Micellar catalysis has become an important aspect of the chemical industry's effort to "go green". However, this chemistry has yet to be fully explored in educational settings such as second-year organic chemistry laboratories. Reported herein is a discovery-based nucleophilic aromatic substitution experiment that introduces chemistry…

A storytelling approach has been seen as a powerful way to teach science and arouse interest and promote positive attitudes toward learning science in the early years. The purpose of our study was to determine how middle school students -- Key Stage 3 (KS3) aged 12-14 in Portuguese schools -- experienced learning chemistry through storytelling and…

This paper presents exemplification of the ways in which teachers can garner the interest piqued by the recent detection of gravitational waves. The intention was to develop a teaching module based around this exciting new branch of astronomy and to use this as an opportunity to bring cutting-edge science into the classroom, whilst allowing…

Undergraduates learn that gene editing in diverse organisms is now possible. How targeted manipulation of genes and genomes is utilized in basic science and biomedicine to address biological questions is challenging for undergraduates to conceptualize. Thus, we developed a lab experience that would allow students to be actively engaged in the full…

This study investigated the effect of using activities based on the Montessori approach in science academic achievement of the fourth grade students. A quasi-experimental design was used wherein the students were equally divided into two groups: the experimental and the control group. Both groups consisted of 31 students. To achieve the aim of the…

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of STEM-based activities conducted in fourth-grade primary school science classes on students' scientific process skills, problem-solving skills and academic success. The study used the experimental model and was carried out according to the pretest-posttest experimental design with a control group.…

This paper concludes the Special Issue (SI) 'Probing the Amalgam: the relationship between science teachers' content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge'. We review the five papers (Sorge et al; Gess-Newsome et al; Kind; Pitjeng-Mosabala and Rollnick; and Liepertz and Bronowski) by discussing evidence these present regarding the…

Trialogical learning, a collaborative and iterative knowledge creation process using real-life artefacts or problems, familiarizes students with working life environments and aims to teach skills required in the professional world. We target one of the major limitation factors for optimal trialogical learning in university settings, inefficient…

The effects of substitution on reaction rates are at the heart of both physical chemistry and organic chemistry. In this paper, we present a computational laboratory module to explore the effects of group substitution and isotopic substitution on reaction rates by using a readily accessible graphical interface, a computational engine, and…

As the lead tutor for primary science in an initial teacher education institution, part of David Allen's role involves inspiring trainee primary school teachers to "want" to teach science. Their first science lecture is entitled 'Awe and Wonder' and this is delivered with the intention of modelling how dynamic hooks can be used with…

This report describes how effective environmental literacy can be for catalyzing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) teaching, and how the California K-8 NGSS Early Implementers Initiative has provided professional learning about environmental literacy to prompt and support this synergy. The report also outlines how the California Science…

Rhizobacteria that colonize plant roots and promote plant growth are referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and this can stimulate plant growth either indirectly or directly. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by rhizobacteria have the capacity to promote plant growth as well as perform biocontrol of fungal pathogens. The…

The transfer of electrical energy without any electric leads or cables is not only a modern subject of research, but the technology has already found its way into our daily lives. Especially in consumer electronics a lot of applications are commercially available, mostly non-contact charging applications for toothbrushes, mobile phones, etc. On…

The air drag constant for different nose shapes of projectiles is determined with the help of a simple method combining a projectile launcher, video tracking technique and spreadsheet computer code for simulating the motion. A projectile launcher with low-cost components is developed to study air drag in projectile motion. The launcher is based on…

The redesign of an advanced analytical and physical chemistry practical module for senior undergraduates is described in this report. The underpinning rationale for the changes is to use cooperative learning groups placed in situations beyond their previous experience to increase the student experience of Kolb's Learning Cycle to a level greater…