The creationism evolution controversy has become a problem of major concern in many states, especially Arkansas and Louisiana, and is the basis for dispute in many courts. Creationists, sensing the need for a modern approach, have now become less concerned with the theological rationale for their argument and have turned to the scientific field as…

Describes a technical writing course that meets the needs of students in English and the sciences. (RB)

Describes a series of writing exercises specifically designed to improve students' comprehension of physics. Students are given a RAFT which defines their role, audience, format, and task. Format for writing essays focuses on key ideas, general ideas, specific cases, and additional insights. (JM)

Describes a course designed to familiarize students with alternative sources of energy, with emphasis on problem-solving strategies. Includes list of major topics/subtopics addressed and list of textbooks and recommended readings on alternative energy sources. (JN)

Understanding the complex stratigraphic/structural relations produced during accretionary events is best achieved through "terrane analysis," wherein individual structural domains are discriminated and their geologic histories compared and analyzed for critical, paleogeographical significant information. Terrane analysis methodology,…

Describes a chemistry course designed to meet needs of students who score well on Advanced Placement Chemistry examinations but who might experience difficulty if placed directly into a second-term course. The one-semester course includes substantially all work in Chemistry 1 and 2 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and features a flexible,…

Using wilderness themes from such diverse authors as Henry Thoreau, Joseph Wood Krutch, and Kurt Vonnegut, and the train-as-technology metaphor from Ray Bradbury and Robert Frost, the author describes a unique team-teaching curriculum that interweaves the literary and laboratory aspects of environmental concerns. (Editor)

Provides details of an advanced cell biology course that has as its overall design the critical reading and examination of primary literature. Contains guidelines to assist students in critical reading. (DDR)

Provides details of experiments that deal with the use of operational amplifiers and are part of a course in instrumental analysis. These experiments are performed after the completion of a set of electricity and electronics experiments. (DDR)

Twelve secondary preservice teachers participated in a study designed to assess the developments and changes in preservice science teachers' subject matter and pedagogy knowledge structures as they proceeded through a professional teacher education program. Results indicated that pedagogy knowledge structure had a primary influence on…

Examines the contribution that the teaching of controversial issues could make to student learning in the science classroom. Discusses the nature of controversial issues, some general guidelines for handling them, and various classroom techniques that might foster open-ended problem solving using small group discussion. (Author/MKR)

A survey of 100 gifted high school students found that students felt "held back" by the pace and content of their science classes, wanted to be more challenged, were frustrated with the lecture-memorization teaching method, and wanted to be treated the same as nongifted students. Implications for science program administration, instruction, and…

It is argued that science's reputation as a "hard" subject can be attributed to four intrinsic features of science and/or learners. The reasons for a link between abstraction and difficulty are briefly explored. It is suggested that certain extrinsic features of science education, resulting from choices by science educators, exacerbate these…

Textbooks rarely emphasize how controversial some physics theories were at the time of their proposal. Makes the case that useful classroom debate can be generated by considering the controversy that arose over models of the atom such as Rutherford's and Bohr's, and ideas about fractional charges put forward by Millikan and arising from quark…

Life Science AB is designed for students who do not plan to go to college. The course utilizes an investigative approach and emphasizes student involvement in the study of living organisms. This document contains the course outline and provides guidance to teachers in implementing the objectives and lessons of the course. Contents include: (1)…