Misconceptions

The AAAS 2061 Project website has plenty of useful tools, including teaching guides for special topics and assessment tools. After free registration one can browse the results of a wide study performed with middle- and high-school students to find out what they know and what their misconceptions are on different topics. I wonder how many of those continue through college...

Identity and science

 "A Feeling for the Organism: The Life and work of Barbara McClintock", by Evelyn Fox Keller, W.H. Freeman, 1983 deals with identity (specifically gender) affecting scientific approaches

Stereotype threat

Claude M. Steele - Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us (Issues of Our Time)

WANTED: readings on science for pedestrians

I am creating a new page to make a compilation of interesting scientific readings that non scientists can enjoy. Join us and leave your suggestions in the comments of the first post. I will try to get them organized on the new tab of the blog.


I am just leaving here the first one: Bad Science - Ben Goldacre's column

Trained postdocs: a tool to improve science learning

Benedict Carey reflects on Improving the Science of Teaching Science (The New York Times) based on the work lead by Carl Wieman published in Science.

Your so-called education

The poor quality of an undergrad education - By RICHARD ARUM and JOSIPA ROKSA at The New York Times.
Distributing resources and rewards based on student learning instead of student satisfaction would help stop this race to the bottom.
The book by the authors, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, by the Unversity of Chicago Press.

Inquiry

Haury, D.L. 1993 - Teaching Science through Inquiry in ERIC/CSMEE Digest.
Brown et al. 2006 – College Science Teachers’ Views of Classroom Inquiry.
POGIL = Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning
CASES at Emory University – case based learning activities