In this article, the authors present early research in using 3-D printing to develop tactile experiences to improve understanding and enable broader aesthetic participation in arts learning contexts for all learners that would benefit from tactility and in particular those with low vision. Their exploration of 3-D printing to create assistive…

Protein ORIGAMI (http://ibg.kit.edu/protein_origami) is a browser-based web application that allows the user to create straightforward 3D paper models of folded peptides for research, teaching and presentations. An amino acid sequence can be turned into a-helices, ß-strands and random coils that can be printed out and folded into properly scaled…

Manipulation of physical models such as tangrams and tiles is a popular approach to teaching early mathematics concepts. This pedagogical approach is extended by new computational media, where mathematical entities such as equations and vectors can be virtually manipulated. The cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting such manipulation-based…

Manipulatives have been found to be effective in increasing mathematics achievement when they are put to good use (Canny, 1984; Clements & Battista, 1990; Clements, 1999; Sowell, 1989; Suydam, 1984), but their use in mathematics instruction is not clear and it is often debated to be effective (Ball, 1992; McNeil & Jarvin, 2007). The…

"Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All" (NCTM 2014) gives teachers access to an insightful, research-informed framework that outlines ways to promote reasoning and sense making. Specifically, as students transition on their mathematical journey through middle school and beyond, their knowledge and use of…

Despite its vital importance in our lives, chemistry is inadequately represented in most museums. Issues such as safety, replenishing and disposal of chemicals, supervision required, and cost are constraints that have limited the number and size of chemistry exhibits. Taking into account the constraints, a 21-station interactive and inexpensive…

Nuclear masses and binding energies are some of the first nuclear properties met in high school physics, and can be used to introduce radioactive decays, fusion, and fission. With relatively little extension, they can also illustrate fundamental concepts in nuclear physics, such as shell structure and pairing, and to discuss how the elements…

A simple model is presented to explain Higgs boson physics to the grand public. The model consists of a children's ball pool representing a Universe filled with a certain amount of the Higgs field. The model is suitable for usage as a hands-on tool in scientific exhibits and provides a clear explanation of almost all the aspects of the physics of…

Loose parts play (LPP) interventions introduce moveable materials and equipment to children's play spaces to facilitate unstructured, child-led play. Meta-analysis of previous school-based research has shown significant benefits of LPP for physical activity. In the current paper, we review the scope and quality of the quantitative evidence…

A hands-on experiment to obtain atomic and ionic radii with lumps of metal and ionic compounds is reported here. The experiment is performed with industrial-grade typical metals (iron, copper, aluminum, and lead) and single-crystal lumps of ionic compounds (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and potassium bromide). Students measure the dimension…

The aim of the current study is to compare the effect of virtual and physical manipulatives on preschool children's understanding of geometric shapes. A quasi-experimental research design was employed where children in the experimental group used tablet computers to access Augmented Reality (AR)-based virtual manipulatives, while children in the…

Traditionally, human anatomy is taught using cadaveric human or animal specimens, however such materials are not always available or are quite costly. Alternate instructional methods can include software, models, clay models, and illustrations. Unfortunately, while cost effective, these methods lack the ability to demonstrate the "in…

The fifth-grade curriculum presents many opportunities to use students' prior mathematical knowledge as a way to bridge new and more difficult mathematical ideas. In this article, the authors document an area tiling task given to fifth-grade students to connect aspects of area measurement covered in earlier grades to grade-level standards such as:…

The virtual-representational-abstract (VRA) framework adapts an evidence-based practice, the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) framework, while trying to meet students and teachers where they are in terms of technology interest and use in education. This article discusses the VRA framework and the advantages of virtual manipulatives, and…

In this study, it is aimed to examine the mathematical conceptual skills of 48-72-month-old children attending pre-school education institutions providing a Montessori Approach and Ministry of Education Pre-school Program (MoE PSP). The study group consisted of 20 children, who were trained by the Montessori Approach, and 20 children, who…