Activity

Infusing Engineering into Secondary-level Classes

STEM Categorization
Day
Fri

Participants learn about approaches to infusing or integrating engineering concepts into secondary-level science classrooms and engage in an analysis of two projects’ products and outcomes.

Date/Time
-
Session Materials

The session will feature the experiences, outcomes, and materials from two engineering-oriented DR K-12 projects. The two projects, INFUSE and INSPIRES, use different approaches to teacher professional development with the goal of preparing science teachers to infuse or integrate engineering into their classrooms. They have both developed a unique set of materials designed to impact science and technology outcomes (working on a combination of curriculum development, professional development, and research).

Session Types

Preparing Teachers to Support Rich Disciplinary Discussions in Their Classrooms

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Learn about pre- or in-service teacher education activities designed to support teacher facilitation of student disciplinary discussions through enactments that illustrate teacher education activities.

Date/Time
-
Session Materials

Often the most we know about our colleagues’ on-the-ground support of teachers is what we read in the methods sections of research articles, or what has been reified many times over in their published teacher learning materials. We rarely get to see, much less experience, one another’s approaches to supporting teachers. This session will open up the black-box of our work with teachers for discussion and scrutiny.

Session Types

Issues in Integrating NGSS Standards and Literacy/Language Arts in Grades K–5 Science

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Join in a discussion and give feedback on the work of a project integrating science and literacy/language arts, and issues associated with designing and implementing integrated science in K–5 schools.

Date/Time
-
Session Materials

The vision of meaningful learning in science from NGSS and the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education requires reform efforts that address 1) curricular issues (what is being taught); and 2) pedagogical practices (what teaching will look like with emphasis on both the practices of science and engineering and the integration of the Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts).

Session Types

Problematizing and Assessing Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Ways of Thinking

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Engage with presenters as they discuss assessment and rubrics designed to measure secondary teachers’ mathematical habits of mind.

Date/Time
-

Work in secondary mathematics education takes many approaches to content, pedagogy, professional development and assessment. This session aims to illuminate the richness of hte content of secondary mathematics and the field of secondary mathematics education by sharing two such approaches and reflecting on the differences and commonalities between the two.   

Session Types

Perspectives on Solution Diversity and Divergent Thinking in K–12 Engineering Design Learning Experiences

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Consider multiple approaches to valuing, supporting, and studying the diversity of students’ solutions to design problems through poster presentations and small-group discussion.

Date/Time
-

“Solution diversity” has been proposed as one key characteristic that distinguishes engineering design from other disciplinary pursuits. Engineering designers recognize that for any design problem, there will be multiple acceptable solutions, and informed designers have been found to strive for “idea fluency” through divergent thinking techniques that assist them in exploring the design space (Crismond & Adams, 2012).

Session Types

Ocean Tracks: Bringing Large-Scale Marine Science Data to and Beyond the Classroom

Day
Tues

Participants engage in marine data investigations using the Ocean Tracks Web interface and analysis tools, offer feedback, and discuss possible synergies with other DR K12 programs.

Date/Time
-
2014 Session Types
Feedback Session (Work in Post-development)

Digital, large-scale scientific data have become broadly available in recent decades, and analyzing data, identifying patterns, and extracting useful information have become gateway skills to full participation in the 21st century workforce. Yet, pre-college classrooms are falling short in preparing students for this world and are missing opportunities to harness the power of Big Data to engage students in scientific learning. To address this issue, scientists, educators, and researchers at Education Development Center, Inc.