Presents a pre-lab exercise, an experimental setup, and discussion of computer-generated graphs that can be used to study the motion and energy of a bouncing ball. (WRM)

Describes the use of two tiny light bulbs and a cloth grating to construct a semiquantitative experiment for determining the wavelength of light from an interference pattern. (WRM)

Describes how the authors used portions of popular movies to help students review concepts related to electromagnetism. Movies used and concepts covered in the review are listed, and a sample activity is described. (WRM)

Describes a study that investigated whether scientific and nonscientific understandings in the same content area are linked. Finds that students' (n=107) explanations indicate that they were using an "if-then" type of reasoning which linked scientific and nonscientific conceptions. Contains 39 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes an Introduction to Chemical Engineering course with particular reference to the development, use, and evaluation of four simple experiments centered around the fundamental principles of heat transfer, mass transfer, reaction kinetics, and momentum transfer. (WRM)

Discusses the use of school science in students' everyday lives. Argues that the goal of connecting school science to students' everyday lives moves the discussion of public understanding of science to public understanding of technology. Examines the implications and limitations of this movement. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes the development, contents, and use of an elementary school-level Multisensory Instructional Package on the topic of global warming. (WRM)

Presents a problem-based, discovery-oriented activity on sickle-cell anemia that has been used for five years with more than 3000 secondary-level students and 200 teachers. (WRM)

Presents a concise overview of cell division that includes only the essential concepts necessary for understanding genetics and evolution. Makes recommendations based on published research and teaching experiences that can be used to judge the merits of potential activities and materials for teaching cell division. Makes suggestions regarding the…

Describes the construction and use of a shell-discovery kit for students to employ in actively investigating the natural world. (WRM)

Presents a variety of strategies for determining students' ideas about scientific concepts. Explains how the strategies may be used with special-needs students. (WRM)

Presents several activities designed to teach students about the characteristics, classification, life cycle, and uses of the luffa (gourd). (WRM)

A scientific, rule-governed approach to solving problems suggests the following assumptions: we need different rules for different purposes; rules are grounded in values; the origins and applications of rules are often misunderstood; personal experience and idea popularity are unreliable; and all truths are tentative. Each assumption is related to…

Reviews science education research into representations constructed by students in their interactions with the world, its phenomena, and artefacts. Features discussions of mental models, conceptual models, and the activity of modeling. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/WRM)

Describes a study of a range of challenging activities centered on evaporation and condensation done with elementary school children. Analyzes children's explanations in light of the existing literature. Finds that older children display a surer sense of ontological categories, greater epistemological sophistication, greater precision in language…