Teach mathematics and science using materials for the weather-focused Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network project.
Teach mathematics and science using materials for the weather-focused Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network project.
This article portrays how citizen science (CS) projects can be integrated into elementary classrooms to enhance students’ sensemaking skills and connect to real-world science problems. For the last several years, we have been involved in a study, Teacher Learning for Effective School-Based Citizen Science (TL4CS), that developed materials for elementary school teachers to engage their students in data collection, analysis, and interpretation for two existing CS projects: Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) and the Lost Ladybug Project (LLP).
This article portrays how citizen science (CS) projects can be integrated into elementary classrooms to enhance students’ sensemaking skills and connect to real-world science problems.
Data science, as a multidisciplinary field, has gained considerable interest in K-12 education. Prior research has explored innovative ways to introduce data science to young learners, emphasizing not only the development of data skills but also the connection of data science to students’ authentic inquiries and critical actions.
Prior research has explored innovative ways to introduce data science to young learners, emphasizing not only the development of data skills but also the connection of data science to students’ authentic inquiries and critical actions. Building on this foundation, this study aims to achieve two complementary goals: integrating Knowledge Building, a well-established pedagogical approach, into K-12 data science education, and enhancing students’ epistemic agency through data practices in knowledge building.
The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning.
The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning. Through lessons that take place over three weeks, haumana (students) undertake a place-based learning experience addressing physical, biological, and social facets of their changing coasts and engage the perspectives of ‘ohana (family), community members, and scientists.
As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions. We highlight the ways that a set of publicly available pedagogical tools (known as the ASET SEP Tools) focused our discourse on a shared vision of sensemaking that is appropriate to expect of middle school students.
As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions.
Situated learning has been widely promoted in educational practice, where students are encouraged to learn by exploring real-world problems in authentic contexts. To expand the opportunities for situated learning, immersive virtual environments have been explored by presenting problem contexts in vivid and interactive formats and enabling a variety of exploration activities. However, there are multiple challenges surrounding situated learning.
Situated learning has been widely promoted in educational practice, where students are encouraged to learn by exploring real-world problems in authentic contexts. To expand the opportunities for situated learning, immersive virtual environments have been explored by presenting problem contexts in vivid and interactive formats and enabling a variety of exploration activities. However, there are multiple challenges surrounding situated learning. The challenges can be caused by the complexities of real-world problems, the complexities in exploring real-world problems, and the complexities in reflecting on the exploration experience. This paper presents a conceptual framework outlining three types of complexities surrounding situated learning and six strategies for coping with these complexities.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC).
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC). In 2022, we implemented a one-week national professional development program (PDP) for secondary teachers introducing two NGSS-aligned climate-related curricula: i) the EzGCM global climate model for students, and ii) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Our study explored, i) what demographic factors are associated with teachers’ assessments of these resources? and ii) what criteria do teachers consider when evaluating the potential adoption of climate-related curricula?
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC).
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC). In 2022, we implemented a one-week national professional development program (PDP) for secondary teachers introducing two NGSS-aligned climate-related curricula: i) the EzGCM global climate model for students, and ii) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Our study explored, i) what demographic factors are associated with teachers’ assessments of these resources? and ii) what criteria do teachers consider when evaluating the potential adoption of climate-related curricula?
Research has affirmed the importance of asset-based family partnerships, yet it does not often recognize the complementary roles of multilingual caregivers and teachers to enact culturally sustaining mathematics education.
Research has affirmed the importance of asset-based family partnerships, yet it does not often recognize the complementary roles of multilingual caregivers and teachers to enact culturally sustaining mathematics education. Our theoretical framework brings together the perspectives and tools of positioning theory and community solidarity through a lesson study that integrated the participation of caregivers.
Engineering has emerged as a promising context for STEM integration in K-12 schools. In the previous decade, the field has seen an increase in curricular resources and pedagogical approaches that invite students to utilize mathematics and science as they engage in engineering practices. This Innovation to Practice paper highlights one effort to meaningfully integrate mathematics and science through engineering in middle school classrooms. The STEM-ID engineering course sequence consists of three 18-week middle school engineering courses.
Engineering has emerged as a promising context for STEM integration in K-12 schools. In the previous decade, the field has seen an increase in curricular resources and pedagogical approaches that invite students to utilize mathematics and science as they engage in engineering practices. This Innovation to Practice paper highlights one effort to meaningfully integrate mathematics and science through engineering in middle school classrooms.
