Other

SketchMiner: Mining Learner-Generated Science Drawings with Topological Abstraction

Mining learner generated sketches holds significant potential for acquiring deep insight into learners’ mental models. Drawing has been shown to benefit both learning outcomes and engagement, and learners’ sketches offer a rich source of diagnostic information. Unfortunately, interpreting learners’ sketches—even sketches comprised of semantically grounded symbols—poses significant computational challenges.

Author/Presenter

Andy Smith

Eric Wiebe

Bradford Mott

James Lester

Year
2014
Short Description

This paper introduces SketchMiner, which uses drawing topologies to automatically interpret learner-generated sketches.

Implementing a Robotics Curriculum in an Early Childhood Montessori Classroom

This paper explores how robotics can be used as a new educational tool in a Montessori early education classroom. It presents a case study of one early educator’s experience of designing and implementing a robotics curriculum integrated with a social science unit in her mixed-age classroom. This teacher had no prior experience using robotics in the classroom beyond a three-day professional development workshop. The case study was constructed by collecting data from surveys, interviews, and a personal blog written by the teacher documenting her experience.

Author/Presenter

Mollie Elkin

Amanda Sullivan

Marina Umaschi Bers

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2014
Short Description

This paper explores how robotics can be used as a new educational tool in a Montessori early education classroom.

A Pilot Meta-Analysis of Computer-Based Scaffolding in STEM Education

This paper employs meta-analysis to determine the influence of computer-based scaffolding characteristics and study and test scorequality on cognitive outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at the secondary, college, graduate, and adult levels.

Author/Presenter

Brian R. Belland

Andrew E. Walker

Megan Whitney Olsen

Heather Leary

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2015

A Blended Professional Development Program to Help a Teacher Learn to Provide One-to-One Scaffolding

Argumentation is central to instruction centered on socio-scientific issues (Sadler & Donnelly in International Journal of Science Education, 28(12), 1463–1488, 2006. doi:10.1080/09500690600708717). Teachers can play a big role in helping students engage in argumentation and solve authentic scientific problems. To do so, they need to learn one-to-one scaffolding—dynamic support to help students accomplish tasks that they could not complete unaided.

Author/Presenter

Brian R. Belland

Ryan Burdo

Jiangyue Gu

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2015

Thunder and Lightning: Understanding Equidistance

Mejia Colindres, C. A. (2015). Thunder and Lightning: Understanding Equidistance. Mathematics Teacher, 108(6), 454-460.

Author/Presenter

Carlos A. Mejía Colindres

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2015
Short Description

Lightning strikes, and two people hear thunder simultaneously. Where might the lightning have struck? Now consider a slightly different scenario: Lightning strikes, and three people hear thunder simultaneously. Where might the lightning have struck? These scenarios set the stage for an exploration of equidistance and lead students to develop properties of the perpendicular bisector.

Uncovering and Eliciting Mathematical Perceptions in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

Sorto, M. A., Mejia Colindres, C. A., & Wilson, A. T. (2014). Uncovering and Eliciting Mathematical Perceptions in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 20(2), 72–77.

Author/Presenter

M. Alejandra Sorto

Carlos A. Mejía Colindres

Aaron T. Wilson

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2014
Short Description

One of the many challenges that teachers face in mathematics classrooms is determining how much of the verbal and written explanations help students accomplish instructional goals. The challenge is greater in linguistically diverse classrooms because the explanations and multiple representations are not perceived uniformly by all students.

Constructing and Role-Playing Student Avatars in a Simulation of Teaching Algebra for Diverse Learners

From the perspectives of Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs), this study examines the design and implementation of a simulated teaching environment in Second Life (SL) for prospective teachers to teach algebra for diverse learners. Drawing upon the Learning-for-Use framework, the analyses provide evidence on the development of student avatars in construction and role-playing activities. The study reveals challenges, procedures, and suggestions for future simulations. This study also calls for research efforts toward preparing mathematics teachers for cultural diversity.

Author/Presenter

Tingting Ma

Irving A. Brown

Gerald Kulm

Trina J. Davis

Chance W. Lewis

G. Donald Allen

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2014
Short Description

This study examines the design and implementation of a simulated teaching environment in Second Life for prospective teachers.

Exploring Ecosystems from the Inside: How Immersive Multi-user Virtual Environments Can Support Development of Epistemologically Grounded Modeling Practices in Ecosystem Science Instruction

Recent reform efforts and the next generation science standards emphasize the importance of incorporating authentic scientific practices into science instruction. Modeling can be a particularly challenging practice to address because modeling occurs within a socially structured system of representation that is specific to a domain. Further, in the process of modeling, experts interact deeply with domain-specific content knowledge and integrate modeling with other scientific practices in service of a larger investigation.

Author/Presenter

Amy M. Kamarainen

Shari Metcalf

Tina Grotzer

Chris Dede

Year
2015

Turning Transfer Inside Out: The Affordances of Virtual Worlds and Mobile Devices in Real World Contexts for Teaching About Causality Across Time and Distance in Ecosystems

Reasoning about ecosystems includes consideration of causality over temporal and spatial distances; yet learners typically focus on immediate time frames and local contexts. Teaching students to reason beyond these boundaries has met with some success based upon tests that cue students to the types of reasoning required. Virtual worlds offer an opportunity to assess what students actually do in a simulated context. Beyond this, mobile devices make it possible to scaffold and assess learning in the real world.

Author/Presenter

Tina A. Grotzer

Megan M. Powell

Katarzyna M. Derbiszewska

Caroline J. Courter

Amy M. Kamarainen

Shari J. Metcalf

Christopher J. Dede

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2015
Short Description