Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Carlson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Dale Bremmer, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2007-2708: TRANSFORMING CURRICULA TO REFLECT NEW ITLITERACIES FOR 21ST CENTURY STEM CAREERSPatricia Carlson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Dr. Patricia A. Carlson received the BS from the College of William and Mary in 1968 and the MS and Ph.D. degrees from Duke University in 1969 and 1973 respectfully. Currently Dr. Carlson is Professor of American Literature and Director of PRISM, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.Dale Bremmer, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Dale Bremmer is a professor of economics in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana. He has taught at

Conference Session

Fundamental: K-12 Students and Engineering Design Practices (Part 1)

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Bethke Wendell, University of Massachusetts Boston; Christopher George Wright, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Patricia C Paugh, University of Massachusetts Boston

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Paper ID #13735Urban elementary school students’ reflective decision-making during formalengineering learning experiences (Fundamental)Dr. Kristen Bethke Wendell, University of Massachusetts BostonDr. Christopher George Wright, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Dr. Wright is an Assistant Professor of STEM Education in the Department of Theory & Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee.Dr. Patricia C Paugh, University of Massachusetts Boston Page 26.1636.1 c American Society for

Conference Session

Exemplary Outreach Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kimberly Edginton Bigelow, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2010-27: REFLECTIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS PROMOTINGENGINEERING THROUGH BIOMECHANICAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIESINDICATE DUAL BENEFITSKimberly Edginton Bigelow, University of Dayton Kimberly Edginton Bigelow is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Her concentration is in biomechanical engineering. She teaches freshmen design, engineering experimentation, and a senior elective course in biomechanical engineering. One of her major interests is engineering outreach, particularly connecting college engineering students to K-12 outreach opportunities

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and K-12 Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Essinger, Drexel University; Ryan Coote, Drexel University; Pete Konstantopoulos, CAPA High School; Jason Silverman, Drexel University; Gail Rosen, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2010-2013: REFLECTIONS AND MEASURES OF STEM TEACHING ANDLEARNING ON K-12 CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS STUDENTSSteven Essinger, Drexel University Steve Essinger is a graduate student at Drexel University in Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research involves applying machine learning techniques to the study of microbial communities. He has designed bioinformatics computer laboratories and improved image processing laboratories for the K-12 classroom.Ryan Coote, Drexel University Ryan Coote graduated from Drexel University in 2009 with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering.Pete Konstantopoulos, CAPA High School Pete Konstantopoulos is a mathematics teacher at the Creative

Conference Session

Fundamental: K-12 Students and Engineering Design Practices (Part 1)

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Molly H Goldstein, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Senay Purzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Mitch Zielinski, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

sources included files ofstudent designs with embedded analysis and electronic notes taken by the students. The presenceof explanatory behaviors was used to evaluate alignment of students’ decisions in selecting anidea for further design and testing. Data from 44 high school students and 132 design solutionswere analyzed. Results show that students became increasingly more reflective with eachsubsequent design. In addition, students were more likely to cite data in their reflectiveexplanations. Implications from these results are discussed as they pertain to educationalsuggestions.Keywords: engineering design, high school, tradeoffs, experimentation, computer-aided design.IntroductionOur understanding of what K-12 students learn from engineering

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen B. Wendell, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Christopher George Wright, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Patricia C. Paugh, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

supportstudents' engineering design practices across all engineering curricula. In particular, studentsneed support in developing ways of talking and writing that enable practices such as proposingpossible design solutions and redesigning. Such practices require engineers to engage inreflective decision-making in communication with others (NRC, 2012).In this work-in-progress, we are developing and studying multimedia engineering notebook toolsthat support urban elementary students’ engagement in engineering practices, particularly thosethat involve reflective decision-making with fellow students. Our work is a close collaborationwith elementary teacher researchers, and we are in the first phase of a three-year project.Together we are exploring the

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Rowsome, University of Limerick; Diarmaid Lane, University of Limerick; Seamus Gordon, University of Limerick

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

thinking2. One aspect of self-regulated learning is metacognitive awareness. Metacognitive awareness is defined byTarricone as awareness of the learning process, reflection on learning and memory,identification of strategies for problem solving, and monitoring and control of learningprocesses3. The importance of fostering and developing student’s ability not just to reflect ontheir thinking but to become aware of and critically examine the evidence of their thinkingthat they are producing is an important aspect of metacognitive development. This raises thequestion how do engineering educators observe that students are capturing evidence ofmetacognitive awareness during the design process?This paper explores the implications of a codifying system

Conference Session

High School Students Thinking and Performance

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tamecia R. Jones, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Senay Purzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

investigations 8 andsince students can use science journals that hold notes from all previous courses instructors canspend more time on other important aspects of the lesson because students can quickly find pastnotes and return to prior knowledge 9.DesignDesigners spread their work over both physical and digital artifacts, and project-based designcourses feature interplay between individual ideation and reflection and group brainstorming,discussion, and presentation. Two important components of design education are the designnotebook and the studio critique. In the design notebook, students take class notes, sketch, andwrite down design ideas, observations, inspiration and reflections. The studio critique is a form

Conference Session

Ensuring Access to K - 12 Engineering Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lawrence Genalo, Iowa State University; Jamie Gilchrist, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

and problem solving concepts.This paper will describe the twelve week experience of a home schooled group engaged in theTWT program. Home schooling is a growing trend in the United States and it is estimated thattwo million American children are home schooled each year with this number increasing by 15-20% per year1. The students’ progress in this program was measured through specific reflectionquestions, as well as observations and reflections by the TWT facilitators and the cooperatinghome school representative and the parents of the home schooled students.The Toying With TechnologySM ProgramThe Toying With TechnologySM Program at Iowa State University has been reported on manytimes in the literature2-7. This program includes an

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Curriculum Exchange

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean M. Trusedell, Purdue University; Mindy Hart, EPICS

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

represents current projects in the EPICS Program.The teachers will read through the cards, discuss the information, sketch out a possible solution to the givenengineering problem and create a prototype.They will then get feedback from other participants and sketch a redesign to the prototype.The participants will then role play to get additional feedback to determine the best redesign possible for theprototype. After they have feedback information they will present their scenario and prototype solution to the teamfor feedback and review. Page 24.1214.2Reflection- Reflection is an essential part of the educational process not only

Conference Session

Certifying Teachers in Engineering or Integrated STEM

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yvonne Ng, St. Catherine University; Lori R. Maxfield, Saint Catherine University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

teams; e) identify, formulate andsolve engineering problems; g) communicate effectively; h) understand theimpact of engineering solutions in their daily lives; and i) engage in life-longlearning. Each participated in pre- and post-surveys and reflections. Together,with our formal evaluation through tests and projects, they provide a baseline for Page 22.520.2other engineering courses regarding, knowledge, skills and dispositions necessaryfor future competent, confident and comfortable elementary school teachers ofengineering.It’s all over the news: Kindergartners doing engineering before they can evenspell the word. As school districts and state departments of

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taryn Melkus Bayles, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Julia M. Ross, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Jonathan E. Singer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Jacqueline Krikorian; Tushar P. Sura, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Education

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

program has allowed for a more in depth cohesion of engineering content,pedagogy, and reflection. The PD program was split up into three distinct sections. In themornings, the teachers were team taught the heart lung curriculum by experienced engineeringfaculty and inquiry-based pedagogical facilitators. In the afternoons, the teachers applied whatthey learned as they taught students that were enrolled in the Upward Bound program. Whileteaching, the teachers were videotaped and observed by the INSPIRES team. After each lesson,the teachers and the INSPIRES team reviewed the recordings and collectively providedconstructive criticism to improve content understanding, teaching pedagogy and curriculumdelivery. Although this new PD program

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K12 Teachers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jodi Cullum, Utah State University; Christine Hailey, Utah State University; Daniel Householder, Utah State University; Chris Merrill, Illinois State University; James Dorward, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

year-long PD experience.Given the exploratory nature of these programs, only a small number of teachers could beselected for participation. The five sites delivered professional development to a total of 115teachers, 24 of whom were female and 17 of whom represented ethnic minorities (6 werefemale, ethnic minorities).In the summer of 2007, a one-week workshop involving professional developmentproviders, exemplary teachers who had experienced one of the NCETE site-specific PDprograms, beginning teachers, high school students and evaluators reflected on theirexperiences in an attempt establish the characteristics of an effective PD program for highschool teachers who are seeking to infuse engineering design concepts into STEMclassroom. This

Conference Session

Engineering Design in Pedagogy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kyungsuk Park, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education, K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

development, this research project will have implications forhigh school curriculum development, learning, and teaching methodologies.Design problems in these previous studies are ill-structured and open-ended. These kinds ofproblems have many potential solution paths stemming from an ambiguous identification of aneed. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has prepared a series ofstudies including a focus on educating engineers 14. Sheppard’s research identified reflectivejudgment as an appropriate framework for understanding the cognitive development of designthinking. “As individuals develop mature reflective judgment, their epistemological assumptionsand their ability to evaluate knowledge claims and evidence and to justify their

Conference Session

K-12 Engineering and Pre-College Outreach Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kauser Jahan, Rowan University; Kathleen Sernak, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

engineering content in K-12 education through professional development activities, and• Serve as a national model for other undergraduate institutions in integrating engineering content in K-12 education.This is the first university initiative to integrate engineering content in the middle schoolcurriculum and train teachers regarding engineering concepts as well as the identification ofstudents with potential to become engineers. The ECT program is being funded by a generous Page 12.620.2grant from the Martinson Foundation.Rowan’s Engineering Clinic ProgramThe ECT program activities reflect our Engineering Clinic activities that are offered

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Besser P.E., University of St. Thomas; Debra Monson, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

balancing state academic standards expectationswhile considering new content contexts including engineering design.This paper will provide an overview of the capstone course content, specific teachers'experiences throughout the course based on written reflections, and the preliminary analysis ofthe implementation of a teacher created integrated STEM unit in their own classrooms. Writtenreflections were gathered throughout the course. These reflections, in conjunction with thecourse goals, provide the framework for classroom observations. Preliminary data collected fromwritten reflections, surveys, interviews and classroom observations are included

Conference Session

Enhancing K-12 Mathematics Education with Engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Moss, Clemson University; Dorothy Moss, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Three- Exploring Prisms Exploring Exploring Translations, Transformations Exploring Rotations Dimensional Pyramids Cylinders, Cones, Reflections, and on the Number Transformations Shapes Students develop a and Spheres Rotations Line

Conference Session

K-12 & Pre- College Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosalyn Hobson Hargraves, Virginia Commonwealth University; LaChelle Monique Waller, Virginia Commonwealth University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

children’s motivation, interest, and awareness inSTEM.IntroductionWith the need to prepare students for the 21st century workforce a university with a very diversestudent population strives to address one of the critically important issues facing society:increasing the number of underrepresented students pursuing and completing degrees in science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Evidence within the Department ofLabor reflects that fifteen of the twenty fastest growing jobs projected for 2014 requiresignificant preparation in mathematics and science with the numbers of STEM professionsexpected to grow at a faster rate than those non-STEM professions[1]. Although careers in STEMprovide paths out of poverty, make significant

Conference Session

Enhancing K-12 Mathematics Education with Engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Diaz, Clemson University; Pam King, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

students learn with understanding by thinking qualitatively and by organizing their knowledge around key concepts. iii) Assessment-centeredness: Frequent opportunities are provided for students to make their thinking visible in order to help them refine their understanding. iv) Community-centeredness: Classroom norms are fostered that encourage students to learn from one another and that recognize the teacher as a co-learner.Each lesson in the Math Out of the Box program is designed based on a four phase learning cycleEngage-Investigate-Reflect-Apply (Diagram A) that is similar to the five phase STAR Legacylearning cycle, Challenge-Initial Thoughts-Perspectives/Resources-Assessment-Publish, which isthe basis of the Felder

Conference Session

Curriculum Exchange

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Gajdzik, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Johannes Strobel, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, record, and use their own data design challenge mathematics to an authentic engineering• Solve a problem with a fictional • Observe, measure, and record their own design challenge character while actively participating in data • Observe, measure, record, and analyze the story • Solve a problem with a fictional friend their own data• Collaborate and reflect on their solution while actively participating in the story • Solve a problem for a fictional business • Collaborate in a team using real-world trade-offs

Conference Session

Fundamental: K-12 Students and Engineering Design Practices (Part 2)

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle E Jordan , Arizona State University; Mia Delarosa

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

processes when peers were willing and able to providesupport. Kolodner and colleagues4, 5 developed ritualized activity structures that facilitate peerinteraction. The purpose of the present mixed-methods study was to investigate how middle-school students’ respond to communication challenges during a set of design-reflect-designprocesses associated with collaborative engineering design. Two questions guided analysis: RQ1: What do learners’ written reflections reveal about their perceptions of their group’s communication patterns, and how do these perceptions shift across the two design challenges? RQ2: What are learners’ perceptions of the quality of their individual-level interactions, and how do these perceptions

Conference Session

Curriculum Exchange

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katheryn Kennedy, Stevens Institute of Technology, CIESE

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

for students to apply understanding of wavebehavior and patterns while designing a code and device to transmit location information torescue their classmates from “disaster”. Elementary students, in the role as Secret Agents, engagein NGSS wave transfer thinking while applying knowledge of light and/or sound waves.Designed codes and devices are presented to promote and demonstrate understanding of scienceand engineering.Context: Students are introduced to this design challenge after science exploration andinvestigations with the behavior and characteristics of light and sound. These explorationsintroduce the concepts of reflection, refraction, and also develop a model to represent wavecharacteristics using Slinkys and ropes. Students are

Conference Session

Engineering Across the K-12 Curriculum: Integration with the Arts, Social Studies, Sciences, and the Common Core

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board; Lesley Eva Bristol, Maui Economic Development Board; Graham R. DeVey, Maui Economic Development Board

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

retirement age within the U.S. government.2 In addition, students who do pursueengineering degrees do not reflect the diversity of students in the United States, a pattern ofenrollment that is likely to have a number of negative consequences, both for the successfulpractice of engineering and for the resolution of broader societal issues. Concerns about the lackof engineering exposure for all children and ensuring a larger, more reliable supply of futureengineers have been accompanied by the realization that we have not yet determined the bestway to inform children of engineering skills and concepts.3 There is also continued debate on whether national standards should be developed andimplemented for K-12 engineering education. A 2010 report

Conference Session

Thinking, Reasoning & Engineering in Elementary School

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Bedward, North Carolina State University; Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University; Lauren Madden, North Carolina State University; James Minogue, North Carolina State University; Mike Carter, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

inquiry science we collapsed the three heuristics into 3phases: planning, observation and testing, and reflection and communication while highlightingwhere modeling is most useful in supporting student meaning making.In the planning phase of inquiry-based science, it is not apparent predictions can be representedin a preliminary model or that initial questions can be tested prior to conducting an investigationor solution. In the case of the engineering design cycle and graphic-based modeling, therepresentation and testing of preliminary ideas is encouraged. In the observation and testingphase the science investigation encourages recording of events and phenomena. The InformedDesign and graphic-based modeling approach encourages recording of

Conference Session

Professional Development Programs for Teachers

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Trenor, University of Houston; Jennifer Ruchhoeft, University of Houston; Frank Claydon, Unviersity of Houston; Stuart Long, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, Transfer, and Results.Reactions and Learning— Views of the Program and New Knowledge of Engineering: At the endof the program, teachers were asked to complete two survey assessment tools. One survey askedparticipants to rate their agreement with various statements related to program content andadministration at the end of the program using a Likert scale (responses included “stronglyagree” (5), “agree somewhat” (4), “not sure” (3), “disagree somewhat”(2), “stronglydisagree”(1)). The other survey queried participants on how well their expectations wereachieved during the program, and asked participants to rate each statement in terms of the extentto which each factor was reflected in their summer experience (a score of 1 indicated that it wasnot at

Conference Session

Evaluation: Exploring the Impact of Summer Programs on K-12 Youth.

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Burwell-Woo, Cañada College; Ray Lapuz, Canada College; Tracy Huang, Cañada College; Nicholas Langhoff, Canada College

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Page 26.660.2unemployment rates, STEM jobs “are going unfilled simply for lack of people with the right skillsets.”2, further emphasizing the need to train a population of qualified STEM graduates.However, current trends in engineering enrollment reflect a decrease from 6.3 to 5.4 percent ofthe total degrees conferred.3 The 2012 President’s Council of Advisors on Science andTechnology (PCAST) report, “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional CollegeGraduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,” indicates thatthe United States needs to prepare one million additional STEM professionals in the next decadeto maintain its dominance in science and technology.4 One important strategy for increasing thequalified

Conference Session

K-12 Activities

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leanne Hirshfield, Tufts University; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

provide students with personalized tutors through the use of educational software.However, without the authoritative involvement of a teacher, many students are not motivated tolearn material presented via computer. The challenge to educational software designers is tocreate environments that motivate students to think reflectively about content, encouraging themto invest time and energy in the learning process. One manner in which to accomplish this goalmay be to include student ideas when developing software. This paper presents the results of aresearch investigation that examined the inclusion of middle school students in the process ofdesigning educational software. Eight middle school students participated in a focus groupdiscussion, during

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Curriculum Exchange

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shelley Goldman, Stanford University; Maureen Carroll; Molly Bullock Zielezinski, Stanford University; Aaron Loh, Ministry of Education, Singapore; Eng Seng Ng, Stanford University; Stephanie Bachas-Daunert, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

; Page 24.440.2 discuss experimental outcome. 8. Reflection: Students reflect in writing on the prompt: “Describe the process & outcome of building a water filtration system. What 3 recommendations would you make for others doing this for the first time?” For more activities, download our complete curriculum: http://goo.gl/Cjk3t2

Conference Session

K-12 Teacher Pre-Service and Undergraduate Instructor Training

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Crehan, University of Limerick; Niall Seery, University of Limerick; Donal Canty, University of Limerick; Diarmaid Lane, University of Limerick

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

their beliefs pre and post their engagement in a semi-open design basedtask. The results presented highlight a shift in the value placed on the process of learningthrough design from students’ initial understanding and their experience of designingfollowing their engagement in the design task.IntroductionDesign based technology education as a catalyst for 21st century skills is seen in itseducational goals, through promoting the development of students as autonomous, creative,reflective and innovative learners3. The development of these characteristics through designbased technology education, it is envisaged, will equip students with a set of transferableskills which can be adopted to address specific problems in real-life contexts outside

Conference Session

Addressing the NGSS, Part 3 of 3: Supporting High School Science Teachers in Engineering Pedagogy and Engineering-Science Connections

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rodney L Custer, Black Hills State University; Julia M. Ross, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Jenny Daugherty, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

professional development research. Cognitive science research indicates that conceptualunderstanding is necessary for situating information, content, and ideas into a particular context,for example engineering into science. Concepts provide learners with the components needed tocreate a connected web of knowledge, allowing learners to apply what they have learned to newsituations and learn related information3. From an instructional standpoint, concepts provide away to organize knowledge into meaningful instruction4. In addition, research indicates thatprofessional development should take into account teachers’ conceptions of teaching and of thelearning process and allow for active learning and reflective participation5, 6, 7. Engaging inactivities