Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Pleistocene Glacial Record At Two Quarries In Decatur County, Iowa, Keith E. Schilling, Robert A. Stewart

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The Pleistocene stratigraphy and sedimentology of two quarry exposures near Grand River and Decatur City in Decatur County, Iowa document a sequence of Pleistocene sediments overlying striated Pennsylvanian limestone which represent at least two pre-Illinoian glacial advances into the ancestral Grand River valley. Two pre-Illinoian diarnictons separated by a clast pavement were observed at the Decatur City quarry; a single diarnicton was present at the Grand River quarry. At both quarries, the diarnictons exhibit comparable lithologic properties and are genetically interpreted as basal tills. The pre-Illinoian tills are tentatively correlated with the Alburnett Formation in eastern Iowa, primarily on the …

Competitive Abilities Of Oat And Barley Varieties, B. D. Mcbratney, K. J. Frey

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Competitive ability of a plant genotype reflects its capacity to yield well and compete successfully for light, moisture, and nutrients when grown with similar or dissimilar genotypes. This trait is important to plant breeding because most breeding populations are propagated in mixed or competitive stands. The objective of this study was to assess the competitive abilities of oat and barley genotypes.

Two sets of oat and barley genotypes were evaluated for competitive ability. Set I consisted of five oat varieties, and Set II consisted of two barley and three oat varieties. Neither set, when averaged, showed over- or under-compensation with …

The Early History And Recent Trends In Iowa Herpetology, Reeve M. Bailey, James L. Christiansen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Herpetological exploration of Iowa began in 1823 with Long's expedition to the Rocky Mountains. From that time until an 1892 publication by Osborn based on Iowa specimens, herpetological research in the state was minor and incidental. Several significant reports appeared after that date involving analysis of Iowa specimens and from 1938 to 1944 a major base-line collection of the amphibians and reptiles of Iowa was established. Studies after that time have added a few species to Iowa’s known herpetofauna but recently have concentrated not only on composition of the fauna and distribution, but emphasized population changes, ecological relationships, and better …

Some Significant Iowa Plant Records From The Herbarium Of University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Barbara L. Wilson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Though the herbarium of University of Nebraska at Omaha (OMA) lies outside the state boundaries, it contains a number of interesting western Iowa records. Publicizing these and other little-known Iowa plant records is especially important at this time, since a checklist of Iowa's vascular plants, compiled by Eilers and Roosa, is nearing completion.

World View, Metaphysics, And Epistemology, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

It has been argued from world view theory that fundamental beliefs about the world exert a powerful influence on how sense is made of events in the world. However, the nature of that influence has remained enigmatic. Hannah Arendt's distinction between thinking and comprehension, and knowing and apprehension provides a clarification. Thinking is the epistemological path to conceptual comprehension. Knowing is the metaphysical path to apprehension - to the acceptance of a concept as true or valid. Comprehension does not necessitate apprehension. One may reject a fully understood concept. The recent discussion in science education about world view is essentially …

Contextual Constructivism: The Impact Of Culture On The Learning And Teaching Of Science, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

Though rooted in Piagetian research, constructivism1 is an avenue of research pertaining to teaching and learning that departed from the neo-Piagetian2 mainstream twenty years ago and has continued on a distinct path of development. The departure was evident by the late seventies, clearly marked by two publications, Novak (1977) and Driver & Easley (1978). For constructivists, learning is not knowledge written on, or transplanted to, a person's mind as if the mind were a blank slate waiting to be written on or an empty gallery waiting to be filled. Constructivists use the metaphor of construction because it aptly summarizes the …

International Perspectives On Science Education, Mark A. Grey

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Since the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education), comparisons of the American education system with those of other countries have become commonplace. Hundreds of articles on the subject have appeared in the popular, professional and academic literature, as well as in a number of books. Comparisons have also been driven by the "America 2000" campaign. The challenge to science educators in this campaign is explicit: "By the year 2000, United States students will be first in the world in science and mathematics achievement."

Astronomy Bulletin - The Night Sky: May 15 To October 31, 1993, P. Steven Leiker

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Science Calendar

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Science Notes - Summer Institutes For Middle Level Science Teachers, Jonna M. Higgins

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Teachers of grades 5-9 are invited to apply to attend summer institutes at one of four college campuses nationwide. Participants in the APAST/NSTA/NSF program will learn new teaching techniques, increase science content knowledge and develop networks with creative teachers and science educators from across the nation. They will apply the results of education research to their teaching and improve their leadership skills.

Science Notes - Smokey Bear Fire Prevention Kits Available

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Kindergarten and primary grade teachers can now obtain free Smithsonian Institution/USDA Forest Service learning kits that celebrate Smokey Bear's golden anniversary.

Science Calendar

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Community Dynamics Of Phytoplankton In A Typical Navigation Pool In The Upper Mississippi River, Theodore R. Lange, Ronald G. Rada

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

In 1986 we studied phytoplankton in the mid-reaches of Pool 8, which is a typical navigation pool of the Upper Mississippi River. During years of normal discharge, the areas studied usually become distinctly different from each other (ranging from free-flowing river to stagnant marsh) as the ice-free season progresses. These differences among sites did not occur during our study because the discharge into Pool 8 during 1986 was about 85% greater than the 10-yr mean discharge (1972-1982). Moreover, differences among areas were not observed with respect to physical and chemical characteristics such as photic zone depth, temperature, dissolved nitrogen and …

A Two And Three Dimensional High School Geometry Unit Implementing Recommendations In The National Council Of Teachers Of Mathematics Curriculum And Evaluation Standards, Stella Sloan

Theses Digitization Project

Spatial visualization--Mathematics and geometry achievement--Cognitive structure--Manipulatives--Lessons for triangles, quadrilaterals, polyhedra, polygons, Eulers Formula, and platonic solids.

Creating A Child-Centered Integrated Science/Language Arts Curriculum Using A Year-Long Theme, Isabel Ann Pickett

Theses Digitization Project

Whole language philosophy

Manipulative Materials In Mathematics Instruction: Addressing Teacher Reluctance, Virginia Mae Johnson

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Georg Cantor And The Battle For Transfinite Set Theory, Joseph Dauben

ACMS Journal 2004

Georg Cantor is well known as the founder of transfinite set theory. Equally celebrated, however, are the obstacles he faced in trying to win acceptance for his seemingly unorthodox views, his acrimonious differences with Leopold Kronecker and his unfortunate but progressively debilitating nervous breakdowns that some authors have linked directly to his many problems with set theory. Above all, Cantor's justification of set theory was all the more urgent because of Kronecker's critical denunciation of Cantor's mathematics. In tracing the evolution of Cantorian set theory, it is necessary to examine the opposition it met, and evaluate the technical, philosophical, psychological, …

Iowa Academy Of Science Directory, 1993-94, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Board of Directors ... 5
Program Directors ... 6
Editors ... 6
Committees ... 8
Sections ... 22
Awards of Merit ... 28
Excellence in Science Teaching Awards ... 29
Past Presidents ... 30
Membership Roster ... 31

Creating Supplimental Visual And Manipulative Activities For Biology, Dennis Craig Johnson

All Graduate Projects

Alternative visual and tactile teaching strategies and their educational effectiveness for students of diverse backgrounds in the life sciences were studied. Supplemental activities to traditional, commercial, science programs were found to provide many effective learning pathways to a wide spectrum of learning styles. To assist in providing additional learning approaches toward program goals, the educational theory in the literary review was applied to the formation of a set of classroom science materials. Suggestions for classroom use have been provided.

Habitat And Distribution Of Plants Special To Iowa's Driftless Area, William P. Pusateri, Dean M. Roosa, Donald R. Farrar

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A portion of the Upper Midwest escaped glaciation during the two most recent glacial epochs. This "Driftless Area", also known in Iowa as the "Paleozoic Plateau", comprises some 39,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Today the highly dissected terrain provides a variety of habitats supporting a rich and diverse flora including many plants special to the area, i.e., principally, in Iowa, restricted to the Driftless Area. These special plants have received much attention, often having been discussed as possible relicts from past floras. However, distribution data for these species beyond the …

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Nature Of Science, Gerald R. Walsh

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Early in my teaching career, I came to the conclusion that my colleagues did not approach science in the same manner as language arts, social studies or math teachers approached their subjects. While we were trying to "stuff' our students with all kinds of information of a specific nature, they focused upon producing a general literacy. They did not presume the majority of their students would one day become authors, mathematicians or social workers; instead they assumed that all students required communication skills within their respective subjects. Their mission seemed to be the promotion of literacy within the framework of …

Build-A-Body, Gail B. Wortmann

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Human anatomy students may be given a creative challenge in cooperative learning by asking them to "Build-A-Body," using only their lab partners as sources for measurements. Allow them as much latitude as possible in design and construction. As a result, they will be more aware of the correct proportioning of the human body and will more fully appreciate the complexity inherent in the human form.

Science Notes - "Herpetoculture In The Classroom" Workshop, Amy L. Wall

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Herpetoculture, the keeping and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians, will be the topic of two workshops designed for K-12 teachers this summer in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The workshops will cover an array of topics focusing on the responsible care and maintenance of reptiles in schools.

Science Notes - The Secret Of Life, Elizabeth B. Sharpe

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

An eight-part public television series, The Secret of Life, will begin in fall 1993. Originating from WBGH-TV of Boston, this NOV A series will explore advances in the science of molecular biology. It will show how this "new biology" is transforming agriculture, industry, medicine and our perception of the world.

Science Notes - Nabt Publishes Dna Safety Guidelines

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Working with DNA and Bacteria in Precollege Science Classrooms, a new publication from the National Association of Biology Teachers, will help educators who wish to integrate biotechnology into their classrooms.

Science Calendar

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.