Journal of College Science Teaching articles from November 2008

Journal of College Science Teaching archives from November 2008

A challenge for the new president.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
November 1, 2008... The new science teacher in the city charter school was having trouble. The lab materials ordered during the summer had not arrived and the seventh-grade class was talkative and inattentive. After warning them several times, the teacher, a woman...

Comet dust yields surprises.(HEADLINE SCIENCE)
November 1, 2008... A new analysis of dust from the comet Wild 2, collected in 2004 by NASA's Stardust mission, has revealed an oxygen isotope signature that suggests an unexpected mingling of rocky material between the center and edges of the solar system....

Obama or McCain? A startling prediction.(HEADLINE SCIENCE)(Barack Obama and John McCain)
November 1, 2008... Why does it seem many people begin with political preferences and then try to find reasons justifying their inclinations? Why is it so difficult to sway people who care deeply about politics no matter how compelling the facts or persuasive the...

Planting the seeds: the influence of college science teaching on the next generation of science teachers.(POINT OF VIEW)
November 1, 2008... Science education is sometimes philosophically amusing. Use this term in university circles, and colleagues invariably rant and rave about the state of K-12 science teachers and students in preparation for our undergraduate courses. Whenever I...

Taking poetic license with science instruction.(FAVORITE DEMONSTRATION)
November 1, 2008... Toward the end of the semester, especially after spring break, it gets a bit harder to engage students in the classroom. While I was considering novel ways to interest 24 college seniors taking marine ecology, I was reminded of a passage in...

The sport-utility vehicle: debating fuel-economy standards in thermodynamics.(Report)
November 1, 2008... The environmental challenges we face in the 21st century are scientifically complex, multidisciplinary problems. The next generation of scientists and engineers will be the repository of the technical expertise, as well as the source of...

Designing appropriate scaffolding for student science projects.(Report)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Facts are not science--as the dictionary is not literature. --Martin H. Fischer Science is a way of knowing about the world distinguished from other ways of knowing by application of a specific process, the...

Teaching the principles of geomicrobiology and the process of experimental research to undergraduate and first-year graduate students.(Report)
November 1, 2008... Geomicrobiology is an interdisciplinary course focused on experimental work. Our approach introduces students to scientific collaboration and peer review, produces significant gains in student knowledge, and promotes scientific curiosity and...

Multiple pedagogical reforms implemented in a university science class to address diverse learning styles.(Report)
November 1, 2008... Some students are discouraged from entering fields such as chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine due to unfavorable experiences in early chemistry or physics courses. Other students may be denied entry into a nursing or biology program...

Building a better biology lab? testing tablet PC technology in a core laboratory course.(Report)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tablet PC technology can enliven the classroom environment because it is dynamic, interactive, and "organic," relative to the rigidity of chalkboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors, and PowerPoint presentations....

Adapting an annual research symposium to recruit underrepresented minorities to postcollege education.(Report)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists need to recruit underrepresented minorities (URMs) more effectively (e.g., Summers and Hrabowski 2006). Here, we describe a one-and-a-half-day Distinguished Scholar Symposium during which undergraduate...

Using science popularizations to promote learner-centered teaching: alternatives to the traditional textbook.(Report)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over the past several years, a number of initiatives have sought to improve the quality of learning in undergraduate science education by relying less on content and more on the process of learning science...

A bad case of itchy brain.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... I recognize that professors (and especially journal editors) are supposed to be perpetually dignified to underscore their infallibility. Despite that tradition, and after careful consideration, I have chosen to admit to you that one day, close...

Calibrated peer review assignments in science courses: are they designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills?(RESEARCH AND TEACHING)(Report)
November 1, 2008... Ann Cutler served as column editor for this contribution to the Research and Teaching column of the Journal of College Science Teaching. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), an online program that purportedly helps students develop as writers and...

Trigger cases versus capstone cases.(CASE STUDY)
November 1, 2008... Baa boom! Ra ta tat tah. Razz a ma tazz! Nightclub acts often start with a big number to immediately catch the attention of the audience. Performers say that you only have 10 seconds to do the job. First impressions are important--according to...

What? I failed? but I paid for those credits! problems of students evaluating faculty.(SCST: SOCIETY FOR COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHERS)(Report)
November 1, 2008... The Society of College Science Teachers is an affiliate organization of NSTA with a long history of support for the Journal of College Science Teaching. The journal is proud to host the SCST column in which the leadership of SCST can share...

Why I want to slug my neighbor (Editorial, July/August 2008).(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I thoroughly enjoyed your editorial about the misconception that the summers are time off. My favorite is seeing faculty and staff on our campus, and the question to me is "Are you teaching a summer course?" When I reply that I am not, I get...

Raising the bar instead of dropping the grade.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I have personally experienced classes where the professor offers at the beginning of the semester to "drop the lowest grade." It is usually one of five or so test grades. However enticing and anxiety relieving it may be for students to hear...