Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

A Balancing Act: Helping Students Understand The Mole Relationship For Balancing Equations, Karl Goldsmith, Matt Jaschen

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Stoichiometry can be one of the more challenging topics to teach in high school chemistry. Students often struggle until they realize the ratio from the balanced chemical equation represents mole ratios rather than the mass of each component. The activity presented here provides students with an inquiry based experience with a chemical reaction. During the activity, students seek evidence as to what the coefficients in a balanced chemical equation mean. With teacher guidance, these activities help students (1) connect chemical equations to observations, (2) gain evidence that mass ratios are not useful, and (3) understand the relationship between moles and …

Exploring The Depths: Inquiry To Apply And Deepen Students’ Understanding Of Density, James M. Sleep, Lee Johnson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

This activity is designed to deepen students' understanding of the concept of density through scientific inquiry. Students devise procedures to determine the relative and absolute (qualitative and quantitative) densities of several solutions of salt water, and establish a class consensus on their results. Students then apply their findings to estimate the density of an unknown solution. The targeted grade-level for this activity is 8 grade physical science. However, because we know students at all grade levels struggle to understand density, this activity could also be useful in high school Earth science and chemistry. This activity promotes National Science Education Content …

Keeping It Green: Using A Compost To Improve Student Learning, Spencer Mesick, Kayla Hendrix

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

This article discusses ways in which composting might be used to mentally engage students with science content. Incorporating a compost pile in the classroom provides ample connections to future science content (e.g., conditions necessary for the life of organisms in a well running aerobic compost, what decomposition means in a biological sense, aerobic vs. anaerobic decomposition, food webs, respiration, recycling of nutrients, landfill issues, etc.). Also, reflecting the complexities of effective science teaching, the article makes clear the crucial role of the teacher during the activity. The science content and activity addressed in this article are appropriate for 9th - …

Title Page - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Conceptual Change: It’S Not Just For Teaching Science, Michael P. Clough, Jerrid Kruse

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Mark Twain is often given credit for saying, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” Science teachers likely resonate with this quote because we know our students come to class confidently holding many ideas about the natural world that “just ain't so.”

The Effectiveness Of Active And Traditional Teaching Techniques In The Orthopedic Assessment Laboratory, Sara Nottingham

Athletic Training Faculty Articles and Research

Active learning is a teaching methodology with a focus on student-centered learning that engages students in the educational process. This study implemented active learning techniques in an orthopedic assessment laboratory, and the effects of these teaching techniques. Mean scores from written exams, practical exams, and final course evaluations were compared for 79 human physiology students. One- and two-way analyses of variance were used to evaluate the effect of teaching methodology on test scores and evaluation responses. No significant differences were found for course evaluation responses and written and practical exam scores between the two learning groups. This study suggests that …

Nebraskamath January 2010 Newsletter

NebraskaMATH Materials

NebraskaMATH January 2010 Newsletter

Table of Contents:

Obama expands STEM campaign

NMSSI courses for Summer 2010

Larson elected to NCTM board

Andrews nominated A+ Educator of Week

NebraskaMATH Summer Calendar

Math Challenge Corner

Resources: Math education for preschoolers

NMSSI Summer Calendar

Nominate K-6 teachers for presidential award

Primarily Math Magazine 2010

NebraskaMATH Materials

Bright and early: Primarily Math overview, pg. 3

Furthering the mission: Susie Katt, pg. 7

Growing to love math: Danielle Inserra, pg. 8-9

Ready for a challenge: Jane McGill, pg. 10

Refining her new role: Molly Orton, pg. 12

A word from Jim Lewis, pg. 13

Primarily Math Cohort 1 Teachers, pg. 14

Primarily Math Cohort 1 Group Photo, pg. 26-27

Primarily Math Cohort 2 Teachers, pg. 28

Primarily Math Cohort 2 Group Photo, pg. 32

Primarily Math Instructors & Coordinators, pg. 33

Trends In The Mathematical Competency Of University Entrants In Ireland By Leaving Certificate Mathematics Grade, Fiona Faulkner, Ailish Hannigan, Olivia Gill

Articles

This article reports on the mathematical competency of students entering third-level education in the University of Limerick (UL). Data from diagnostic testing, gathered on 5,949 students between the years 1998 and 2008, are used to demonstrate the changes in competency levels of students entering UL. There has been a significant decline in the performance of students in the diagnostic test over time.The performance, on average, of students with the same leaving certificate mathematics grade on entry into university has not changed significantly over time. However, the profile of the entrants has changed considerably and this is contributing to the overall …

Imaginative Science Education: Exploring The Wonders Of Water, Emily R. Fletcher

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The imagination is central to all learning. This paper provides science educators with a better understanding of imagination's role in learning and how it may be routinely engaged in the education of budding scientists. Both theoretical and practical dimensions are addressed. Part one defines the imagination, provides an overview of Kieran Egan's (1997) theory of lmaginative Education, introduces Egan's framework for developing lessons using Imaginative Education, and provides an argument for imaginative science education. Part two provides an example of science curriculum that shows practical application of lmaginative Education in a museum science camp setting. The curriculum explores the scientific …

Investigating Instructors' Conceptions Of Evolution Through The Development Of The Classroom Test Of Evolutionary Reasoning, Patricia Eileen Palko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to assess the evolutionary understanding of high school biology teachers, an instrument entitled the Classroom Test of Evolutionary Reasoning (CTER) was developed. Content, response process, relations to another variable (the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection, or CINS), and internal structure evidence were compiled. The second version of the CTER was found to have adequate reliability and validity estimates to allow it to continue to be used as a measurement tool for an understanding of evolution. When assessing a sample of teachers (n = 724), the mean score was 6.35 out of a possible 13 points. The sample was …

Bebop To Hiphop: Music Creation For Science Content Retention, Christopher Claud Markermorse

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to develop a way of combining Visual and Performing Arts instructional standards and methods, instructional technology, and science instruction to maximize science content retention through song creation.

Impact!: Improving Student Learning Through An Inquiry Crater Investigation, Blake J. Williams, Derek J. Hollingshead

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The fight against student compartmentalization of science concepts is an ongoing battle for all science educators. When an inquiry-based investigation of natural phenomena, like that presented here, is integrated into curricula new links between science concepts are created. These new connections promote a deep and robust understanding of science content. This cratering activity has students applying prior knowledge of gravitational forces, momentum, conservation of energy, and density while exploring the intricate relationships between these fundamental concepts. This activity also provides abundant opportunities for explicit connections to the nature of science. Impact cratering is a phenomena which can be easily modeled …

Thinking On Paper: Using Science Notebooks To Increase Active Engagement In The Elementary Science Classroom, Kimberly R. Gasaway

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The need for scientific literacy is becoming a new standard to which school districts are being held accountable. Student inquiry and the ability to “think like a scientist” will increase the depth at which students understand the natural world and make connections that are critical in strengthening students' scientific literacy. In addition, research has shown that when students were actively engaged in the learning process, they participated more enthusiastically and retained the concepts being taught. Science notebooks help students learn to record and make sense of data and observations about the natural world and come to deeper understanding of scientific …

Ua97/5 Ogden College Departments, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and regarding the departments of Ogden College. Series contains brief records from the Athletic, English and Science departments.

The Plot Thickens: Using A Plotting Activity To Start Your School Year Strong, Joe Taylor

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Captivating students and setting high expectations for critical thinking are two key classroom goals. This plotting and graphing activity is designed specifically to achieve these goals. Additionally, this activity can be modified for any science course taught at the secondary school level. Support materials including teacher and student printouts are provided at the end of the article. This activity promotes National Science Education Standards A, C, D, and F and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Can Use Of Technology In A Science Classroom Help Improve Reading Comprehension?, Michael Lawrence Carlin

Theses Digitization Project

This study will show that by using technology to spark an interest in science curriculum and providing subsequent reading material related to that curriculum, educators will notice an improvement in their students' reading comprehension skills. Two classes from a high school in the Phoenix school district of comparable reading comprehension abilities were given two inquiry-based lesson plans to execute.

A Comparison Of Student Learning Using Two Teaching Methods: Case Study And Direct Instruction, Laura Elaine Elmer

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using case studies as an instructional method.

Student Understanding Of Scale And Structure In Astronomy: What Classroom Strategies Are Effective?, Peter Charles A'Hearn

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to investigate what strategies are used by classroom teachers to teach 8th grade students about scale in astronomy and whether instruction is effective or not.

Matching Functions And Graphs At Multiple Levels Of Bloom’S Revised Taxonomy, Kris H. Green

Mathematical and Computing Sciences Faculty/Staff Publications

This paper illustrates the power of Bloom's revised taxonomy for teaching, learning and assessing [3] in aligning our curriculum expectations and our assessment tools in multivariable calculus. The particular assessment tool considered involves a common matching problem to evaluate students' abilities to think about functions from graphical and formulaic representations. Through this analysis we gain additional understanding of why students may have difficulty in performing well on certain activities.