Illinois Physics Teacher Wins AAAS Education Award for Hands-On Lessons

Physics teacher Diane Riendeau believes in "hands-on" science lessons, but she doesn't think the hands need to be hers. Instead, her students at Deerfield High School are the ones who create the marshmallow guns, gel candles and stadium horns that demonstrate basic physics concepts. The projects are all part of the innovative teaching that made Riendeau the 2008 winner of AAAS's Leadership in Science Education Prize for High School Teachers.

The "Make It, Take It, Teach It" program comes with a unique follow-up session. Students use their creations in their own demonstrations of the concept for their parents, who have to evaluate how well their student teachers delivered the lesson. The combination of hands-on learning and teaching by the students has raised physics comprehension and interest, according to data collected on the program.

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