On Reading Science

How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists by Jennifer Raff

Evaluating Information on the Web by the National Network for Immunization Information

Problems and Cases

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Case Studies in the science class:

A toolkit oriented to Sustainability Education by University of Manchester, Keele University, Staffordshire University and The Higher Education Academy

The ScienceCaseNet website, a project directed by Patricia Marsteller , PI Emory University and Clyde Herreid, Co-PI University at Buffalo.

Case It! website by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (NSF funded) with virtual lab experiences that can be downloaded

and others already mentioned

The Identity of Science Education

The secret identity of a biology textbook: straight and naturally sexed by Jesse Bazzul and Heather Sykes (which I haven’t had access to yet)

and two forum responses to it:

The Secret Identity of Science Education: masculine and politically conservative? by Jay Lemke

Queer (v.) queer (v.): biology as curriculum, pedagogy, and being albeit queer (v.) by Francis F. Broadway

An Argument for Training Teachers to Interrupt Heteronormativity in Life Science by M. H. Hoelscher from the STEM Education Center, University of Minnesota

Social Issues in and for Biology Teaching

Issue-Oriented Science: Using Socioscientific Issues to Engage Biology Students by Laura Lenz and Maia K. Willcox The American Biology Teacher 74(8):551-556. 2012 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/abt.2012.74.8.4

The SENCER Model Series

The SENCER models are curricular approaches to improving science learning and supporting engagement with complex issues. Through the "lens" of a matter or set of matters of public consequence, a SENCER model course or program teaches science that is both challenging and rigorous. The SENCER approach requires students to engage in serious scientific reasoning, inquiry, observation, and measurement. SENCER courses and programs connect scientific knowledge to public decision-making, policy development, and the effective "work" of citizenship. SENCER approaches encourage students to engage in research, to produce knowledge, to develop answers, as well as to appreciate the uncertainty and provisionality of the knowledge and answers produced.

Thinking in the Science Classroom

Resources for students and teachers in the Cognitive Acceleration website and the Free Continuing Support website from John Crossland.

Discovery-Based Science Education

I am not sure if I’ve put this reference before, but it doesn’t hurt repeating in any case. Dr. Banerjee has a very interesting way of approaching science education in UCLA:

Discovery-Based Science Education: Functional Genomic Dissection in Drosophila by Undergraduate Researchers, PLOS Biology 2005 February; 3(2): e59

Assessment in Science Courses

The CURE survey (classroom undergraduate research experiences) designed for disciplinary courses. 

The RISC survey (research on the integrated science curriculum) is a variation of the CURE survey pinned towards interdisciplinary or integrated courses.

21st Century Curricula for 21st Century Students

“Why Do We Have to Learn This Stuff?”—A New Genetics for 21st Century Students by Rosemary J. Redfield in PLOS Biology

Stereotypes, Women and Science

How Stereotypes Can Drive Women To Quit Science by Shankar Vedantam in NPR

Motivating Scientists

Faces of Biology Photo Contest

Science humor/ design T-shirt contest (sorry, bad language on the link)

Equal Faculty Retention, but Underrepresented

What the Doctors Ordered, by Beryl Lieff Benderly Science Careers,
April 6th 2012

Survival Analysis of Faculty Retention in Science and Engineering, by
Deborah Kaminski and Cheryl Geisler Science 335, 864 (2012)

Tools for Teaching Science

Interesting supporting materials for the teaching of science in middle and high school at carolina.com

Leaving Science Majors

Why Science Majors Change Their Minds (It’s Just So Darn Hard) by Christopher Drew in the The New York Times

e-Mentoring

ASU career WISE

The CareerWISE project is an NSF-funded, interdisciplinary research and development program housed at Arizona State University. The CareerWISE project has two major thrusts with the goal of increasing women’s persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) doctoral pro­grams. These are the development and testing of internet-delivered resilience training and a comprehensive research program to characterize the experiences of women who are pursuing and leaving PhD programs in STEM disciplines.

MentorNet

a 13-year-old nonprofit working to further the progress of women and others underrepresented in fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. We have matched more than 30,000 mentors to protégés and guided their one-on-one relationships with our unique e-mentoring program.

More active learning

Freeman et al, 2011; Increased course structure improves performance in introductory biology

Prince 2004; Does active learning work? A review of the research

 Walker et al. 2008; A delicate balance: integrating active learning into a large lecture course

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

Increasing Diversity in STEM disciplines

Agogino et al, 2001;  Theater  helps transforming climate in engineering.

Tanner and Allen, 2007;  Cultural Competence in the College Biology Classroom.

Attrition in STEM disciplines

Unintended consequences: how science professors discourage women of color - Johnson, 2007

Better intro courses seen as key to reducing attrition of STEM majors - Meyers, 2010