Project Pathways: Connecting Engineering Design To High School Science And Mathematics In A Mathematics Science Partnership Program
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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13
- Page Numbers
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11.1044.1 - 11.1044.13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--669
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/669
- Download Count
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454
Paper Authors
Stephen Krause Arizona State University
Stephen J. Krause is Professor and an Associate Chair of the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department at ASU. His teaching responsibilities are in the areas of design and selection of materials, general materials engineering, polymer science, and characterization of materials. His research interests are in innovative education in engineering, and structural characterization of polymers and semiconductors. He has co-developed a Materials Concept Inventory for assessing fundamental knowledge of students in introductory materials engineering classes. Most recently, he has been working on Project Pathways, an NSF supported Math Science Partnership, in developing modules for a courses on Connecting Mathematics with Physics and Chemistry and also a course on Engineering Capstone Design
Veronica Burrows Arizona State University
Veronica Burrows is Associate Director of the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology and Associate professor in the Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering at Arizona State University. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. In addition to technical research interest in applied surface chemistry, her engineering education research interests include the learning of engineering modeling, the impact of reflective practice in learning engineering, authentic assessment methods, and "girl-friendly" education.
Vincent Pizziconi Arizona State University
Vincent Pizziconi is an Associate Professor in the Bioengineering Department at ASU. His teaching responsibilities are in the areas of introductory engineering, engineering design and biomaterials. His research interests are in innovative education in engineering and on the development of molecular, cellular and tissue strategies to develop bioresponsive and biomimetic materials for the biohybrid diagnostic and medical devices, and engineered cell and tissue systems. Most recently, he has been working on Project Pathways, an NSF supported Math Science Partnership, in developing modules for a course on Engineering Capstone Design.
Robert Culbertson Arizona State University
Marilyn Carlson Arizona State University
Marilyn Carlson is a Professor in the Mathematics Department at ASU and Director of the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET). Her teaching responsibilities are in the areas of mathematics education. Her research interests are in knowing and learning concepts of precalculus and beginning calculus, problem solving, secondary teacher knowledge, and teacher change. She is currently principle investigator and director of the NSF supported Math Science Partnership, Project Pathways: Opening Routes to Math & Science Success for All Students.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Project Pathways: Connecting Engineering Design to High School Science and Mathematics in a Mathematics Science Partnership Program
Abstract
An NSF Math Science Partnership, Project Pathways: Opening Routes to Math & Science Success for All Students, is targeting mathematics and science learning and achievement in grades 9-12 by connecting mathematics with context-rich content and processes in science and engineering. The project will produce a research-based and tested model to support secondary mathematics and science teachers in four partner school districts which have demographics mirroring those of Arizona with 45% minority students. Mathematics, science, engineering and education faculty are teaming with community college master teachers to produce modules for four courses. The courses promote conceptual competence in core content subjects and problem solving process behaviors in scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving, and engineering design. The unifying concept of understanding and using mathematical function and covariation is applied throughout the courses. Professional learning communities enhance teacher communication and develop shared knowledge that facilitates use of new content and teaching strategies in their own classrooms. The unifying concept, developed in the first pilot Functions and Modeling course, is being integrated into science and engineering topics in the following three courses. An example is its use in the Universal Gas Law for design in the Hot Air Balloon Project. Teacher change in the pilot course showed improved understanding of the function and covariation concept which will facilitate modeling later in engineering design. Language and notational barriers between the mathematics and science teachers were reduced which will facilitate team-based projects in engineering design. Mathematics teachers found science contexts facilitates modeling physical relationships in science and design. Science teachers awareness of mathematics in their own courses increased which will facilitate modeling in engineering design. Additional detail and results are described in the paper.
Introduction
There is a need to improve performance in mathematics and science of high school students in Arizona because fewer than 25% of Arizona students score “proficient” or higher on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test1. Additionally, 43% of Arizona’s Hispanic students, more than 30% of blacks, and 48% of Native Americans fail to earn high school diplomas2. Minority students who do graduate often cannot meet university admissions requirements because they lack four years of mathematics3. Better teachers would help, but preparing them is difficult because, like elsewhere, most Arizona teachers receive limited professional development (PD) support. A recent report concluded that the state’s secondary mathematics and science teachers spend an average two days per year in PD activities that focus on deepening knowledge of math and science or improving their methods for teaching those subjects4.
To address the issues of teacher preparation and underperforming students, NSF has funded a five-year Math Science Partnership program at Arizona State University entitled, Project Pathways: Opening Routes to Math & Science Success for All Students. It is based on an in-
Krause, S., & Burrows, V., & Pizziconi, V., & Culbertson, R., & Carlson, M. (2006, June), Project Pathways: Connecting Engineering Design To High School Science And Mathematics In A Mathematics Science Partnership Program Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--669
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