To promote the integration of aesthetic education into chemistry education, this study designed activities to photograph precipitation reaction experiments with a smartphone, thereby combining experimental inquiry with artistic creation across disciplines. These activities were divided into (i) perceiving, (ii) appreciating, (iii) exploring, and…

Within two sections of science methods for elementary and middle-school teachers, an embedded, multi-case study design was employed to explore whether teaching rehearsals would better prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) to implement explanation-driven science instruction. A teaching rehearsal allows PSTs to practice teaching a segment of their…

The COVID-19 challenge found many instructors in unchartered territory. While some had experience in planning flipped or blended lessons, switching to 100% online instruction was unfamiliar. Many educators faced the problems of too many resources to sift through and too little time to master them before beginning online instruction. While numerous…

Three-dimensional visualization of molecular simulations in virtual reality (VR) is an emerging teaching tool in chemical education. This work describes a VR application which can generate a 3D molecular dynamics (MD) simulation from arbitrary molecular structures and renders that MD simulation trajectory on a VR headset in real-time. This system…

Mass spectrometry is one of the few instrumental analysis techniques that can be relatively well-understood with physics/chemistry knowledge typical of an advanced high school or a beginning undergraduate student. This positions mass spectrometry well to be used as a bridge between abstract concepts typically set as learning goals in courses at…

This work describes a two-year project carried out in an Italian technical high school. Through integrated work, the activity involved the efforts of different teachers and students, particularly those in the Chemical, Electronic, and IT departments. They merged their complementary skills to create an inexpensive device that quickly measures water…

Studies on student learning of scientific concepts have shown that students often experience various difficulties in understanding basic physics concepts such as vector quantities, as a result of formal and informal learning. The purpose of the present study is to document Grade 11 students' difficulties in understanding vectors and their…

Smartphones, coupled with small mobile sensors, make it possible to work with near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in science classrooms. NIR spectroscopy has become a standard analytical technology in various industries. These new devices enable students to create their own data in real time. This article presents an inquiry-based teaching unit, in…

As soon as children can see, they observe that objects fall freely. From a young age, we spontaneously construct interpretative models to understand this everyday phenomenon. Over the last three decades, numerous experiments have been developed to help students understand physics concepts regarding free fall. Although there are many…

We describe the design and manufacture of a classroom set of devices that simultaneously measures and records the resistivity of four conductive elements (superconductor, semiconductor, metal alloy, and pure metal) as a function of temperature. The unique nature of this multi-semester project was that these devices would be designed, machined and…

Almost every country in the world is obligated to implement education policies to enable an inclusive school system. However, implementing techniques to be inclusive in schools is a major challenge to teachers, especially to those teaching a subject at secondary level and higher. Most of the literature concerning inclusive science education was…

This study describes the use of worksheet activities based on alternative concepts from a two-tiered diagnostic assessment on chemical phenomena to remediate 37 first year non-major chemistry pre-service teachers' alternative conceptions about word chemical equations. The instruments for data collection were tiered assessments and group learning…

There is a growing recognition of the importance of effective instruction in the STEM subjects, including science. The movement towards increased requirements and expectations in science presents a challenge to both students and teachers as many students with Learning Disabilities (LD) often struggle, particularly in their science classes. The…

Reform of the Scottish science curriculum for Higher Chemistry gave students the opportunity to experiment with essential oils and fragrances. With the support of a Royal Society Partnership Grant, the students learnt how to isolate and identify compounds in essential oils using microscale steam distillation and thin-layer chromatography. The…

In this article, we discuss the behavior of high-temperature superconductors and how to demonstrate them safely and effectively in the high school or introductory physics classroom. Included here is a discussion of the most relevant physics topics that can be demonstrated, some safety tips, and a bit of the history of superconductors. In an effort…