Presents a simple activity designed to allow students to experimentally verify Kepler's second law, sometimes called the law of equal areas. It states that areas swept out by a planet as it orbits the Sun are equal for equal time intervals. (PR)

Presents examples of evaluation studies of visitor interactions with science museum exhibits. Example one involves application of existing findings about naive notions of motion to task of engineering a novel encounter with parabolic trajectories. Example two is a student project evaluating a prototype exhibit on light pipes and concludes that…

Describes a class activity where individual students ask the teacher "yes and no" questions to find the amount of force the bicep uses to lift a 1 kilogram mass. (PR)

Explores the changing nature of upper secondary school science subject enrollments over two decades. Discusses the fact that enrollments in chemistry, physics, and biology increased up until 1991 and declined from 1992-1995. (DDR)

Presents a theory of learning in science based on students deriving conceptual linkages among multiple models which represent physical phenomena at different levels of abstraction. Finds that high school students who were exposed to derivational links among three models for basic electricity performed better when solving both qualitative and…

Examines the extent and nature of Year 10 students' model-based reasoning in a laboratory investigation that considered the influence of six factors on electrical resistance. Finds that spontaneous use of the electron-drift model of metals in explanations increased over the duration of the task, but the explanations were restricted to mainly…

This article discusses the Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at Stanford University, which delivers computer-based multimedia distance learning opportunities to accelerate gifted students in grades K-12 in the areas of mathematics, physics, computer programming, and expository writing. The program also offers computer-based distance…

Explains the reasons for low U.S. score results on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and compares them with students from other nations. Swedish high schools scored highest on the science test, which is attributed to their curriculum. Suggests that the majority of students are taught science that is irrelevant for their…

If science education is to be related as closely as possible to science, then Thought Experiments (TEs) must play an appropriate part. Presents a typology of TEs with examples drawn from the history of physics and addresses their various uses in bringing about students' conceptual development. Finds appropriate use of TEs is lacking in physics…

Advocates using the first day of physics class to discuss some unique aspects of the discipline and the course. Lists examples of appropriate discussion topics. (WRM)

Describes a Conceptual Understanding Procedure (CUP) designed to improve students' understanding of difficult concepts in senior secondary physics. CUPs are based on a constructivist view of learning, target individual students' ideas, and use cooperative learning. Though designed in a physics context, CUPs have equal applicability in other…

The Institute of Physics Publishing (IPP), a subsidiary body of the Institute of Physics (IOP), has used electronic publishing on the Internet as a major means of improving the speed of dissemination of physics information. The development of the Comprehensive Electronic Journals service is described along with recent enhancements and other…

During the past three years, staff at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy have developed a partial reconstruction of Whitehead's "one subject matter," a course reconnecting biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and physics into an integrated science program. Staff successfully overcame dilemmas regarding thematic…

Describes how to approach block scheduling of science classes. Discusses the planning process, specific activities that work well in longer science classes, and techniques for motivating students. (DDR)

Using direct observation and detailed activity accounts, a study documented how English and physics faculty at two universities accomplished teaching and research simultaneously. Individual faculty integrated teaching and research between 8% and 34% of their work time. English faculty integrated research more with classroom teaching; physics…