Teaching MethodsWhat are educators around the world shouting about science? Hands-on activities, please! Educators now believe that “science will touch children if you let them get their hands on it.” Gone are the days of sitting at a desk, memorizing formulas and listening to boring lectures. Today, teachers abandon pencil and paper, if only for a while, in exchange for keen use of the senses. In “The Learning Cycle,” for example, students experience a hands-on activity before learning new material. This teaching method allows students to investigate and explore their own ideas about how/why something works, before having it explained. Science is not only practical, it is also “mental”. Teachers want to actively engage students and make science meaningful. Additionally, many educators believe that students can benefit from each other; Teachers are beginning to use cooperative learning groups and encourage students to work together to solve a problem. Ideas and strategies for practical science can be found everywhere…but can practical science be found in classrooms? ?...