Classroom response systems are an important tool in many active learning pedagogies. They support real-time feedback on student learning and promote student engagement, even in large classrooms, by allowing instructors to solicit an answer to a question from all students and show the results. Existing classroom response systems are general purpose…

The goal of this research is to provide a rich set of connections between two fields: (i) Nanoscale science and technology (NST) and (ii) topics from a common middle school physics curriculum. NST is emerging as one of the most promising new fields of the 21st century, which is one of the many arguments for including NST topics in secondary…

A unique demonstration with ball-rolling mechanisms has been developed to illustrate the basic principles of mass analyzers as components of mass spectrometers. Three ball-rolling mechanisms mimicking the currently used mass analyzers (i.e., a quadrupole mass filter, a magnetic sector, and a time-of- flight) have been constructed. Each mechanism…

Students often struggle to determine whether changes in matter are physical or chemical; for example, they may have difficulty labelling a candle melting as a physical change but a candle burning as chemical change. Here we describe a lesson that we used to integrate conceptual learning about physical and chemical changes using the…

The high degree of complexity of macromolecular structure is extremely difficult for students to process. Students struggle to translate the simplified two-dimensional representations commonly used in biochemistry instruction to three-dimensional aspects crucial in understanding structure-property relationships. We designed four different physical…

This article describes how by using three points to make a line and comparing the graphs for water and oil, students can mathematically demonstrate that Gatorade dissolves in water much more readily than in oil. Students can also use units to understand and solve a multi-step problem by observing the color of each solution, making conductivity…

A systems thinking approach to incorporating green chemistry and safety into laboratory culture is vital, as chemists will be at the molecular level of the innovative solutions to our global challenges. Training chemists to have the skills and culture to accomplish this feat in the safest way possible is pivotal to safe working conditions within…

An application for visualizing the aggregation of structureless atoms is presented. The application allows us to demonstrate on a qualitative basis, as well as by quantitatively monitoring the aggregate surface/volume ratio, that the enhanced reactivity of nanoparticles can be connected with their large specific surface. It is suggested that,…

The chemical reaction between different molecules is an important learning subject in a chemistry course. Especially for elementary school students, this can be an abstract concept and therefore difficult to understand. One way to facilitate this learning process is to use Augmented Reality (AR) technology, which is considered as an added value…

The increasing industrial and biomedical applications of nanomaterials have enhanced the need to educate a well-trained nanotechnology workforce. This need has led to efforts to introduce hands-on, nanotechnology-based, experimental modules into high school and college level courses in science and engineering. However, the majority of such efforts…

With the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology, there has been a pressing need to teach non-science undergraduate majors how to critically interpret science in popular media and news sources. The present work introduces students to chemistry concepts through the lens of relatable nanotechnology applications, including electronics, medicine,…

Robin James was one of fifteen primary teachers who visited the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. They were tasked with finding a way to interest students in particle physics after the visit. The science of really small things, such as atoms, is as relevant and intriguing to young…

This study investigated the effect of interactive computer simulation-supported inquiry on South African grade 8 learners' comprehension of atoms and molecular structures. Two sample groups of 34 learners per sample group were used, one acting as a control group who were exposed to a teacher-directed pedagogy while the experimental group used…

The theme that structure determines function is one of the most significant cornerstones in understanding natural sciences. On the other hand, recently revised science curriculum in Turkey has emphasized science and engineering practices to help students be able to converge science with the other disciplines by applying theory into practice and…

In previous published articles, formulae-based mnemonics by counting the total number of s bonds with a lone pair of electrons (LP), a localized negative charge (LNC), or a localized lone pair of electrons (LLP) and subtracting one (01) from this total value (TSLP, TSLNC, or TSLLP) to predict the power of the hybridization state of simple…