Despite the growing popularity of robotics competitions such as FIRST LEGO League, robotics activities are typically not found in regular K-12 classrooms. We speculate that, among other reasons, limited adoption is due to the lack of empirical evidence demonstrating the effect of robotics activities on curricular goals. This paper presents a mixed…

Demand for students with a solid foundation in science continues to grow. Also important, science education needs to ready citizens who do not pursue careers in science to handle dilemmas they will face in their lives, such as selecting treatments for diseases, evaluating messages about climate change, or using new technologies. Instruction that…

Integrating biology in the chemical engineering curriculum seems to be the future for chemical engineering programs nation and worldwide. Rowan University's efforts to address this need include a unique chemical engineering curriculum with an intensive biology component integrated throughout from freshman to senior years. Freshman and Sophomore…

In this case study, based on the reported rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in April 2005, students examine a real-world example of the scientific process and explore the practical implications of their conclusions. The case tells the story of Brad Murky, a student and research assistant who must decide whether the available evidence is…

This study explores effects of participation by second-semester college general chemistry students in an extended, open-inquiry laboratory investigation. Verbal interactions among a student lab team and with their instructor over three open-inquiry laboratory sessions and two non-inquiry sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Coding…

Basic and integrated science process skills form the basis for inquiry-based, hands-on learning. This study explores conditions that are essential for students to master the process skill of prediction. The following question is asked: Is there a significant difference between kindergarten students' prediction ability using hands-on objects…

The selection criteria of high intellectual ability and strong academic achievement for gifted educational programs often leads teachers to assume that their gifted students understand important science concepts. However, empirical evidence of such homogeneity among gifted students' deep understanding of scientific concepts is lacking in the…

The need to provide an improved science and mathematics curriculum is imperative. Over recent years cognitive psychologists and educators have responded to this need by designing instructional programs that are more compatible with our knowledge of how people acquire, use, and retain knowledge. This book contains many of the guiding principles…

In order for students to experience science as scientists do, they must learn the skills of inquiry. This paper examines inquiry as a way of learning science and presents strategies to promote inquiry in teaching science. A model of progression of inquiry skills from grades K-2 to 3-5 is presented and the skills are aligned with the Massachusetts…

This booklet introduces the SM-14 (Scientific Method) Formula and lists characteristics of the scientific method. A history and progression of the scientific method is also featured. Contents include: (1) The Basic Principles of the Scientific Method; (2) Submitting Ideas Incorporating SM-14; (3) The 11 Stages of the SM-14 Formula and Famous…

By imagining they are 24th-century archaeologists excavating a 20th-century house, students learn how to make and practice writing specific, precise, and detailed observations. Other science process skills focused on include measuring, making inferences, and communicating the data both orally and in writing. (AIM)

Presents an inquiry-based science activity on pulse rate. Includes observations; developing a research question; constructing the hypothesis; designing the study; collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data; and interpretation stages in the activity. Presents information on how to use standards and benchmarks in this activity. (YDS)

Describes an exercise used as a follow-up activity to a lecture presentation exploring the basic methodology and theory of shoot tip cultures. Utilizes a factorial experimental design which allows for the determination of the effects of each factor alone and in combination with each other. Other concepts emphasized include dependent and…

Presents activities that use a box of pencils to foster science process skills. Describes each phase of the scientific learning method with instructions for a "broken pencil" activity. Discusses initial observations, multiple working hypotheses, detailed observations, developing a theory, pattern-process relationships, and further ideas. (JRH)

Illustrates the chemical resistance of polytetrafluoroethene to mineral acids using an ordinary Teflon-coated frying pan. The demonstration can also be used to lead to a discussion of the long lifetimes of fluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere and their roles in the breakdown of the ozone layer. (AIM)