Describes an exercise where a team of students constructs a scale map of objects located on their laboratory tabletop. Another group then tries to reorient the objects to fit the groups map. This leads to a discussion concerning the aspects of good and bad maps. (PR)

The use of content validity as the primary assurance of the measurement accuracy for science assessment examinations is questioned. An alternative accuracy measure, item validity, is proposed. Item validity is based on research using qualitative comparisons between (1) student answers to objective items, (2) clinical interviews, and (3) student…

Discusses teaching electrical safety guidelines in the process of teaching the concepts related to electricity. Discusses household current; electrical insulation; and examples of electrical safety in the home related to appliances, the bathroom, the yard and the neighborhood. (10 references) (MDH)

Gives practical notes and suggestions aimed at helping teachers to use newsclippings and other printed materials in science lessons. (PR)

Describes simple and inexpensive labs for introducing students to fiber optic communications. Students investigate light as a carrier wave; look into the difficulties associated with "light" communication; and learn about modulation, optical fibers, and critical angles. (PR)

Describes a teaching strategy, used in a high school physics class, based on a series of "what if" questions. (PR)

Explains how fur color in domestic cats can be used as the basis of a science laboratory activity to teach the Castle-Hardy-Weinberg Law. (PR)

Explains a novel way of approaching centripetal force: theory is used to predict an orbital period at which a toy train will topple from a circular track. The demonstration has elements of prediction (a criterion for a good model) and suspense (a criterion for a good demonstration). The demonstration proved useful in undergraduate physics and…

Uses a theoretical framework derived from Vygotsky's writings to review studies of science classroom discourse interactions between teachers and students. Suggests that shifting the research focus from isolated instructional activities to promote conceptual change toward viewing such activities in the critically influential context of an ongoing…

As early as 1887, the anthropologist Franz Boas began to combat scientific racism and the insistence that blacks were of lower intelligence than whites. Throughout his career, Boas guided anthropology to a consensus that people of color were not racially inferior and that they possessed unique and historically specific cultures. (SLD)

Describes the biochemical structure and functions of the enzyme chymosin. Presents activities to familiarize students with fundamental aspects of enzyme-substrate interaction. (WRM)

Describes the personal thoughts, or everyday thinking, of high school science students about a question relevant to science: What is Nature? Finds that a rich breadth of perspectives typically characterized any one student's discussion of Nature, though the level of science integration within everyday thinking remained low. Contains 116…

Presents a procedure for creating a colored superabsorbant polymer gel. Pieces of the gel can be used to demonstrate convection currents in heating water. (WRM)

Examines whether "everyday" and scientific concepts about math are dichotomous. Discusses culture and the role of language in math meaning making. Provides a transcript of math talk in an elementary classroom to illustrate how formal and informal learning can be connected. (SK)

Describes a chemistry-related board game that can be used to build nomenclature, equation-balancing, and product-predicting skills. (WRM)