As I am preparing my Monday science methods lesson for my pre-service elementary teachers, I keep thinking of how to persuade them that computerized data collection and analysis has its place in the elementary science classroom. One of the big issues I have to address is the dire situation with science equipment in our elementary […]

If you are like me, for you one picture will be worth thousands words. Visualization helps me a lot to grasp and idea or a concept. It also helps me see a bigger picture. That is where Wordle might be handy. Wordle helps you visualize text by generating “Word clouds” from the text that you […]

Although I wasn’t able to capture the beauty of what I saw a few days ago, it will give you some idea… Nature provides us many ways of bringing amazing personal connections into a science classroom… I have to learn how to take photos of skies. A student of mine shared a few tips with […]

URL: http://pirsa.org/10110081/ Share: A Harvard Physics Professor – Dr. Eric Mazur has been a role model for me and many of my colleagues. If I think of a person who has made a difference in how we teach physics, Eric Mazur would be this person. He is one of the leading physicts in the field […]

I visited a local elementary school today and we were able to recreate “an original air pressure experiment” performed by Otto von Guericke in Magdeburg in 1650. We used Pressure Pullers from Educational Innovations. It is interesting, how quickly the tools people invent open possibilities for exploration. Von Guericke invented an air pump and he […]

This is the view from the Skyride entrance on Grouse. I just loved it. I see cool science anywhere I go. This photo is also interesting as it combines cool science and art. Interestingly, one of the course assignments in my elementary science methods class is to notice something interesting science related and post a […]

As I have been preparing my next lesson for my pre-service elementary teachers, I decided to focus on the Powers of Ten. Every science educator has his or her favourite topic or resource. For me, the original 1977 movie by Charles and Ray Eames is The resource. There are many modern versions of the movie, […]

Being an immigrant myself and a science educator, I read today’s article in Globe and Male on the success of immigrant children in Canada with great interest. The authors of the paper provide a thoughtful and informed discussion about what is happening in Canada and how the children of immigrants are succeeding (or not) in […]

I am an active member of the American Association of Physics Teachers and I try to attend two AAPT meetings yearly. The 2011 AAPT Winter Meeting took place in Jacksonville, Florida from January 8-12, 2011 and I was very fortunate to attend it. I would like to share a few things that I will remember […]

Today I had a chance to attend a very interesting and inspiring presentation by Dr. Jim Rutherford, who today was awarded an Oersted Medal by the American Association of Physics Teaching. This presentation was such a powerful experience for me. Dr. Rutherford is an example of a science educator who made a real difference in […]