Describes a simple experimental setup in which the student can detect and record light spectra, study and test the concept of Bragg reflection, and measure the anisotropy of the index of refraction in a cholesteric liquid crystal. (MLH)

Reviews research findings on the relative effectiveness of the laboratory approach versus the lecture-demonstration method of elementary-secondary science education, and concludes that while lab instruction effectively teaches students how to use the laboratory, it does not facilitate science content acquisition and retention. (JG)

In a Virginia school grounded in Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory, K-12 students flock to the think tank, a hands-on discovery room, to explore their varied abilities. This well-equipped room synthesizes many ideas and theories, such as Socratic questioning and John Dewey's discovery-learning ideas. Because multiple ways of smartness are…

Describes interfacing a hand-held oxygen probe with a microcomputer and suggests experiments for undergraduate chemistry courses that could facilitate student understanding of aquatic environmental processes which involve dissolved oxygen. Data can be analyzed through the program or exported into other software. Presents results of an experiment…

Addresses the definition prevalent in writing center scholarship that divides centers into rigid ideological categories with specific, often metaphorical names and distinct activities, theoretical foundations, and sense of place within academic institutions. Argues that situating writing centers within these separable categories brings the danger…

At the South Burlington (Vermont) High School Imaging Lab, students are learning to manipulate the animation technology that NASA uses to design rockets, Hollywood uses to make movies, and architects use to design buildings. Assisted by grants, an English teacher parlayed a single unused computer into a nationally recognized program that helps…

Explains how to prepare a permanent, portable, and easy to use device for flame-test demonstrations. (DKM)

Presents simple laboratory experiments to help students understand the principle of buoyancy and mass balance. Buoyancy experiments can simulate lithospheric mass balance, crustal loading and unloading, and can be used to model differences between the oceanic and continental lithosphere. (MKR)

Describes several demonstrations that feature interaction of light with soap bubbles. Includes directions about how to produce a long-lasting stationary soap bubble with an easily changeable size and describes the interaction of white light with the bubble. (DDR)

Describes a demonstration that illustrates the reversibility of thermal reactions using a gas burner and copper sulfate. Explains the procedure and provides tips to guide student thinking. (DDR)

Describes a demonstration known as Elephant's Toothpaste in which the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is catalyzed by iodide. Oxygen is released and soap bubbles are produced. The foam produced is measured, and results show a good relationship between the amount of foam and the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide. (DDR)

Evaluates the long-term use of integrated laboratories in undergraduate chemistry programs. Reports that this approach offers a number of advantages over conventional laboratories, including an improvement in the amount of student knowledge and experience gained, better preparation of students for research, and more efficient utilization of lab…

Case studies of 10 publicly funded research laboratories in Italy show that integration of scientific research into the social system has only partially been achieved because of barriers in the host institutions and that there is continuing conflict between the priorities of quality and research transferability. (SK)

In a science class of 43 Turkish eighth-graders, an experimental group performed investigative lab activities; controls used worksheets. Although the pretest showed similar logical thinking ability, after 5 weeks of instruction the experimental group had significantly higher science achievement scores. (SK)

Compares the revised Blue Bottle formulation to the classical Blue Bottle. Indicates that the revised formulation gives a somewhat bluer solution, but initially slower reduction when compared to the classical formulation. (Author/KHR)