Describes using high school chemistry grades along with mathematics scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test to predict college chemistry grades. Discusses rationale for the choice of predictive measures, the effect of teaching assistants, and supplemental study skills workshops on the grade received. (JM)

Discusses indoor air pollution in general and formaldehyde in particular, citing major sources of formaldehyde in home building materials and home furnishings. Also describes a laboratory procedure necessary to test for formaldehyde levels in the air and in materials. Includes list of equipment required. (JM)

The guidelines are meant to help two-year institutions provide physics students with the best possible education in the fundamental areas of physics and its relation to other disciplines and to society. General curricular guidelines, rather than specific curricular content, are defined. Implementing these guidelines can help ensure that the…

For the last five years I have asked students of the Diploma of Teaching and Graduate Diploma of Education to write "an individual science autobiography". They were asked to include their recollections of any science lesson that either encouraged them to do science or nearly put them off altogether. They were also asked if the content of the…

This document summarizes the findings of the Learning through Evaluation, Adaptation and Dissemination (LEAD) Center's report on the team approach to the first research experience for undergraduates in botany and zoology. Students (N=25) and faculty (N=12) were interviewed and a comparison was made between students who performed the research in…

Scientific challenges are presented to motivate secondary and college students in creative thinking and scientific problem solving. Student solutions to the "Create-a-Creature" challenge are presented and six new challenges are issued. (PEB)

Discusses responsibilities for providing safe experiments and for teaching about safety. Provides lists of references on chemical safety and regulated/potential carcinogens. Also discusses general laboratory safety procedures including waste disposal and recycling of solvents. (JM)

Reviews recent research on problem solving, summarizing differences between problem-solving styles of novices and experts. Also describes a text by Daniel Solow ("How to Read and Do Proofs"). Includes chapter titles for the text useful for students who wish to improve their understanding of mathematical reasoning. (JM)

Describes student projects on applications of solar energy optics to home design. Project criterion (requiring sketches and detailed calculations of time rate of energy flow/production) is that half the heat for the heating season be taken from the solar resource; calculations must be based on meteorological data for a specific location. (JM)

Discusses the nature of naive conceptions and the influence of these conceptions on students' interpretations of instructional events. Also discusses implications of this research for designing instruction to facilitate the reconciliation of naive conceptions with scientific theories. (JN)

Provides geology departments and science educators with a leadership model for developing earth science inservice programs. Model emphasizes cooperation/coordination among departments, science educators, and curriculum specialists at local/intermediate/state levels. Includes rationale for inservice programs and geology department involvement in…

Describes an interactive computer game (for Apple II) designed to challenge students' problem-solving skills. The game is appropriate for science/mathematics classes from high school to college (particularly in logical problem-solving units). Includes game design/operation and list of characteristics of scientific research (as applied to general…

Audiovisual methods used in an analytical chemistry course covering the theory related to six instrumental analysis techniques are described. Evaluation through student surveys indicates that the methods are good substitutes for conventional lectures. (SK)

Presents procedures, experiments, demonstrations, teaching suggestions, and information on a variety of chemistry topics including, for example, inert gases, light-induced reactions, calculators, identification of substituted acetophenones, the elements, analysis of copper minerals, extraction of metallic strontium, equilibrium, halogens, and…

Presents ideas to promote higher-level thinking in general chemistry classrooms/laboratories, focusing on applications of Patricia E. Blosser's taxonomy to enhance students' convergent/divergent/evaluative thinking. Compares Blosser's taxonomy with Bloom and Piagetian taxonomies, suggesting a combined Blosser/Piagetian taxonomy to achieve goals of…