Offers 19 ideas based on learning styles to enhance student motivation. Includes tips for: conducting miniexperiments to identify peak learning times and conditions; varying teaching methods, mood, and pace; incorporating clear objectives, structured choices, relevant material, and humor; and keeping parents and students informed about learning…

Describes an approach that uses fiction as a springboard to environmental science experiments and discussions. (JRH)

Describes an experiment designed to determine ascorbic acid concentrations in natural orange juice. The experiment is used with undergraduate pharmacy students to allow understanding of the principles of operation of the coulometer and polarograph. (DDR)

Presents a laboratory investigation to demonstrate that habitat structure promotes increased organism abundance and species diversity by reducing predator effects on prey abundance. Investigates the effects of goldfish (Carassius auratus) predators on Gammarus sp. (an amphipod) and Daphnia magna (a cladoceran) prey in the absence and presence of a…

Two experiments yield data suggesting that the structure of children's concept of artifact function changes profoundly between age 5 and 7, with striking effects on problem-solving performance. This effect is not caused by differences in children's knowledge about the typical use of particular tools, but rather, is mediated by the structure of the…

Examines the nature of an ideal K-12 environmental science curriculum. Evaluates major biology textbooks with regard to ecology readings and laboratory activities in each text. (YDS)

Describes the effectiveness of cooperative learning on discipline problems, interdependence between students, and teacher-student interactions. Explains how to group students and introduces a laboratory activity on covalent and ionic bonds. (YDS)

Features a checklist of structural questions for writing a laboratory report discussion. Presents a rationale for this method of helping students organize their thoughts. (DDR)

Nine- through 14-year-old girls made predictions about and performed experiments involving sinking objects. Found that children initially believed that weight alone determined an object's sinking rate, older but not younger children viewed experimentation as a way of exploring object attributes other than weight, and experimentation helped…

Uses crepe paper for the introduction of spectrophotometric concepts. Dyes used in the manufacturing of the crepe paper dissolve rapidly in water to produce solutions of colors. The variety of colors provides spectra in the visible spectrum that allow students to grasp concepts of absorption and transmission. (AIM)

Presents an experiment that investigates the temperature of tungsten filaments using a car headlamp. Uses a spreadsheet program that facilitates extensive data manipulation. Gives students an awareness of the many mathematical techniques used in data analysis. (Author/JRH)

Discusses a number of important laboratory-related terms worthy of consideration and suggests a classification scheme that may be used to rate individual activities while implying a direction to enhance such exercises. Highlights implications of classifying laboratory activities and clarifying laboratory vocabulary. Contains 11 references. (JRH)

Describes a two-stage experiment where students play the role of farmers who must select one of four markets (corn, wheat, rice, or soybeans). Demonstrates the process leading to equilibrium in a multimarket setting. Includes an appendix with the farmer profit chart and homework exercises. (CMK)

Suggests that because controlled experiments are used extensively by professional ecologists to solve both theoretical and applied problems, experimentation should be a key component of secondary school ecology curricula. Describes five teaching principles to guide secondary school biology teachers in providing a more realistic view of the…

Describes how to perform the Meselson-Stahl experiment using Lego building blocks. Demonstrates how the products of DNA replication pass on to new generations of cells. (YDS)