Presents an activity that models the work of chemical engineers. Students design, fabricate, and perform mechanical tests on plaster matrix composites and compare the strength to mass ratios of several products. (PR)

Describes activities to help students inductively develop a broad understanding of the nature of science--its process, product, and technological relationships--without going into an in-depth treatment of the history, philosophy, or sociology of science. (PR)

Use of concept mapping as an assessment tool allows links to be made between concepts, and shows both scientifically correct propositions and misconceptions. Annotated drawings offer an alternative form of expression to children who may hold ideas but find it difficult to express them in words or to recognize links between them. (PVD)

Presents the history of the theory of evolution and states that the creationist world view had been abandoned by even religious scientists before 1859. Argues that the public's perception of evolution could be improved by presenting a more complete picture of the theory's development, emphasizing the contributions of Christian--often…

Describes the results of a study of the current level of evolution instruction in public schools in Louisiana. Finds a significant and positive correlation between emphasis placed on evolution instruction and teachers' knowledge-base. Also finds no pressure on biology teachers to regard evolutionary theory as a unifying theme in biology, and…

Describes a simulation exercise designed to illustrate the influence of founder effects, genetic drift, and gene flow. Also presents strategies for using cooperative learning in large lecture settings. (WRM)

Discusses current biological research related to plants, including rootless plants, cellulose synthesis, plant identification in forensic science, and plant chemistry. Contains 19 references. (WRM)

Randomly selected high school students (n=13) who studied an ecology unit were interviewed, and narrative data analyzed for changes in knowledge schema. Data support the current theory that the amount and quality of prior knowledge substantially influence gains in new knowledge and are closely linked to a capacity to apply higher-order cognitive…

Describes the implementation of student active-learning methods into sections of mainstream, introductory general-chemistry courses. Discusses strategies used, including an absolute grading scale, use of informal "ConcepTests" in lectures, cooperative learning workshops, cooperative take-home examinations, and a student advisory…

Reports on procedural and conceptual knowledge for solving a basic quantitative problem in chemistry by expert and novice secondary school students. Concludes that the major differences between experts and novices lay in conceptual understanding, use of a qualitative procedure, and the type of strategy used. Suggests some instructional techniques…

Explores changes in students' (n=250) thinking about basic chemical ideas during a context-based curricular approach. Suggests that 16- to 18-year-old students enter chemistry courses with a wide range of misunderstandings about chemical reactions, but understanding improves steadily as the course progresses. Concludes that even misunderstandings…

Describes a simple halogenation experiment that can be performed quickly in an open vessel at room temperature with visible light that is appropriate for the beginning weeks of an introductory organic chemistry course. (WRM)

Presents five models of the human body as a mechanical system which can be used in introductory physics courses: human arms as levers, humans falling from small heights, a model of the human back, collisions during football, and the rotating gymnast. Gives ideas for discussions and activities, including Interactive Physics (TM) simulations. (WRM)

Discusses key areas in science that require students to have a well-developed sense of numeracy for full understanding. Suggests that some of the difficulties students have with numeracy arise from not distinguishing between the teaching of facts and skills and teaching through conceptual understanding. Makes some recommendations for correcting…

Describes students' (n=175) understandings of the structure of animal (including human) skeletons and the internal organs found in them. Finds that older students have a better knowledge of animals' internal anatomies, although knowledge of human internal structure is significantly better than knowledge of rat, bird, and fish internal structure.…