achievement and student attitude iswell documented.[28-31] Likewise, student attitudes toward a subject will be reflected by theirinterest levels in the classroom. If we are to believe that students learn more when they areinterested in the material, then a measure of student attitude should provide insight into thepotential for enhancing student achievement or competency.Attempts to quantify improvements in student attitudes toward STEM by analyzing the pre/postprogram “I Like Math” attitude surveys have been marginally successful. The data haveprovided sporadic results which largely consist of a smattering of positive and negative findings,none of which represent any real or consistent trend. In fact, looking at the bigger picture, wehave seen that
and one of the two peer mentors. Atthis time and submitted their completed unit plan lessons, reflections on their unit as well asways in which they refined or improved their unit after using it in the class. However, only fourof the teachers had utilized their lesson plans in their classes and evaluated them. The budget for the 2014-2015 program had direct costs of about $20,000. It was fundedprimarily through a grant from the US DOT to the STC at the Center for Transportation Research(CTR), a unit at the University of Tennessee. Figure 2 displays the logic model of the program. Page 26.1605.5 Table 1 Inquiry Learning 5 Es-Science
is assumed thatcomprehension of a phenomenon develops from thinking and reflecting on the phenomenon andthat any particular phenomenon that society will encounter will be experienced and understoodin only a limited number of qualitatively different ways.12,14 From the limited number of ways aphenomenon can be experienced, categories of description are formed, which can in turn behierarchically ordered if desired by the study, which is called the outcome space.Phenomenography seeks to comprehend the phenomenon from the subject’s viewpoint asopposed to the researcher reflecting upon the phenomenon. Therefore, this study will require thedevelopment of a limited number of categories of description to describe factors that studentsbelieve affect
research methodologies.6 The reflection aspect of actionresearch is used to review the previous action and plan the next one.7-8 By conducting andmodifying the module in brief time periods we can learn the most effective way to emphasizeand enhance learning about anatomy, engineering, and physics in an interdisciplinary learningexperience.The goal of our research is to determine where this interdisciplinary instructional unit can beintegrated into the curriculum. In any change of the curriculum it is important to use what isknown about individual differences of the students to determine for whom any particularinstructional method is appropriate and for whom it is not appropriate.6
written science education frameworks that guide theirscience programs in grades K-12. Many use the Benchmarks, NSES [3] or both as the guidingframework for science content often reflecting this content through the traditional sciencedisciplines, e.g. earth science, biology, chemistry and physics. As demonstrated in this brief Page 11.229.4expose, Benchmarks [2] and NSES [3] recommend the blend of technology into the scienceframeworks as a means to promote scientific literacy. As science educators develop and revisetheir science curriculums, the inclusion of technology and engineering concepts, asrecommended by these documents, would augment their
advice of Schunn, modeling the engineering design cycle forchildren is an essential component for their true understanding of the concepts of engineering.5All TEAMS Club activities follow a pattern for design-based student engagement: identify theproblem, brainstorm ideas, design solutions, build a prototype device, test the device, reflect,redesign/improve the device. The value of engineering design being practiced by the volunteersand modeled for the elementary students leaves a lasting impression on both groups in terms ofengineering interest and problem-solving development.14,15This research aimed to discover the impact of the University of Colorado Boulder’s afterschoolK-12 engineering education initiative through exploring the following
engineering designexperiences as an instructional method to increase student knowledge and attitudes towardsengineering in both K-12 and undergraduate education. Essentially, PBL instruction uses aninquiry process to engage students in learning through exposure to complex, real-worldproblems, reflecting the environment in which they live and learn.5 PBL design culminates in afinal product, such as a design, model, device, or computer simulation, encouragingcollaboration with other students, and using performance-based assessment to evaluate a range ofskills and knowledge.5,6 Currently, only limited research exists on the effectiveness of thismethod in the classroom, and most of that at the undergraduate engineering level. However, thisundergraduate
. However,reflective practice that involves conceptual understanding of the design space and problemsnecessitate the practice of design.Research QuestionsThe focus of this paper is to look at differences across 2nd ,3rd,,and 4th graders’ understanding ofdesign. We ask the following questions: Are there discernible differences in elementary students of different grade levels’ understanding of the engineering design process? If so, what are these differences?If we are able to identify specific differences between different grade levels’ understanding ofdesign, this can help us to imagine an engineering design learning progression where we mightfocus on one aspect of the engineering design process in 2nd grade, a different aspect of
c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Conceptualizing Authenticity in Engineering Education: A Systematic Literature ReviewAbstractThe term authenticity is pervasive in the education literature in general and specifically in theengineering education literature; yet, the construct is often used un-reflected and ill defined. Thepurpose of this paper is (1) to critically examine current conceptualizations of authenticity asprinciples to design curricula and learning modules within engineering education and (2) thedevelopment of a systematically derived model of authenticity. The context of the project istowards pre-college engineering education yet findings are applicable across the lifespan
ImplementationThe original and implemented action plans for math differed greatly, mainly because ofan unexpected change in teaching assignment from Geometry to Precalculus (see Table1). For geometry, the goal was to have them experience the three-legged chair designand Habitat for Geometry.The three-legged chair was suppose to take place in the first week of school, to: 1)introduce students to the engineering design process, 2) engage them in problem solving,3) and give them ownership of their own learning. The chair design was intended toprovide a meaningful context for the building blocks of geometry and help students seethat math is not just an isolated set of rules to apply to homework problems.Assessments for this project were to be a reflection
) strategies including planning,and cognitive and monitoring/fix-up strategies. A mixed-methods approach to research wasapplied to gather comprehensive and valid information about students’ SRL strategies. Theobjectives of this preliminary study were to investigate high school students' design activitiesthat reflect their understanding of task demand and SRL strategies to accomplish the design taskfrom the perspective of design performance (i.e., high- and low- performing students) andgender. A better understanding of these issues will specifically benefit technology and pre-engineering educators as well as the high school curriculum developer.Students at a high school in Colorado participated in this preliminary study (n = 29); 22
incorporateengineering into the elementary classroom. Engineering curricula and engineering teacherprofessional development at the elementary level remains a developing area1. It follows thatassessments measuring the impact of such teacher professional development programs, orengineering interventions on students’ engineering design, science, and technology knowledge,have not been widely developed or utilized. For example, the National Academy Engineering(NAE)1 reports that there is a “paucity of data” available to assess the impacts of K-12engineering education on many student outcomes, which “reflects a modest, unsystematic effortto measure, or even define, learning and other outcomes” (p. 154).There is a need for assessments that are developmentally
were revised to contain themore general term, “computing,” which is used in both the CS and IT fields. The currentversion of the IT attitude survey is a subset of statements from the original 52 statementIT survey.Participants’ responses to the statements in the attitude survey were mapped to anumerical value between one and four, with higher values reflecting more positiveattitudes. In other words, a positively worded statement was scored a four for stronglyagree, a three for agree, a two for disagree, and a one for strongly disagree. A negativelyworded statement was scored a four for strongly disagree, a three for disagree, a two foragree, and a one for strongly agree. A high score for a gender statement reflected agender neutral, rather
motivation for students to seekcontent knowledge and conceptual understanding that help them solve problems or addresschallenges. Common among effective PBIL curricula and experiences is a focus on student-generated ideas, where students reflect on their actions and investigations to make new decisionsand to improve conceptual understanding 11,12.There is a large amount of research extolling the benefits of curriculum and learning experiencesrooted in PBIL13,14,15,16,17. These studies have found that PBIL affords: more active learning ofcontent; the development of problem-solving skills; increased ownership in learning; greaterunderstanding of the nature of the scientific endeavor; more flexible thinking; improvedcollaboration skills; and
development * Ability to write concisely and clearly for non-scientists * Enhanced awareness of global perspective * Increase in fellow interdisciplinary knowledge and communication * Increase in the ability to work in heterogeneous teams * Impact on fellow research * Increase in GK12 awareness and advocacyThe surveys were designed by the external evaluator with input from the PI and a CO-PI. Thethree surveys did not present identical questions but differed in order to reflect the particularperspectives on fellow growth as seen by fellows, teachers and advisors. In addition to 1-14quantitative responses, those surveyed were asked to comment on one or more of their responsesin the last question.The
Falling Star, Comets, Asteroids, Meteorites 2000 Return to the Red Planet 2001 2001: An Edu-Space Odyssey 2002 Have Spacesuit Will Travel 2003 Exploring the Unknown 2004 Mars: Journey to the Red Planet 2005 Spinoffs: Bringing Space Down to Earth 2006 Return to the Moon 2007 Robotics and Space Exploration 2008 Space Travel: It’s Out of This World! 2009 Celestial Travelers 2010 Design a Mission to the Moon 2011 Earth’s Reflections: A View from Above 2012
. It should be noted however, that at eachcompetition, the somewhat chaotic nature of the event, in which between 50 and 250 children,their siblings, class mates, parents and teachers were present within a single school facilitymeant that the observations did not provide any useful data other than a reflective narrativeaccount written by the researchers in which a number of relevant factors were recorded.The case-study ‘organisational’ fieldwork conducted in 2013 commenced with a documentanalysis of various internal documents, looking at coverage in terms of provision as well asexamining the initiative itself (in terms of tools used). Six in-depth semi-structured interviewswere then conducted with six members of staff responsible for
into isolated STEM disciplines. A lookat STEM learning in elementary classrooms, however, reveals that the current implementationdoes not reflect the interconnectedness of the four STEM disciplines in the natural world3.However, providing high-quality STEM learning opportunities continues to be a challenge in theelementary classroom due to a number of factors. Increased demands on teachers, including highstakes testing in reading and math, are resulting in less time for science instruction in elementaryclassrooms8. These are not new challenges for elementary classrooms9, however the need forrecruiting a knowledgeable and diverse workforce in STEM fields requires that a differentapproach be taken2. Integration has been suggested as a way to
, students explain theresults of their exploration and the teacher helps facilitate this explanation with the vocabularyrelated to the topic. The elaborate phase requires the students to apply this new knowledge tonew problems. The final design and construction of the LEGO assistive device will be theelaborate phases of the curriculum. Students testing their designs and reflecting on theirfunction is the evaluate phase. During this phase, the teacher is also assessing students’ learningof the topics. Page 12.828.3Teacher Professional DevelopmentThis new engineering curricular unit will only be successful if the teachers implementing it do
% worded and was revised for future 17 18 19 20 21 22 assessments. Question #(3) Students improved their ability to answer questions about windmills and bladematerials. Students performed consistently better on post-assessments than on pre-assessmentsbut not all changes pre- to post- were significant. Page 12.649.5CIESE staff collected the reflections and observations of the teacher participants using informalsurveys and classroom visits. A summary of teacher comments indicate: • Teachers discovered that
characteristic of a magnet school is the employment of an educational theme thatattracts a broad spectrum of students. By their nature, academy models focus instruction arounda “theme” or academic discipline. Magnet schools use an academic model to motivate students tostay in school, make learning relevant and fun, and to focus students on their futures (eitheracademic or employment). In addition to developing qualified faculty and rigorous and relevantcurriculum that supports the magnet “theme”, the school’s physical appearance needs to beenhanced to reflect the theme. This visual and sometimes tactile alteration of the school servesas a constant reminder to students, teachers, parents and visitors that the school’s curriculum isanchored to its
the school sites,influenced the amount of implementation.6 In this study a mixed-methods approach using 27 Page 14.1102.3teachers was undertaken to examine what factors affected the implementation of a particular pre-developed reformed chemistry curriculum (Living By Chemistry). The protocols used to obtainthe data for this study consisted of the Teachers’ Beliefs Interview (TBI), observations using theReformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), reflection documents, and schoolcharacteristics. These data were analyzed using a constant comparative method.10 From the dataanalysis, three groups of teachers emerged: traditional, mechanistic
videotapes were digitized and entered into Transana (Fassnacht & Woods31; seewww.transana.org), a computer application for discourse analysis that integrates the video,transcript text and researcher codes. Classroom talk was divided into segments we called clips,and clips were coded to reflect the points of interest in the research questions listed above.Coding FrameworkThe coding framework for our qualitative/quantitative analysis delineates three differentdimensions: A. Instruction time codes subdivide each class period based on how the instructor interacts with students. B. Concepts mark engagement with “big ideas” from STEM, such as modularity in engineering, projection in mathematics, and Newton’s laws in physics. We
Introduction to the Austin Children’s MuseumThe Austin Children's Museum (ACM) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "to createinnovative learning experiences for children and their families that equip and inspire the nextgeneration of creative problem solvers.” Through well-crafted exhibits and educationalprograms, the Museum helps lead young children towards the life-long learning modes ofquestioning, reflecting, informed decision-making, critical thinking, and multidimensional Page 14.488.3thinking. There have been significant advancements in the understanding of how young mindsdevelop and are inspired before starting grade school. For the
of theappendices. The high percentage of Hispanic mentees in the program reflects the schooldemographics. In the most recent data collected (in November 2008 at DREAM Day at RiceUniversity) 18.5% of the students spoke primarily Spanish at home, while 55.5% spoke bothSpanish and English. Only 22.2% spoke primarily English at home. Table 2. Gender and ethnicity make-up of DREAM mentees, by semester. African- Other Date Male Female Hispanic American Ethnicity September 2007 37.9% 48.3% 96.6
studies and b) how thesecourses work together to help students develop engineering skills. Assessment instrumentsincluded beginning, middle, and end-of-design experience questionnaires, videotapes of studentpresentations, and a reflective letter to their parents. Through the data collected, the paperanswers the following questions: a) Are real-life student design projects an effective means ofintegrating different courses? b) Did the real-life student design projects provide better studentunderstanding of engineering in general? c) Did the exercise of designing and presentingprojects, stimulate student interest in science and engineering careers? This pilot assessmentplan will be used to improve the program as well as to assess student learning
Page 26.894.8Findings section of this paper show results indicating that YSP students showed highlysignificant gains in all areas examined: 1) Fundamentals of neuroscience, engineering, andneuroethics research, 2) Neural engineering best practices, and 3) Connections to neuralengineering industry and careers.Post-program Reflective SurveysAn end-of-program survey was given to YSP students at the conclusion of each summer programto measure the impact on students’ content knowledge and skill set competency in areas ofneural engineering. A retrospective pre-test design was used on some survey questions todetermine if there were statistically significant differences in knowledge of neural engineeringskill sets.13 Considerable empirical evidence
theTech department to produce some of the more intricate construction pieces. Overall, this was avery engaging and fulfilling unit to teach, as well as an effective way to introduce a difficultmath concept.Acknowledgement The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the U.S. NationalScience Foundation Award, DUE-1102990. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/orrecommendations are those of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of theFoundation. Page 26.617.6Bibliography1. Case, D. (Producer), &. (2012). Landfill harmonic. [Video/DVD] You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
interaction, we hope to identify recommendations wecan make to other parents on how to foster engineering interest in their children, as wellas contribute ideas for activities for K-5 classrooms to reach a wider range of children.AcknowledgementThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation underGrant No (HRD-1136253). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendationsexpressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the National Science Foundation. We would also like to acknowledge thecontributions of the GRADIENT research team members Scott VanCleave, MaggieSandford and Zdanna Tranby for data collection.References 1. Ceci, S., J., & Williams, W. M. (2010
Page 26.1230.2is a focus on formative assessment, progress monitoring, and student maturity. For example,daily openers and closing reflections are included in our course revision that are not typical in acollege course. Recommendations are provided in the lesson plans to guide high school teacherson how best to coach the student design teams and organize the hands-on materials/exercises.The rationale for these changes is the need for the material to be easily digestible by high schoolstudents and teachers who have not been involved in a hands-on design course previously.The hardware items used in the curriculum did not change between the collegiate and highschool versions. Both curricula use the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit (SIK), the Simon Tilts