Discusses the nature and implications of the principles of contextualization as a teaching skill that can be used by all teachers. The author asks that teachers adopt this skill to help avoid conveying misconceptions to students. (ZWH)

A qualitative investigation involving 11th- and 12th-grade high school students was conducted to determine whether U.S. students demonstrate the same level of difficulty as previously tested Canadian, Nigerian, and Scottish students regarding the following concepts: energy transfer among organisms and the interrelationships that exist between the…

The Gaia Hypothesis emphasizes the interactions and feedback mechanisms between the living and nonliving process that take place on Earth. Employing this concept in instruction can emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of science and give a planetary perspective of biology. (PR)

Explains how the Punnett Square method received its name. Describes the studies of Bateson and Punnett that provided the first clear example of linked genes. (PR)

Describes a systems approach from an ecological perspective for teaching the idea of a species and the notion that being a successful species involves being able to overcome certain general problems that must be solved by all species. (PR)

Strong European roots shape the view of science history as presented in science textbooks, presenting few women and minority role models. Presents examples of scientific discoveries made by minorities. Asserts that the contributions of culturally diverse individuals and women should be part of the science curriculum. (MDH)

Explains how archaeologists who found the "Mesa Site" in Northern Alaska used evidence to make interpretations about America's earliest settlers. Includes related science activities and a color poster. (PR)

Describes the SOS (Support Our Students) program at Fairleigh Dickinson University that sought to help students in introductory science courses. The program uses a multidimensional approach addressing the instructional needs and also the structure and supports required of first-year college students. (PR)

Presents and defends the thesis that either teaching or research alone is not of much value without its counterpart. The argument is not that of teaching versus research but rather how to strengthen the link between teaching and research in higher education. (PR)

Describes a project to help students shift from the precision they expect in science to the more ambiguous nature of taxonomy. Students are asked to project themselves 500 years into the future when, as a result of humankind's pollution, there are only 10 remaining organisms. Some organisms are unlike any previously known. Students name and…

Uses extremely strong neodymium magnets to demonstrate several principles of physics including electromagnetic induction, Lenz's Law, domain theory, demagnetization, the Curie point, and magnetic flux lines. (MDH)

Presents the equations of motion governing the trajectory of a cricket ball subject to a linear drag force. Uses a perturbation expansion technique to solve the resulting trajectory equation for the range of a cricket ball struck into the outfield. (Author/ASK)

Reports on the Seventh Annual Conference on Chemical Education which explored the assumption that science courses focus too much on the product of science and not enough on the process. Problem solving was examined as a possible route toward developing the necessary critical-thinking skills. Covers the keynote address, Problems versus Exercises,…

A design context for developing children's understanding of the natural world via designing, building, testing, and evaluation of models was studied. Children were asked to design models of human elbows which provided opportunities to develop their understanding of the relations between mathematics and science through the construction and…

Proposes a way of creating a modern scientific vocabulary in various African languages by giving scientific meaning to generally accessible words that are explanatory concepts rather than by borrowing from European languages by phonetic transcription. Describes a sample Nguni nomenclature for physics. (Author/WRM)