September 2007

Marshmallow puff tube

September 21, 2007

I’ve posted a new episode on my podcast. Title: Science Teaching Tips Episode: 16. Marshmallow Puff Tube Newton’s Laws were never so tasty. Exploratorium staff educator Don Rathjen shows us how to demonstrate ideas about force using a file folder and a marshmallow. More of Don Rathjen’s activities

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Problems with conventional teaching

September 21, 2007

Since I’m now employed as a science education researcher, I’m learning a lot about how people are taught, and how that affects how they learn. People have found some really interesting stuff in this field, and here are a few of them. For one, in traditional physics lectures, it’s found that students learn, on average, [...]

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Lucky break

September 16, 2007

I’ve posted a new episode of my podcast, Science Teaching Tips 15. Lucky Break. First year of teaching story #2. A lucky veteran teacher tells how she got started teaching, with a supportive school and helpful predecessor. This episode is one in a series of several stories of the first time in a difficult profession.

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Myth 2: Polar bear fur is fiber optic (NOT!)

September 16, 2007

There’s this myth floating around that polar bear fur is fiber optic. It’s not. It’s not it’s not it’s not. The myth goes like this… polar bears are white, but they have to keep warm in the winter. But white reflects light and heat, so how do they do it? By having fiber optic fur. [...]

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Myth 1: Is glass liquid?

September 7, 2007

Have you been told that glass is a liquid? I remember back in 10th grade and my teacher told me that old windows were thicker at the bottom than at the top, showing that glass flows, veeerrrry slowwwwly. While I was at the Exploratorium, this myth was debunked for me by my mentor Paul Doherty. [...]

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Through the looking glass

September 5, 2007

I’ve posted a new episode of my podcast, Science Teaching Tips Episode: 14 – Through the Looking Glass How big does a mirror have to be for you to see yourself in it? Exploratorium senior staff scientist Thomas Humphrey describes an activity you can use in your classroom to investigate simple optics.

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