This paper presents the findings of a three-year longitudinal study (Grades 9-11; N = 756 students in German secondary schools; mean starting age = 14.7 years) that explores the development of and the interplay between upper-secondary students' individual interest and conceptual understanding in chemistry. Students' individual interest was…

A lesson that focuses on the intricate co-evolution of flowers with their pollinators is one way to help students learn the delicate balance in nature and help ensure that our actions do not upset this balance. In this lesson students use the engineering design process to engineer a flower that is a perfect model for its chosen pollinator. Next,…

The American Chemical Society's Chemistry Festivals, or "Festivales de Química," are community events where chemistry professionals, professors, teachers, and students use hands-on activities to engage the public and demonstrate how chemistry appears in our everyday life. The Chemistry Festival Organizers received training from the ACS,…

This article is a reflection on how we can show students that the science we learn at school is present in our everyday lives and that we shouldn't separate them. It is essential that we revise the way we plan lessons and include links that are not obvious to young people in order to develop their ability to research, understand and enjoy science.…

US colleges and universities have known for decades that higher percentages of racial and ethnic subgroups leave STEM majors, contributing to racial inequality in STEM professions. Many interventions have been developed, yet the disparity persists. A partial flipped pedagogical model is presented for a General Chemistry 1 (GChem1) course that is…

This column contains exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue discusses static charge buildup.

It is a common practice to fix a vertical gnomon and study the moving shadow cast by it. This shows our local solar time and gives us a hint regarding the season in which we perform the observation. The moving shadow can also tell us our latitude with high precision. In this paper we propose to exchange the roles and while keeping the shadows…

This practical class activity was designed to introduce students to recombinant protein expression and purification. The principal goal is to shed light on basic aspects concerning recombinant protein production, in particular protein expression, chromatography methods for protein purification, and enzyme activity as a tool to evaluate purity and…

This column contains exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue discusses ways to remove CO[subscript 2] from the atmosphere.

Although saliva has commonly been used to teach about digestion by organisms, the phenomenon of digestion is actually caused by enzymes as catalytic substances. This activity explores the hydrolysis of starch by "a"-amylase in cleaning materials as well as a comparison with the similar reaction using human saliva. The fact that the…

Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) are pedagogical approaches that allow teachers to integrate multiple subjects into creative multi-day learning experiences that captivate students' curiosity and engage them in real-life problem solving. MEAs are known in the fields of mathematics and engineering (Gilat and Amit 2014), but despite their ability to…

What is the future for school science and in particular for practical work? This article explores the question from four perspectives and seeks solutions for different age groups in the UK and beyond.

Science education has a seemingly intractable gender problem and remains largely the reserve of White, middle-class men and boys, especially in the physical sciences. In this paper, taking an intersectional approach to Butler's idea of identity as performance, we explore the affordances and limitations of a specific science learning space (a…

Inquiry pedagogies provide opportunities to meet learning outcomes linked to developing scientific literacy. Within a European project intended at promoting Inquiry Based Learning (IBL), this paper presents quantitative and qualitative data about teachers' views of IBL and its enactment in England and Spain. Results show that teachers in both…

Traditional practical work for higher education in STEM subjects is under pressure from rising student numbers and a desired increase in active learning. Investing in more buildings and staff is financially challenging, while stretching existing resources affects outcomes, health, and participation. A more pragmatic approach is to embrace a less…