NSTA Press author Bill Robertson has extended his popular Stop Faking It! series with the new teacher resource Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion (Grades 5–9). Teachers have responded enthusiastically to the lively mix of clear explanations and irreverent humor that are the hallmarks of Robertson’s original series. In the new [...]
I recently graduated from a teaching program with a biology certification. With the current economic situation, I’m not sure I’ll get a full-time teaching position. What should I know about substituting? —Alex, Chattanooga, TN Substitutes are underappreciated members of the education community. They get pre-dawn phone calls with requests to appear that day. They can [...]
Along with notebooks and pencils, students bring some common misconceptions to science class. It’s hard to tell where students learn these misconceptions: from their friends, parents, television, movies, the Internet, or other media. They may not realize that their ideas are incorrect, and simply telling the students that their ideas are wrong won’t help them [...]
This is my first year of teaching in a middle school, and I am really struggling with paperwork. Currently I am spending all my time checking papers to make sure my students are actually doing their homework and grading worksheets, lab reports, and tests/quizzes. On top of that, I’m planning each day as it comes. [...]
Giving students opportunities to explore and observe plants, birds, or bugs on the school grounds or in nearby gardens and parks can bring multiple benefits. The Children & Nature Network highlights research findings that support the positive benefits of environment-based studies on school achievement, citing standardized measures in basic subject areas and other indications that [...]
Featured speaker Larry Lowery’s lively presentation at the San Francisco NSTA conference highlighted research findings about how children learn to inspire teachers to incorporate new practices in their classrooms. Lowery encouraged teachers to further expand students’ opportunities to learn and explore using their various senses. He showed a functional MRI image to illustrate the lit-up [...]
Video analysis is a powerful tool to help physics students understand motion and other phenomena. For example, in this video by Dale Basler (physics teacher and co-host of Lab Out Loud), students can analyze the speed and position time graph of the camera in a grocery store checkout line. Grocery Store Conveyor Belt Stops from [...]
In the November and January issues of The Science Teacher, we wrote about using digital cameras in the classroom. November’s column (read it free) focused on using high speed cameras during inquiry. Wingspan makes affordable cameras that do just the opposite. With their Plantcam, you can easily make time lapse videos by setting the camera [...]
December’s Science 2.0 column focused on using rich media to spark questioning and inquiry. Here is a fully developed example from Dan Meyer’s blog that could work well in a physics classroom. First, the video: The set – up: Ask your students what questions they have about the video? Which of these questions are related [...]
At the beginning of the year, I covered measurement, basic equipment, and other fundamentals I thought my students (seventh graders) needed before we started our labs. Now they seem to have forgotten everything and need to be taught this information again whenever we do a lab. What can I do to help them remember? —Diane, [...]
