Elementary

Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms

Thinking critically. Communicating effectively. Collaborating productively. Students need to develop proficiencies while mastering the practices, concepts, and ideas associated with mathematics and science. Successful students must be able to work with large data sets, design experiments, and apply what they’re learning to solve real-world problems. Research shows that inquiry-based instruction boosts students’ critical thinking skills and promotes the kind of creative problem solving that turns the classroom into an energized learning environment.

Author/Presenter

Jeff C. Marshall

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2013

Design Practices of Preservice Elementary Teachers in an Integrated Engineering and Literature Experience

The incorporation of engineering practices and core ideas into the Next Generation Science Standards at the elementary school level provides exciting opportunities but also raises important questions about the preparation of new elementary teachers. Both the teacher education and engineering education communities have a limited literature base on the resources that novice elementary teachers bring to learning and teaching engineering.

Author/Presenter

Kristen Bethke Wendell

Year
2014
Short Description

Examining discourse of a team of pre-service teachers within an IEL engineering design challenge

Examining Young Students’ Problem Scoping in Engineering Design

Problem scoping—determining the nature and boundaries of a problem—is an essential aspect of the engineering design process. Some studies from engineering education suggest that beginning students tend to skip problem scoping or oversimplify a problem. However, the ways these studies often characterize students’ problem scoping often do not reflect the complexity found in experts’ designing and rely on the number of criteria a student mentions or the time spent problem scoping.

Author/Presenter

Jessica Watkins

Kathleen Spencer

David Hammer

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2014
Short Description

Exploring students' problem solving within an integrated engineering and literacy activity

Webinar on the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development

Author/Presenter

Edith Gummer

Year
2014
Short Description

This webinar, led by Edith Gummer (formerly of NSF), discusses the guidelines outlined in the report co-authored by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

2014 DR K-12 Program Webinar Resources

Recordings:

Author/Presenter

David Campbell

Barbara Berns

Year
2014
Short Description

In this 2-webinar series hosted by CADRE, NSF provides an overview of the DR K-12 funding program and reviews this year's DR K-12 solicitation.

STEM Smart Brief: Nurturing STEM Skills in Young Learners, PreK–3

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2013
Short Description

Current data on school readiness and early math and science achievement indicate we are not giving young children the support they need to be “STEM Smart”. Read this brief on nurturing STEM skills in young learners.

STEM Smart Brief: CTE Pathways to STEM Occupations

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2014
Short Description

“Workers in STEM fields play a direct role in driving economic growth. Yet, because of how the STEM economy has been defined, policymakers have mainly focused on supporting workers with at least a bachelor’s degree, overlooking a strong potential workforce of those with less than a BA.” Read this brief to explore CTE pathways to STEM occupations.

A Targeted Study of Gaming and Simulation Projects in DR K-12

The NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) program is one potential source of funding for the needed research on the educational effectiveness of gaming and simulations. The DR K-12 program seeks to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM in K-12 education by funding the “development, testing, deployment, effectiveness, and/or scale-up of innovative resources, models, and tools”4 in STEM areas. This work takes on many forms within the funding portfolio, including computer games and simulations.

Author/Presenter

Barbara Brauner Berns

Amy Busey

Alina Martinez

Uma Natarajan

Sarah Sahni

Sally Wu

Year
2014
Short Description

The NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) program is one potential source of funding for the needed research on the educational effectiveness of gaming and simulations. The DR K-12 program seeks to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM in K-12 education by funding the “development, testing, deployment, effectiveness, and/or scale-up of innovative resources, models, and tools”4 in STEM areas. This work takes on many forms within the funding portfolio, including computer games and simulations. With the growing attention to these types of educational technologies, the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE) conducted a brief targeted study to better understand the gaming and simulation research and development work being funded within the NSF’s DR K-12 program and to highlight work that may help fill the gaps identified by the NRC.

Publications for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers

This list contains STEM education-related publications that may be of interest to DRK-12 grantees for the purposes of (1) disseminating knowledge and products and (2) developing partnerships with stakeholders and end-users. These publications were chosen because they provide researchers and developers with an opportunity to present their work to individuals that could use, promote, or improve the work.

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2024
Short Description

STEM education-related publications that may be of interest to DRK-12 grantees.

Resource(s)