Uses data from a survey of Perth lower secondary science teachers to reveal low levels of inquiry and determine the nature of the laboratory work undertaken by their students. Contains 29 references. (DDR)

Measurement of the compositions and temperatures of H2O-NaCl brines in equilibrium with ice can be used as an easy in-class experimental determination of a liquidus. This experiment emphasizes the symmetry of the behavior of brines with regard to the minerals ice and halite and helps to free students from the conceptual tethers of one-component…

Describes two simple laboratory exercises that allow students to test hypotheses concerning the requirement of cell energy for osmosis. The first exercise involves osmotically-caused changes in the length of potato tubers and requires detailed quantitative observations. The second exercise involves osmotically-caused changes in turgor of Elodea…

Argues that Lewis diagrams can be easily done by students using a minimal number of clues. Presents a method to draw the Lewis structure of molecules, polyatomic ions, and radicals whereby students no longer need to move bonds or lone pairs of electrons. (DDR)

Discusses a year-long course of study called Chemistry in the Community, or ChemCom, developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to improve chemistry studies in high schools and to relate chemistry to the real world of students. Students spend half the time in the laboratory with more discussion on nuclear, organic, and biochemistry than that…

Focuses on how teachers understand the place of the laboratory and laboratory work in their practice. Observations are based on interviews conducted with secondary science teachers in England. Contains 27 references. (DDR)

Details the incorporation of safety procedures and issues into the curriculum of an undergraduate chemical engineering unit operations laboratory course. Includes checklists and sample reporting forms. (DDR)

Describes a course that mimics experiences in research laboratories, engages students in collaboration, and reflects trends in educational reform. (YDS)

Describes an interactive game used in conjunction with traditional laboratory work, group discussions, student presentations, and writing exercises to provide an enjoyable and motivating dimension to a university seminar/lab course in historical geology and paleontology. The game is designed for a university setting but can easily be modified for…

Recommends using authentic science conferences as a way of teaching about critical issues in science, how scientists work, and the role of conferences. Includes classroom activities of inquiry-based investigations in which students present their collected data at a conference. (YDS)

Presents a laboratory exercise that focuses on societal concerns about the use of pesticides in order to introduce students to the problems of science and public policy. The exercise is a dry laboratory with a role-playing activity centered in an imaginary agricultural community. (DDR)

Presents classroom inquiry-based investigations to investigate wound healing in plant tissues and cells. Students create their own research problems and the investigations can be related to the National Science Standards. (SAH)

Introduces the course Javametrics 101: Mastering the Art and Science of Good Coffee which is designed for nonmajor science students. Emphasizes the scientific method in an integrated curriculum. (Contains 15 references.) (YDS)

The British National Curriculum calls for children to work with living things. Discusses alternatives available for teaching children about bugs, most notably through models and live animals kept in school. Models prove valuable for introducing children to bugs and for stimulating them to ask scientific questions. Raises issues behind keeping live…

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)