He delivers a rousing call for science teachers to ditch the jargon and extreme precision, and instead make science sing through stories and demonstrations.
The key to inspiring children to pursue science can be found in the curious and inquisitive spirit we all tap into as we first discover the world. Wendy Hawkins demonstrates why we need to inject a more experimental approach into our science curriculum to ensure that we stay connected to the scientist in all of us.
From rockets to stock markets, many of humanity's most thrilling creations are powered by math. So why do kids lose interest in it? Conrad Wolfram says the part of math we teach - calculation by hand - isn't just tedious, it's mostly irrelevant to real mathematics and the real world. He presents his radical idea: teaching kids math through computer programming.
Great website with lesson plans and lots of multimedia covering basic chemistry topics. Though titled "middle school chemistry" much of the material can be referred to or used for basic high school chemistry or even biology (such as the basics on bonding, water molecules, etc).
Agreed. The chapter on the periodic table is worth it just for the animations, let alone the lesson plans and other resources. What a good get, Holly. Kudos to the American Chemical Society for setting it up.
Because of the way bonding is taught in high school, many students believe chemical bonds isa form of matter holding them together. Students do not understand bonding is more of an attraction holding the atoms together.
I like this idea of having the students write a narrative for how the bonds form and creating a model for it. I think it would be better if there was some type of computer program where they can create the model electronically instead of using clay.
This article gives standards teachers should follow when making assessment in science education. It explains ideas such as students having the opportunity to demonstrate their achievements and knowing what is expected of them
This article provides examples for how to make assessment meaningful and useful for real life.It shows assessment as an investigation and a longer process than simply memorization.
This report analyzes what works in middle school science classrooms. It gives elements of assessment that lead to higher performance in science such as fairness/fun, focus, foundations, fluency, and fit.
This website gives outlines for science assessments for middle school science teachers. It discusses the theories behind them and what should be incorporated.
This article explains how children create their perceptions only on their experiences because that is meaningful to them. Teachers must allow students to explore to make sense of science through experience.
