The general chemistry course at Harvey Mudd College presents chemical principles and addresses technology's impact on society. Students consider environmental and economic implications of chemical scenarios in real-world case studies created for team-based analysis and discussion. Case study design, implementation, and assessment are presented.…

This study focused on students' misconceptions related to evaporation, evaporation rate, and vapour pressure. Open-ended diagnostic questions were used with 107 undergraduates in the Primary Science Teacher Training Department in a state university in Turkey. In addition, 14 students from that sample were interviewed to clarify their written…

A problem solving strategy, Thinking Aloud Pair Problem Solving (TAPPS), developed by Arthur Whimbey to help students monitor and understand their own thought process is presented. The TAPPS strategy encouraged the students interact verbally with each other to solve chemistry problems and improve the achievements in chemistry.

The reading, analyzing and critiquing of primary literature in both writing and oral forms are daunting tasks for science undergraduates. These activities are recognized as skills that science undergraduates should develop in order to improve their scientific communication abilities.

A previous study showed that elementary teaching majors enrolled in an inquiry-based physical science course developed chemistry content knowledge comparable to that of students enrolled in traditional lecture-based courses. This current study compares the views of these elementary teaching majors regarding how chemistry is taught and learned to…

The National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) recognize the efficacy of teaching science within the context of history, emphasizing the evolution of concepts, models, and theories. By studying science in a historical context, students view themselves less as spectators and more as participants in this human quest for truth and understanding.…

The present study was conducted to investigate the degree of effectiveness of cooperative learning instruction over a traditional approach on 11th grade students' understanding of electrochemistry. The study involved forty-one 11th grade students from two science classes with the same teacher. To determine students' misconceptions concerning…

"The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Improving Geographic Understanding with a State Atlas…

Evidence of a gap in student understanding has been well documented in chemistry: the typical student holds an abundance of misconceptions. The current expectation is that educational reform will foster greater student achievement via inquiry teaching within classrooms. Using assessments involving both conceptual and algorithmic knowledge of gas…

The authors used the 5E learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) and a pulmonary carbon dioxide mystery to introduce eighth grade students to the study of chemistry. The activity engages students in measurement, data collection, data analysis, media and internet research, research design, and report writing as they search…

The goal of this mini-curriculum is for students to discover what drinking water really is. Five units are designed to be presented as a lecture and to allow 30 to 40 students to perform every procedure, each testing their own tap water sample. Games are provided in each section to reinforce the concepts presented in each unit. Unit 1 introduces…

This document contains hands-on activities in science that make use of balloons and are fun and stimulating as well as challenging. By actively participating in these activities, students can develop science process and critical thinking skills as well as technical and measuring skills. Topics include Air as Matter, Pressure, Chemical Change,…

This book is divided into chapters based on the general subjects of mechanics, air power, water power, electricity and magnetism, chemistry, acoustics, and optics. Each chapter includes groups of projects designed to teach specific scientific ideas within the general subject. Some projects include a section that allows students to try different…

The National Survey of Academic Research Instruments and Instrumentation Needs is a congressionally mandated program that collects data concerning scientific research instruments and the academic departments and facilities in which they are located. This report analyzes overall instrumentation issues and trends in all the fields covered by the…

From prehistoric times people have been fascinated with color; from cave paintings to the latest computers, color has been a constant companion. Textiles and craft items are made more beautiful by the alteration or application of colorants. This teaching resource investigates dyes obtained from natural sources, such as plants and animals. These…