There is a growing interest in using classroom response systems or clickers in science classrooms at both the university and K-12 levels. Typically, when instructors use this technology, students are asked to answer and discuss clicker questions with their peers. The existing literature on using clickers at the K-12 level has largely focused on…

There are examples of using stones of the cultural heritage for teaching purposes. Information systems have found several potential uses in the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage. In this paper is considered the conceptual framework of an information system concerning features of geological interest (FGI) in the built heritage…

Characterization of the vapor pressure of a volatile liquid or azeotropic mixture, and its fluid phase diagram, can be achieved with an isoteniscope and an industrial grade digital pressure sensor using the experimental method reported in this study. We describe vapor-pressure measurements of acetone and n-hexane and their azeotrope, and how the…

The aim of this article is to disclose features of scientific explanation in teaching of chemistry in the environment of new information of school students' developmental education. The leading approach to the study of this problem is the information and environmental approach that comprehensively address the problem of scientific explanation in…

The study was carried out to identify the alternative frameworks on the concept of condensation at submicroscopic level among secondary school students (N = 324). Data was collected by using the qualitative method through the Understanding Test on the Concept of Matter at Submicroscopic Level which consisted of 10 open-ended questions. The…

In this work we present an inexpensive experiment proposal to study the kinematics of uniform circular motion in a secondary school. We used a PC sound card to connect a homemade simple sensor to a computer and used the free sound analysis software "Audacity" to record experimental data. We obtained quite good results even in comparison…

The work reported here involved a comparative study regarding the understanding that high school students (16-18 years) have of the concept of chemical elements and their periodic classification. More specifically, the level of knowledge on this topic was compared before and after the completion of baccalaureate studies in a sample of Spanish…

The synthesis of 1,1-diphenylethylene (DPE) via a Grignard reaction, followed by an acid-catalyzed dehydration reaction, yields a mixture of compounds. DPE is a high boiling liquid that cannot be purified using simple distillation. However, it is easily separated from the more polar starting material and intermediate alcohol using both thin layer…

Instead of solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs), the damped simple harmonic motion (SHM) is surveyed qualitatively from basic mechanics and quantitatively by the instrumentality of a graph of velocity against displacement. In this way, the condition b ? [square root]4mk for the occurrence of the non-oscillating critical damping and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if science teachers showed a change in their ability to design and implement science lessons that integrate twenty-first century science practices as a result of their participation in a subject-specific professional development program. A qualitative design utilizing inductive analysis was used to…

The article investigates how deliberative democracy is related to argumentation in school science. We use examples of political models of deliberative democracy to synthesize implications for argumentation in science teaching and learning. Some key questions guided our approach: How does democratic deliberation work and how does it relate to…

A great deal of the nation's attention has turned to the sky as new technologies open the door for new opportunities with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are powered aerial vehicles that do not carry an operator, use aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. As people become accustomed to…

The study explored grade 12 students' understanding of reaction kinetics, a topic which has not been extensively explored in the chemistry education literature at this level. A 3-tier diagnostic instrument with 11 questions was developed--this format is of very recent origin and has been the subject of only a handful of studies. The findings…

Internationally much attention is being paid to which of a seemingly endless list of scientific concepts should be taught to schoolchildren to enable them to best participate in the global economy of the 21st Century. In regards to science education, the concepts framing the subject of geology holds exalted status as core scientific principles in…

To further students' understanding about gravity, forces, and motion, multiple types of text were integrated into instruction. As part of a 5E lesson (Bybee et al. 2006), the authors used a selection from Capstone Press's Graphic Science series, "A Crash Course in Forces and Motion with Max Axiom" (Sohn and Barnett 2007) to support…