Science

Understanding How Integrated Computational Thinking, Engineering Design, and Mathematics Can Help Students Solve Scientific and Technical Problems in Career Technical Education

INITIATE is a 3-year, STEM+C Partnership Program Design and Development project that partners high school Mathematics and Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers in Toledo Public Schools (TPS). Due to mathematics oftentimes serving as a gatekeeper for further STEM study, including technical careers, and to the strong reciprocal relationship between mathematics, computational thinking, and preparation for STEM careers, the project includes teachers of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Statistics/Analysis.
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Discipline/Topic:
Computer Science
Engineering
Mathematics
Science
Technology
Broadening Participation
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Target Audience:
High School

SPIRAL: Supporting Professional Inquiry and Re-Aligning Learning through a Structured e-Portfolio System

Principal Investigator:
Jose-Felipe Martinez-Fernandez

The SPIRAL project seeks to develop and test a new model for vertical-team professional development, along with a set of electronic tools enabling collaboration among these teams to support instructional improvement aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We seek to better understand how teachers use a custom-designed digital portfolio to better understand students' learning trajectories across K-8 science so as to shape their own instructional practice with relation to the spiraled NGSS.

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Elementary School
Middle School

Transforming Scientific Practices to Promote Students Interest and Motivation in the Life Sciences: A Teacher Leadership Development Intervention

Principal Investigator:
Pauline Chinn

How Do Teacher Leaders Transform Scientific Practices to Promote Students Interest and Motivation in STEM? Formal and informal K-12+ educators learn to employ strategies of community mapping, curricular mapping and place-based, culturally sustaining pedagogy to write, teach, and evaluate NGSS lessons that engage underrepresented students in mathematics, life, earth, and physical sciences. Two case studies highlight how educators apply these strategies to intersect three domains: experiential/place-based learning, culturally sustaining learning, and disciplinary learning .

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Discipline/Topic:
Engineering
Mathematics
Science
Technology
Assessment
Broadening Participation
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Educational Technology
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Systems Reform
Target Audience:
Teachers

Teaching STEM with Robotics: Design, Development, and Testing of a Research-based Professional Development Program for Teachers

Principal Investigator:
Vikram Kapila

To lower the barriers in STEM disciplines for students, using evidence-based research, we designed and conducted a professional development program that built middle school teachers' capacity to use hands-on robotics and engineering design as the curriculum focus. Through summer workshops, teachers learned to: build and program LEGO robots; create and implement standards-aligned robotics-based STEM lessons; and develop, practice, and examine optimal pedagogical approaches for STEM learning using robotics.
 

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Discipline/Topic:
Computer Science
Engineering
Mathematics
Science
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Educational Technology
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

In the Classrooms of Newly Hired Secondary Science Teachers: The Consequences of Teaching In-field or Out-of-field

Science
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Teacher Practice
High

Science teachers must sometimes teach outside of their expertise, and this type of teaching assignment is referred to as being out-of-field. Among newly hired teachers, this type of assignment may have a detrimental impact in the development of their instruction. This study explored the classroom instruction of 17 newly hired teachers who were teaching both in-field and out-of-field in the physical sciences during their first three years.

Access Link
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1046560X.2020.1800195
Author/Presenter

Jessica B. Napier

Julie A. Luft

Harleen Singh

Lead Organization(s)
University of Georgia (UGA)
Year
2020
Short Description

Science teachers must sometimes teach outside of their expertise, and this type of teaching assignment is referred to as being out-of-field. Among newly hired teachers, this type of assignment may have a detrimental impact in the development of their instruction. This study explored the classroom instruction of 17 newly hired teachers who were teaching both in-field and out-of-field in the physical sciences during their first three years.

Out-of-Field Teaching in Science

Science
Professional Development
Teacher Practice
Elementary
Middle

Special issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education focused on out-of-field teaching in science.

Luft, J. A., Hobbs. L., & Hanuscin, D. (Eds.) (2020). Special issue: Out-of-field teaching in science. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 31(7), 719-820.

Access Link
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uste20/31/7?nav=tocList
Author/Presenter

Julie A. Luft

Linda Hobbs

Deborah Hanuscin

Lead Organization(s)
University of Georgia (UGA)
Year
2020
Short Description

Special issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education focused on out-of-field teaching in science.

Out-of-Field Teaching in Science

Science
Professional Development
Teacher Practice
Elementary
Middle

Special issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education focused on out-of-field teaching in science.

Luft, J. A., Hobbs. L., & Hanuscin, D. (Eds.) (2020). Special issue: Out-of-field teaching in science. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 31(7), 719-820.

Access Link
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uste20/31/7?nav=tocList
Author/Presenter

Julie A. Luft

Linda Hobbs

Deborah Hanuscin

Lead Organization(s)
University of Georgia (UGA)
Year
2020
Short Description

Special issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education focused on out-of-field teaching in science.

Taking STEM Enrichment Camps Virtual: Strategies & Reflections from Quick Pivot Due to COVID-19

Engineering
Science
Technology
Broadening Participation
Gaming/Virtual Environments
Middle

Since COVID-19 began spreading in the US and quickly established as a global pandemic in March of 2020, the NSF-funded STEM SEALS team at North Florida College faced the touch decision to either

Author/Presenter

Rebecca Zulli Lowe

Adrienne Smith

Christie Prout

G. G. Maresch

Christopher Bacot

Lura Sapp

Bill Eustace

Lead Organization(s)
North Florida Community College (NFCC)
Year
2021
Short Description

This exploratory study aimed to (1) identify the  barriers to moving STEM enrichment programming in a rural environment from in-person to virtual activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) describe key decisions that were made in transitioning to the virtual format along with the rationale behind those decisions, and (3) disseminate best practices that emerged from the inaugural effort.

Resource(s)
Submission_3.9.2021.pdf

A Practice-Based Online Learning Environment for Scientific Inquiry with Digitized Museum Collections in Middle School Classrooms

Principal Investigator:
Kirsten Butcher

EPIC Bioscience engages middle school students in authentic scientific practices via NGSS-aligned investigations of museum specimens. Students complete interactive activities to build prior knowledge and context, then use digitized specimens to collect and analyze relevant data. Findings are applied to pressing global issues such as biodiversity loss, geographic range changes in populations, and diminishing resources. Key challenges in the development of online, specimen-based science investigations are addressed using example interactions and analyses from EPIC investigations.

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Cognitive Science
Educational Technology
Target Audience:
Middle School

Understanding the Role of Lesson Study in K-12 Mathematics and Science Teacher Education

Principal Investigator:
Sharon Dotger

This working conference brought together 34 science and mathematics teacher educators from 25 institutions across 17 states and territories. Our purpose was to collaboratively build knowledge about utilizing lesson study as a mechanism to support pre-service teacher learning. We discussed essential features of lesson study, design features of teacher education programs that enhance or inhibit lesson study practice, and the implications of lesson study for partnership with schools and colleagues.

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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Science
Target Audience:
Post-secondary
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