Finds that high school physics and chemistry courses are not beyond the grasp of most high school students, provided they are given help when needed. (CCM)

Presents an activity that uses supermarket chemicals to perform a clock reaction in which the endpoint is signaled by an abrupt change in the appearance from colorless to blue-black. This activity can be used to explore reaction kinetics and the effect of reactant concentrations on the apparent rate of reaction. (DDR)

Describes an iodine clock reaction that produces an effect similar to the Landolt clock reaction. This reaction uses supermarket chemicals and avoids iodate, bisulfite, and mercury compounds. Ascorbic acid and tincture of iodine are the main reactants with alternate procedures provided for vitamin C tablets and orange juice. (DDR)

Describes a dramatic chemical demonstration in which chemicals that are black and white combine to produce a colorless liquid. Reactants include tincture of iodine, bleach, white vinegar, Epsom salt, vitamin C tablets, and liquid laundry starch. (DDR)

Reports the discovery of an efficient base composition for making bengal lights that is obtained with potassium chlorate and thiourea. Combining this mixture with appropriate flame coloring can produce several impressive bengal lights. (DDR)

Introduces a program that brings inquiry-based, hands-on activities to middle school science students through the participation of volunteer college students. Explains fall and spring activities for 5th and 6th grade students. (Contains 16 references.) (YDS)

Investigates the effectiveness of an Internet-delivered course by having one group of biology students learn the course material employing Internet resources while a second attends a traditional lecture-based course. By comparing student performance and attitudes using tests, surveys, and narrative interviews, concludes that Internet courses can…

In this paper, we report on a study of the beliefs of chemistry teachers about the teaching and learning of chemistry in upper secondary education in The Netherlands. This study was conducted in the context of the planning of a national revision of the chemistry curriculum towards a context-based approach. Chemistry teachers' beliefs were…

Taking the Junior Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum (JSSCC) in the People's Republic of China as a case, this paper approaches the issue of the tension between elite and future citizenry orientations in science curriculum. The changes in the JSSCC over the period from 1978 to 2001 are explained from three viewpoints: sociopolitical,…

In a survey of almost 600 high school chemistry teachers, it was found that almost half of them did not use inquiry in their classroom. For the survey, inquiry was defined as any lab in which students write the procedure themselves--the question/purpose/problem could be of the students' own design or provided for them. Many teachers indicated that…

Art provides students a way to visually represent their scientific knowledge and at the same time helps teachers assess student understanding. Examining a drawing allows teachers to scrutinize students' mental model of a science concept. Science can be described as a continuing process of discovering the order and recurring patterns in nature;…

Self-assembly or spontaneous assembly is a process in which materials build themselves without assistance. This process plays a central role in the construction of biological structures and materials such as cells, viruses, and bone, and also in abiotic processes like phase transitions and crystal formation. The principles of self-assembly help…

This study investigated the effect of conceptual change text-oriented instruction over traditional instruction on students' understanding of solution concepts (e.g., dissolving, solubility, factors affecting solubility, concentrations of solutions, types of solutions, physical properties of solutions) and their attitudes towards chemistry. The…

This paper is a survey of context-based chemistry education in the United States. It begins with a very brief overview of twentieth-century chemistry texts and teaching methods, followed by a short description of a pioneering secondary school text. The major emphasis is on post-secondary instruction and the central case study is provided by…

In traditional science teaching, teachers expect the average student to implicitly learn and apply subtle concepts and to connect seemingly disjointed information. Teachers expect them to actively assemble the building blocks of critical thinking, often without example (Meyers 1986). The critical analysis of issues and problems is second nature to…