a successful…

The Talking Science project initially involved three secondary schools and eight of their feeder primary schools in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. The project created, trialled and evaluated a set of key stage 2/3 transition materials for children moving from primary to secondary school, using argument as a teaching and learning…

Natural gas production in Wyoming is a lucrative and influential industry. All the perks--jobs, education spending, the budget surplus--are huge incentives for communities and the fossil fuel-friendly state legislature to play along, to stay silent. And many are willing. There has been natural gas production in the state for almost a century, but…

Science fair judges provide secrets to a successful science fair. Whether students are competing in science fairs at the high school, local, district, regional, state, or international level, their success is dependent on the judges' interpretation of their work. In this article, the authors present a series of questions and answers from past…

Students love pop culture, which is often full of science and scientific concepts that may or may not be correctly presented. When teachers tie a science project to a movie, TV series, or song, they help guide students toward correct interpretations. And, more important, teachers stimulate their creativity by tapping into their culture. This…

Using formative assessment involves gathering data from students on their progress and comprehension so that instruction can be adjusted to meet their learning needs (Popham 2001; Greenstein 2010). This article describes how the author uses homework, "three quick questions," trivia questions, pretests, and practice tests to formatively…