Describes a lesson in which students perform simple body movements in order to gain insight into the relationship between time and the astronomical motions of the earth, and how these motions influence what we see in the sky at various times of the day and year. (WRM)

Many of us have an intuitive understanding of physics that works surprisingly well to guide everyday action, but we would not attempt to send a rocket to the moon with it. Unfortunately, the authors argue, our policy makers are not as cautious when it comes to basing our school accountability system on intuitive test theory. Intuitive physics…

The aim of this study was to develop a new research-based learning unit for tides to be used in lower secondary schools. The learning unit was based on the scientific theory of tides, textbooks, and also an analysis of students' conceptions. Descriptions are included of the content and the teaching-learning activities of the unit. The teacher talk…

The present work is concerned with one of the most successful books popularizing astronomy of the last half of the 19th century, published in France under the title "L' Astronomie Populaire". The book was translated into Greek and was the first book, out of 100, which was published in order to be a part of a popular library meant to educate the…

The House of Science in Stockholm is a university science laboratory for physics, astronomy and biotechnology, entirely devoted to schools. The laboratory makes modern science accessible to teachers, school classes and individual students. It could serve as a model for universities and science centres that want to bridge the gap between school and…

Atmospheric optical effects can teach much about physics and especially optics. Coronae--coloured rings around the sun or moon--are large-scale consequences of diffraction, which is often thought of as only a small effect confined to the laboratory. We describe coronae, how they are formed and experiments that can be conducted on ones in the sky.…

This article presents results of the first two years of the introduction of a critical thinking (CT) component to standard freshman astronomy lab exercises for nonmajors. The component consists of a series of probing questions folded into the exercises, plus a formal grading rubric. The grading rubric is adapted from the generalized Washington…

This article talks about fulldome video, a new technology which has been adopted fairly extensively by the larger, well-funded planetariums. Fulldome video, also called immersive projection, can help teach subjects ranging from geology to history to chemistry. The rapidly advancing progress of projection technology has provided high-resolution…

At the pre-college and first-year college level of physics instruction, Kepler's laws are generally taught as empirical laws of nature. Introductory physics textbooks only derive Kepler's Second law of areas. It is possible to derive all of Kepler's laws mathematically from the conservation laws, employing only high-school algebra and geometry.…

Astronomy and astronomy-related topics have sufficient appeal and depth that they can be used to motivate students, illustrate important chemical concepts, and demonstrate that chemistry and chemists are concerned with all parts of nature. In this article some recent developments in astrochemistry are suggested as examples for the teaching of…

Over the course of history, scientists have constructed models and equations that provide insight into the motions of the heavens. However, research indicates many people hold alternative conceptions that, to them, explain the same observable phenomenon. Science educators have found that students learning about lunar phases may hold misconceptions…

In April 2005 the World Year of Physics (Einstein Year in the UK and Ireland) was celebrated with an Einstein week in Stockholm House of Science. Seven experiments illustrated Einstein's remarkable work in 1905 on Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect and special relativity. Thirteen school classes with 260 pupils, 30 teachers and 25 members…

This report describes the initial employment and educational paths pursued by physics and astronomy degree recipients at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels for the classes of 2002-03 and 2003-04. The report includes starting salaries, primary work activities, ratings of professional challenge and other aspects of initial employment. The…

The research interrogates the connections between information and communication technologies' (ICTs') use and change processes in Australian higher education. The empirical investigation focuses simultaneously on three domains of practice: the educational, the technological and the organizational, with a particular interest in their overlaps and…

In sixth grade, students understand that Earth gets visible light from the Sun, but students may also believe the Earth gets heat from the Sun. This last part is incorrect because the Sun is too far from the Earth to heat it directly. So, how does the Sun heat the Earth? When light strikes an object, it can be reflected or absorbed. Absorbed light…