Science | Science Impact

Teaching Science to Kids

Teaching is rewarding, but all too often, your students will not be interested in what is being taught. When it comes to science, there are two methods you can employ: you can either tell the students the principles and information or you can show them.

Telling the students is boring — for you and your students. The best way to teach a principle is by allowing the students to see it in action. In fact, when possibly you should allow the students to observe what happens and then let them come to their own conclusions. At that point, you can then teach them the principle they’ve figured out on their own.

One way to do this is to have multiple stations with a different activity at each station that supports the principle that you’re teaching. This gives students multiple ways to learn and splits up the class into small groups so there aren’t too many people trying to do the experiment at the same time. It’s great for all types of learners and allows students a chance to be active instead of being forced to sit still at their seats.

There are tons of activities you can try with your students. Some are simple and don’t require a lot of preparation. Others are complex and require students to use their creativity in order to solve the problem. The best activities are ones with multiple solutions because as long as the solution works, it’s right. This really makes students think hard on how to solve the solution.

Filed Under: Education, Science Tagged With: Education, Learning, Student

Science Education Allows Many Career Choices

Deciding upon one of the following careers in Science will require you to earn a degree that will entail Science and Bio classes, along with Chem and Marine courses.

Pharmacists have a high level of demand, as the health care industry will always be able to facilitate additional members in their line of work. Becoming a pharmacist will entail Chem, Bio and Physics courses to be completed before entering the work force.

Pharmacologists are different from pharmacists in the aspect that they basically study the effects of the medicines and chemicals on animals and humans as a part of a laboratory research team. Pharmacists dispense medications and become knowledgeable in the effects and interactions of medicines in humans.

Forensic Scientist is an interesting career field. Using analytical skills, along with Chemistry, Biology and Laboratory techniques, there are several career options available besides the ones in forensics. After obtaining your degree, you can search the job market for forensic experts and if you cannot find work in that particular field, there are several other areas in which you will be qualified.

Materials scientists are professionals that are able to work in aerospace facilities, sports, medicine and communications. There is a necessity for Physics, Engineering and Chem. courses for this type of career, as well as some Mathematics.

Veterinarian careers are another avenue in which you can use your Science degree. Veterinary surgeons study similar subjects as doctors and may require courses such as Physics, Bio, Chem. and Mathematics. Your degree can get you in the door for this lucrative position in a shorter amount of time, than in becoming a physician.

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: Academic degree, Biology, Forensic science

Items Found in the Chemistry Lab

Labs are an important part of the science major. You will be engaging in a large number of science labs from biology labs to chemistry labs. If you are new to the chemistry would the lab will look like a frightening place. Here is a look at the items you will find in your chemistry lab.

Glassware. Glassware is a common sight in chemistry labs. These items will include beakers, vials and test tubes. These items are used for experiments and will be a part of your daily life in the chemistry lab.

Pipets. These are tiny little items that are used to move a small amount of liquid to certain objects. These usually move things from one vial and beaker to another. These are almost always thrown away after use so liquids do not mix together.

Bunsen Burner. These are tiny little burners with flames on them. In chemistry you will need to heat specific items up and see if they boil or what happens to them. This will help make the heating process start up really quickly.

Centrifuge. Chemistry labs will usually only have one of these. These are huge machines that are used to spin objects in a circular motion. These are used to mix liquid or see if items separate from one another. The centrifuge is used for chem and bio topics like DNA or liquids.

Buret. This is an object that will place liquid into a tube or object at specific times. This will usually be used to test pH levels.

Filed Under: Science, Technology Tagged With: Beaker, Bunsen Burner, Chemistry

Getting Your High School Transcripts

Before you attend college some colleges will like verify that you attended high school at a specific place. This will require you to request your high school transcripts from your former high school so that you can verify that you graduated and have the background education that you need for college. Here is how you can go about getting your high school transcripts.

Website. Many high schools have an alumni or administration offices that you can email and ask for transcripts. Some of these websites will have a form that you can fill out that requests this information. This will send your information to the necessary people and they can direct you on how to get your transcripts so that you verify your schooling.

Call the Administration Office. You can physically call the administration office of your school department. They will be able to fax over any information that you need and will need to send back to them. This is similar to the website but sometimes can get you quicker results than the other website as you are physically talking to someone and having them get you the information.

After you have sent in a request for the information you will need to gather the information that they are requesting. This can be graduation dates, former addresses and other items. You will also have to pay a fee to have the transcripts sent to you or the college. Many colleges will only accept high school transcripts if they come directly from the high school.

It might not seem like an involved process but if you wish to attend college you will have to verify that you got the education that you need to take part in the college classes.

Filed Under: Education, Science, Technology Tagged With: Advanced Placement, College, Community college, Education, High school, Student

Studying for Science Exams

Whether you are taking part in a high school science course or a college science course you will likely experience the need to take a science exam at some point in time. An exam is a way for the teacher or instructor to see that you know exactly what they taught and can apply the lessons to what you have learned. If you wish to ace your science exam there are a few things that you need to do so that you are prepared for your exam.

Study Before Hand. Most exams are scheduled well in advance. Do not wait until the night before to cram for the exam. Try to study steadily throughout the week or month. This will give you enough time to review materials and see if something you learned needs to be reviewed.

Review Notes and Text. Most tests will cover the notes and the text book. Make sure you go through each item before your exam. This will allow you to get a refresher of the items on the test.

Attend Review Classes. Many college classes will be review before the exam. Even if you think you are prepared attend these classes anyways as you can get a better idea of what will be on the test straight from the teacher.

Study Groups. Studying in groups has been a highly successful way to learn the science concepts. Consider forming a study group of others in the class or trying to get together with friends and family members who might like to study with you.

Ask Questions. Never be afraid to ask questions. This will help you better understand items that are on the test. You can ask questions about techniques and topics if you need to.

Filed Under: Education, Science Tagged With: Science Exams, Studying

How to Afford College

College and university classes can be expensive. Every year it seems like the price of books, tuition and student fees rise at an unprecedented rate. If you are planning on returning back to the classroom you are probably wondering how you will pay for it. Here are some common ways that students pay for their college tuition.

Scholarships. Many colleges and universities offer scholarships for a number of things. It could be for being a certain race, being a male or female, enjoying a certain hobby or even having a talent. There are millions of scholarships out there it’s just a matter of finding them. The best part of scholarships is that you do not have to pay them back.

Grants. The government offers some educational grants to certain students who have a financial need. These grants are given to help pay for books, tuition and student fees. Although grants come from the government they do not need to be paid back.

Student Loans. Student loans are becoming increasingly popular as tuition rates rise. There are dozens of different student loans out there for students. There are government and private. Interest and interest free ones. The problem with student loans is that they have to be paid back after you graduate and that could take years depending upon how much you borrowed.

Credit Cards. In a desperate lurch many students are starting to pay their tuition through credit cards. They will put all their fees on the card and pay it off as time goes by. Just like student loans the credit cards have to be paid back and even in a quicker period than student loans. The interest rates are also higher than student loans and can wreck a student’s credit score if they do not pay it back.

Personal Loans. Many people will turn to personal loans from mom, dad or grandparents. The best part is sometimes you do not have to pay these back!

Filed Under: Education, Science Tagged With: Education, Grant (money), Loan, Scholarship, Student, Student loan

The Importance of Parent Involvement

A student’s success in the classroom is dependent on many factors, one of the most important being parental involvement in his or her education. Once the student leaves the classroom, parents are the partnering element that help the child to integrate learning into the real world and at home. Without apparent being actively involved, a child may lose interest in education and be denied a vital avenue of support for learning. Teachers should work diligently to maintain an open line of communication and a positive relationship with parents. One situation where communication is critical is with special education students. Keeping parents abreast of their child’s progress in of any concerns can help to quickly identify problems and deal with them before they have an adverse effect.

When parents in the classroom teacher communicate on a regular basis, a relationship of trust and support is built on which the child’s learning can be framed. This way, concerns about a student’s learning and behavioral issues can more easily be clearly explained and dealt with in an appropriate manner. When communication breaks down, misunderstandings can occur about a teacher’s methods for dealing with behavior or in classroom instruction. Teachers can keep these lines open through a weekly phone call, parent teacher conferences and notes home.

One of the easiest ways to break a relationship with a parent is to constantly feed them negative statements about a student, especially if the child has a history of behavioral issues. The teacher has to be honest about problems that are going on, but can’t approach the situation in a positive manner. This can be done by asking parents for suggestions and by always finding at least one positive thing to say about the child during each communication. This lets the parents know that the teacher cares and that their involvement is valued. This helps to keep the parents actively participating with the school in a child’s education.

Filed Under: Education, Science Tagged With: Classroom, Education, Parent Involvement, Parent-teacher interview, Student

Safety in the Science Classroom

When you do any type of science project in your classroom, safety should always be one of your primary considerations. Having the proper procedures in place, required safety equipment, thorough planning and teaching your students to be safe can make the difference between a successful lesson and an accident occurring. When you begin to plan the project, brainstorm possible problems and accidents that could occur and how you would handle them. This will help you to be in the right frame of mind as you begin to outline of how things will proceed.

You should make an inventory of all the safety equipment that will be used during the lesson and closely examine the condition of each item. For example, safety goggles or glasses, a first aid kit, eye wash station, lab coats and gloves may be required, depending on the type of experiment to you are doing. Any supplies for treating injuries or washing off chemicals should be readily available to all and in a well known location. This pre-check make sure that everything works so that you are prepared in the event of an accident.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure that your students know exactly how the experiment will go, behavioral expectations and what to do in the event of an emergency. These should be reviewed well in advance of the project and then once again right before you start. This helps to keep the information fresh in the students’ minds. They should also be knowledgeable about where all emergency supplies are located and how to use them if needed. For example, students should know how to properly use an eye wash station if a chemical splashes in someone’s face. Your preparation and careful instruction of your students can be a critical part of accident prevention and allow the experiment to be successful.

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: Science Classroom

Science: Blending Common Sense with Efficiency

: Image via Wikipedia

Often times, decisions have multiple ways of arriving at a solution. Some people make decisions based on their personal beliefs, others make decisions that are reactionary and tend to just trust their instinct. However, when it comes to making decisions that affect millions of people it’s important to be a little more calculated.

For the minds that are put in charge of making big decisions for an entire city, the use of science is vitally important. With the functionality and the well-being of a town, neighborhood or city at stake, it is important to use scientific methods to determine issues relating to things like public transportation and public need, such as the number of buses needed or sufficient staffing of a municipal hospital.

As has been inferred, so much relies on the need for scientific answers. When dealing with any budget, there will be money allotted at the beginning of the fiscal year. While there may be the opportunity to increase or decrease funding slightly, there won’t be the opportunity to change spending drastically. If a city determines they need 100 buses based on arbitrary reasons or a gut instinct, rather than a scientific basis, there is more likelihood that the initial requirement will fail.

This scientific approach to real problems also extends beyond that of city planners or hospital staffers. There are many management personnel, such as Sacramento property management, that use the scientific approach to problem solve. They use this approach when it comes to how they will develop land, as well as in their green method of land development. Building a green building makes sense financially, and is also helpful to the environment at large.

There is, of course, room for decisions to be made by heart and with a hunch. But for the issues that affect millions of people, it is important to make the right choice for the common good. And for that only the scientific approach will do.

Filed Under: Science, Technology Tagged With: Business, Creative Commons licenses, Empirical, Organizations