Category Archives: The Science Teacher

The Vernier Go Direct Sound Sensor: See Sounds in a New Light (Bluetooth)

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Martin Horejsi

As much as I loved field trips with my students, I found the bus rides to be excessively stressful. It wasn’t because of the teacher responsibilities or the student behavior, but because of the noise. The volume and diversity of … Continue reading →

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The Vernier Go Direct Radiation Monitor: Well Worth the 90-Year Wait

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Martin Horejsi

Stephen Hawking died recently marking 2018 as another date in science history from which events will be measured. Isaac Newton was born in 1642, the same year Galileo died. And it is that 1642 date that is often used as … Continue reading →

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Enhancing Google Sheets for the Classroom

Posted on September 20, 2017 by sstuckey

Among the most commonly used tools in the science classroom are those that allow students to collect and manipulate data, including Microsoft Excel, Graphical Analysis, and Google Sheets. This month, we focus on one of the benefits of Google Sheets … Continue reading →

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Health Wise: Be Prepared for Opioid Overdoses

Posted on September 18, 2017 by sstuckey

In light of the national opioid epidemic, schools need to be prepared in case a student overdoses. Consider: In 2016, 4.8% of high school seniors reported using opioids for nonmedical reasons (NIDA 2017c). From 2002 to 2015, annual opioid-related deaths … Continue reading →

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Commentary: Reasoning Versus Post-truth

Posted on September 14, 2017 by sstuckey

The Oxford Dictionaries word of the year for 2016 was post-truth, defined as “denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Science is not immune to appeals to … Continue reading →

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Focus on Physics: Eight Tips for New (and not so new) Teachers

Posted on September 12, 2017 by sstuckey

Being a teacher can be a wonderful experience. Making it so is greatly aided by qualities that you can acquire. Needless to say, you must know your subject and be able to explain it well. Beyond that are traits and … Continue reading →

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Health Wise: Getting Their Names Right

Posted on July 14, 2017 by sstuckey

By definition, one’s own name is the most personal of all words. When a teacher mispronounces a student’s name, the experience can be painful and even harmful to the student’s emotional and educational well-being. Mispronounced names can add to the … Continue reading →

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Science 2.0: Align Your Curriculum With the ISTE Standards

Posted on July 13, 2017 by sstuckey

Our previous seven columns have been devoted to integrating the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) standards into the science classroom. Yet, knowing which activities align with the standards and determining where they fit within the curriculum can be challenging. This … Continue reading →

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Focus on Physics: The Delightful Catenary Curve

Posted on May 2, 2017 by sstuckey

When teaching how tension and compression relate to geometrical structures such as bridges, arches, and domes, I show a picture of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (Figure 1A), completed in the 14th century. I point out the elaborate buttresses … Continue reading →

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Commentary: Going Beyond the Textbook

Posted on April 27, 2017 by sstuckey

It has been said that science began “whenever and wherever [people] tried to solve the innumerable problems of life” (Sarton 1952). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) call for the pursuit of scientific literacy for all through … Continue reading →

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