Author Archives: Ed Hitchcock

Sauce for the goose ain’t necessarily sauce for the gander

We wrapped up the Chemistry unit of Grade 9 Science recently, and I was looking for an activity for review that might be a bit different, a bit more engaging, and intellectually stimulating at the same time. Since I had … Continue reading

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The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, or Never Use a Formula You Don’t Understand

In my grade 10 Science class I recently gave my students an introductory microscope lab, and in my haste I used a “canned” lab from a textbook. Although there are some good activities in this lab, students are presented with … Continue reading

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Stop SOPA

Even though I am not in the US, SOPA/PIPA will have an international impact. So today I post this video. If you are in the US, please contact your elected representatives and and let them know the negative impact it … Continue reading

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Welcome to the 21st Century

I have heard people say that hey would love to have lived in the renaissance, when all that new knowledge was being discovered, that it must have been such an interesting time. Perhaps. But please – this is the 21st Century, … Continue reading

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More on the importance of failure

David Damberger is with Engineers without Borders, and in this TEDx talk he emphasizes the need to recognize and report failure, in order to avoid its repetition.

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Followup on non-traditional instruction

Back in October I posted about my foray into non-traditional instruction, wherein the students in my grade 9 Science class wrote letters in order to take civic action regarding invasive species. Well, the replies have started coming in, and the … Continue reading

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Eighty minutes well spent

Eric Mazur gives a terrific, evidence based explanation of what is wrong with lecturing as a primary source of knowledge transfer, and what to do about it. I really like his explanation, about 51 minutes in, that the better we … Continue reading

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End of Term Quickies

Because of the vagaries of the calendar, school goes late in December this year. As a result, everyone is frazzled, and a not insignificant number of students have already left for the holidays*. As a result, I needed to come … Continue reading

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Nanoscience

Here’s a great little video on the nano world, narrated by Stephen Fry. Enjoy!

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I hate lying to students

Much of what is covered in introductory Science is simplified. It is simplified for a reason – the full explanation is complex, involves higher level mathematics, or concepts that have yet to be learned. In most cases I explain to … Continue reading

Posted in Pedagogy | Tagged | 3 Comments