This study is to determine the effect of using a fun book in a science course to enhance academic achievement and retention and to investigate student's views on the use of the fun book. Another aim of the study is to set an example for process evaluation in using fun lessons for higher education students. Participants used the fun book for…

When teaching how "tension" and "compression" relate to geometrical structures such as bridges, arches, and domes, The author shows a picture of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, completed in the 14th century, and presents a lesson on using the curve called a catenary to explain how he teaches about tension and compression…

This year marks 38 years since any part of the continental United States was darkened by the Moon's umbral shadow. During this "eclipse drought," no U.S. residents except those on Hawaii's Big Island in 1991 have had the opportunity to observe totality without traveling abroad. The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (TSE2017, August 21, 2017) is…

Learning how cave formations, such as dripstone, take shape can be a valuable pedagogical tool in chemistry and geochemistry. Grasping the underlying processes requires students to synthesize knowledge of several different topical areas. The activity presented here uses an innovative experiment to connect chemistry concepts with an interesting…

In this research-based experiment, students are introduced to the interdisciplinary field of archaeological chemistry by extracting and analyzing lipid residues absorbed in pottery. Reproduction archaeological pottery sherds are prepared by soaking ceramic fragments in individual or combinations of vegetable oils. Students crush and extract the…

We provide a design for a low cost orientable search coil that can be used to investigate the variation of magnetic flux with angle. This experiment is one of the required practical activities in the current A level physics specification for the AQA examination board in the UK. We demonstrate its performance and suggest other suitable…

Teaching science through counterintuitive events is an effective way of engaging students in exploring science; such events motivate and involve students in solving problems with a high degree of creativity and critical thinking. This can push students into a seeking explanation mode, setting the stage for discovery. In this article, the author…

While opportunities for spontaneous, undesigned, serendipitous science engagement (SSE) are abundant and evidence regarding its affordances is accumulating, little is known about its nature. In this paper, I present a model defining and identifying SSE, which consists of a personal and a contextual continuum. To explore the nature of family SSE, I…

This investigative laboratory activity engages students in observing, recording, graphing and analyzing pulsation rates in a commonly used laboratory organism, blackworms. This activity stresses how various drugs can impact the pulsation rate in blackworms at varying concentrations. In addition, we have incorporated two new ways to view the…

This century's transits of Venus (2004, 2012) captured significant public attention, reminding us that the wonders of astronomy need not be confined to the night. And while nighttime telescope viewing gatherings (a.k.a. "star parties") are perennially popular, astronomy classes are typically held in the daytime. The logistics of…

What causes severe thunderstorms and tornadoes? Tornadoes, often accompanied by severe thunderstorms and hail, form in pretty much the same way as severe thunderstorms. In the continental United States, tornadoes usually form in spring and summer, when warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico moves across the continent from southeast to northwest…

A student laboratory experiment to investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic bandgaps, dopant materials, and diode design in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is presented. The LED intrinsic bandgap is determined by passing a small constant current through the diode and recording the junction voltage variation with temperature. A second visible…

Purpose: This study examines how different purposes can support teachers in their work with progressions as a part of a teaching sequences in science in primary school. Design/Method: The study was carried out in two classes working with inquiry and the events that took place in the classroom were filmed. In the study, we have chosen to use the…

In this article, Robin James describes the Sand Yacht Challenge. The race took place on sand between small, wind-powered land yachts made by groups of children from four local schools. The project provided a term of collaborative opportunities at the designing and testing stage, followed by a competition when the students raced them. It was…

International large-scale assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have emerged as important tools for understanding educational systems within Asia and around the world. Although the achievement scales tend to capture the majority of the world's attention the background scales have become important tools in…