From Access to Sustainability: Investigating Ways to Foster Sustainable Use of Computational Modeling in K-12 Science Classrooms

Principal Investigator:

Our vision is to make computational modeling a sustained practice in middle school science classrooms. We are working closely with teachers to design a tool and curricula that integrate computational modeling with data practices and enables students to move towards unpacking models and their underlying assumptions. Our research questions involve investigating 1. students modeling trajectories in this environment; 2. how classrooms norms develop over time; and, 3. the interplay between computational modeling and data practices.

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Target Audience:

Fostering Equitable Groupwork to Promote Conceptual Mathematics Learning

Principal Investigator:
This project will document how middle grades mathematics students learn equitable collaboration through an ongoing effort to implement groupwork using the model of Complex Instruction. The primary purpose of this study is to describe how 6th-7th grade students learn to collaborate with one another to make sense of mathematics, and how students and their teacher negotiate what constitutes equitable collaboration.
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Target Audience:

Early Emergence of Socioeconomic Disparities in Mathematical Understanding

Principal Investigator:

This poster provides a methodological overview of the Parents Promoting Early Learning Study's online approach to direct assessment of toddler's math skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary data will be presented about the reliability and validity of our measures of children's numeracy and spatial skills. Additionally, we will highlight some of the challenges in conducting online assessments with a socioeconomically diverse sample of families during the pandemic.

Co-PI(s): Leanne Elliott and Portia Miller, University of Pittsburgh

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Target Audience:

Developing and Validating a Scalable, Classroom-focused Measure of Usable Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics: The Classroom Video Analysis Instrument

Principal Investigator:
This project focuses on developing a scalable, classroom-focused measure of usable mathematics teaching knowledge in three content areas: (a) fractions (grades 4 and 5), (b) ratio and proportions (grades 6 and 7); and (c) variables, expressions, and equations (grades 6 and 7). The project examines a variety of validity evidence for the new items and the reliability of scores to evaluate the overall construct validity.
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Developing and Evaluating Assessments of Problem Solving (Collaborative Research: Bostic and Sondergeld)

Principal Investigator:

Through DEAP, we have created three Problem-Solving Measures (PSMs) that address the Common Core State Math Content for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 and built a robust validity argument for their use and score interpretations. We have also used vertical equating to link the PSMs with the already functioning middle-school PSMs (grades 6, 7, and 8). We are constructing a DEAP reporting system and investigating how the reporting system formatively informs teachers instructional decisions.

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Developing an Online Game to Teach Middle School Students Science Research Practices in the Life Sciences (Collaborative Research: Gagnon, Baker, and Metcalf)

Principal Investigator:

Aqualab is an online video game to teach scientific practices in the context of life sciences for middle school. Students use science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation to investigate questions related to aquatic ecosystems. The project is developing and scaffolding layers of science practices within the gameplay, and exploring how learning progressions can be empirically derived from game data. The findings will be used to create personalized interventions to improve student learning outcomes.

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Target Audience:

Developing an Online Game to Teach Middle School Students Science Research Practices in the Life Sciences (Collaborative Research: Gagnon, Baker, and Metcalf)

Principal Investigator:

Aqualab is an online video game to teach scientific practices in the context of life sciences for middle school. Students use science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation to investigate questions related to aquatic ecosystems. The project is developing and scaffolding layers of science practices within the gameplay, and exploring how learning progressions can be empirically derived from game data. The findings will be used to create personalized interventions to improve student learning outcomes.

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Target Audience:

Developing an Online Game to Teach Middle School Students Science Research Practices in the Life Sciences (Collaborative Research: Gagnon, Baker, and Metcalf)

Principal Investigator:

Aqualab is an online video game to teach scientific practices in the context of life sciences for middle school. Students use science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation to investigate questions related to aquatic ecosystems. The project is developing and scaffolding layers of science practices within the gameplay, and exploring how learning progressions can be empirically derived from game data. The findings will be used to create personalized interventions to improve student learning outcomes.

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Target Audience:

Design Research on the Teaching and Learning of Conceptual Understanding in High School Chemistry Though the Use of Dynamic Visualizations of Physical and Chemical Changes

Principal Investigator:
To move from an emphasis on description of phenomena to deep understanding consistent with the NGSS, this project develops new teaching and research scholars with expertise in building conceptual understanding through the effective use of visualization to help their students build accurate molecular-level mental models to explain phenomena. VisChem Institutes employ carefully produced animations with teaching strategies informed by a cognitive learning model. Research thus far has explored early teacher chemistry and pedagogical learning.
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Target Audience:

CAREER: Fraction Activities and Assessments for Conceptual Teaching (FAACT) for Students with Learning Disabilities

Principal Investigator:

This poster describes the outcomes, dissemination, and scaling of project work from "Fraction Activities and Assessment for Conceptual Teaching (FAACT)." We describe the results of a pilot study for FAACT, free curriculum materials, and how the work has been translated to a new game based project, Model Mathematics Education (ModelME). A link to an intro video for ModelMe's game based curriculum will be shared.

Co-PI(s): Matthew Marino and Michelle Taub, University of Central Florida

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