Describes a teaching unit on electromagnetic induction using historic texts. Uses some of Faraday's diary entries from 1831 to introduce the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction and teach about the properties of electricity, of taking conclusions from experiment, and scientific methodology. (ASK)

Explains tendencies and difficulties experienced by students aged 14 through 17 years during an activity involving measurement in physics. Surveys these tendencies and difficulties through clinical interviews involving data collection, data processing, and data interpretation. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

Reports on a study designed to measure changes in students' science proficiency produced by a multimedia learning environment. Describes the inquiry-based design of Astronomy Village, which supports middle school students in learning fundamental concepts in life, earth, and physical sciences. Results indicate sizable treatment effects for two…

Discusses student and teacher perceptions of a new development in the use of the predict-observe-explain (POE) strategy. This development involves the incorporation of POE tasks into a multimedia computer program that uses real-life, digital video clips of difficult, expensive, time consuming, or dangerous scenarios as stimuli for these tasks.…

A study examined the views of five Norwegian teachers who are deaf on science learning by deaf students. The teachers see the systematic work in class discussions, especially on the concepts of physics, as a major contributor to their success and try to use similar methods in their own teaching. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Attribution retraining was conducted with 82 German 8th grade girls as part of feedback provided by trained teachers in the students' first physics course. In comparison with controls, attribution retraining significantly improved students' performance in physics. Training also had favorable effects on the motivation sets and self-related…

Explains how electronic mailing lists operate, and provides information about the objectives and membership of the four largest physics education-related electronic mail lists. (WRM)

Describes an activity in which students determine where wind chime tubes should be supported and struck to give the best tone, then find the frequency of the tubes. This activity can be used to introduce ideas on significant figures, experimental error, types of variation, peer review of results, seeking empirical relationships with data, and…

Examines the design and construction of a mini-sextant and its use in demonstrating Fresnel reflection, geometric optics, and several common optical techniques. A sidebar explains the basic use of the mini-sextant as a navigational tool. (WRM)

Describes a way of performing the classic oil drop experiment in which a CCD video camera replaces the eyepiece of the microscope, reducing measurement error to approximately 7%. (WRM)

Finds that high school physics and chemistry courses are not beyond the grasp of most high school students, provided they are given help when needed. (CCM)

Describes a study of the professional qualifications of high school physics teachers conducted by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Concludes that high school physics teachers are better trained than they are given credit for, and that instances of utterly unqualified instructors are rare. (WRM)

Presents a series of standard demonstrations as examples of activities that can be used to introduce multiple concepts and tie different sections of an introductory physics course together. Contributes to changes in classroom dynamics by stimulating student engagement and encouraging inclusivity. (Contains 23 references.) (DDR)

Measurement is a foundational topic in secondary school physics that must be taught to all beginning secondary education students in Kenya. The secondary level offers education for students who are aged between 12-and 18-years-old. Physics teachers in the Rift Valley province identified the topic of measurement as an area that is difficult to…

Many learning and instructional approaches that manipulate the environment in which learners work and cooperate with each other have illustrated growth in cognitive, intellectual, social, and affective areas. To date, however, uncertainty still exists as to the mechanism by which various types of peer tutoring facilitate learning. This study seeks…