The lesson set in this article describes an introductory learning experience using wildlife camera-based citizen science projects hosted on Zooniverse (http://www.zooniverse.org). Wildlife camera projects were chosen due to the charisma of the study organisms, student engagement while looking at images, ease of access to projects, ease of teaching…

Project-based learning (PBL) takes student engagement to a higher level through reflective collaboration, inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and personal relevance. This article explains how six high school teachers developed an interconnected, interdisciplinary STEM-focused PBL called "Sculpting the Barnyard Gene Pool." The…

Citizen science programs are becoming increasingly popular among teachers, students, and families. The term "citizen scientist" has various definitions. It can refer to those who gather information for a particular science research study or to people who lobby for environmental protection for their communities. "Citizen science" has been called…

For many years, publications such as the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC 1996) and "The Science Teacher" (TST) have encouraged teachers to focus science classes more heavily on inquiry-based instructional practice. One way to improve our teaching practice is to use a benchmark assessment to obtain a solid point of reference that…

Projectile motion, a cornerstone topic of introductory physics, is usually a student's first exposure to the problem-solving techniques used in this subject. Often, this is an inactive learning experience--students work with pencil and paper to read and solve projectile motion problems (e.g., diagrams and descriptions of balls being hit, kicked,…

One goal of 21st-century education is to develop mature citizens who can identify issues, solve problems, and communicate solutions. What better way for students to learn these skills than by participating in a science and engineering fair? Fair participants face the same challenges as professional scientists and engineers, even Nobel laureates.…

There is something that draws all people to the sea and especially to the fertile estuaries that nuzzle up to its shores. An estuary serves as both a nursery and a grave for sea creatures. If life evolved from some primordial sea, it may well have been an estuary--a place where ocean and rivers meet and fresh and salty waters mingle in the…

Teens exhibit types of behaviors such as inattention and intense focus. From an adult's perspective, one cannot help but wonder why this happens. Part of the answer lies in the neural restructuring of the adolescent brain. This article examines neuroscience research and offers educational strategies for science teachers to facilitate adolescent…

Informal learning refers to "science learning that occurs outside the traditional, formal schooling realm." Sites such as museums, zoos, aquariums, parks, science centers, planetariums, the school yard, and others all have the potential to shape young people's minds. Parents might see a day at the beach as a recreational opportunity while biology…

In a collaborative effort between university researchers and high school science teachers, an inquiry-based laboratory module was designed using two species of insecticidal nematodes to help students apply scientific inquiry and elements of thoughtful experimental design. The learning experience and model are described in this article. (Contains 4…

The field trip is probably one of the most common out-of-classroom learning experiences students encounter. Teachers provide these experiences for a variety of reasons including motivation, exposure, and even as a reward, especially after weeks of standardized testing. Although teachers may report that a primary reason for including the field trip…

Science instructors sometimes avoid inquiry-based activities due to limited classroom time. Inquiry takes time, as students choose problems, design experiments, obtain materials, conduct investigations, gather data, communicate results, and discuss their experiments. While there are no quick solutions to time concerns, the 5E learning cycle seeks…

For eight years, relationships with community partners have been the mainstay of a science enrichment program for secondary students. Through the use of problem-based learning, science classes use, the techniques and tools of scientists to solve authentic problems directly related to students' interests and needs. In this article, the author…

State-of-the-art digital cameras open up enormous possibilities in the science classroom, especially when used as data collectors. Because most high school students are not fully formal thinkers, the digital camera can provide a much richer learning experience than traditional observation. Data taken through digital images can make the…