Attitude Shifts In High School Math And Science Teacher Practice Through Connecting Math, Science, And Engineering In A Math Science Partnership: Project Pathways
- Conference
- Location
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2008
- Start Date
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June 22, 2008
- End Date
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June 25, 2008
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
- Page Count
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13
- Page Numbers
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13.241.1 - 13.241.13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--4162
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/4162
- Download Count
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389
Paper Authors
Stephen Krause Arizona State University
Stephen Krause is Professor in the School of Materials in the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. His teaching responsibilities are in the areas of bridging engineering and education, design and selection of materials, general materials engineering, polymer science, and characterization of materials. His research interests are in innovative education in engineering and K-12 engineering outreach. 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.
Robert Culbertson Arizona State University
Marilyn Carlson Arizona State University
Marilyn Carlson
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 principal 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
Attitude Shift in High School Math and Science Teacher Practice Through Connecting Math, Science, and Engineering in a Math Science Partnership: Project Pathways Abstract
Project Pathways is a Math Science Partnership (MSP) providing professional development to high school math and science teachers in Phoenix metropolitan area school districts. The NSF funded project is using four semester-long courses and professional learning communities to enhance teacher pedagogy for improving mathematics and science learning and achievement in grades 9-12. Mathematics, science, engineering and education faculty are teaming with community college master teachers in using the understanding of mathematical function as a unifying concept applied throughout the courses. Conceptual competence in core content subjects and problem solving process behaviors in scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving, and engineering design is promoted using team-based, inquiry learning pedagogy with contextualized content in MSP-created modules. The unifying concept of function, developed in the initial Functions and Modeling course, is integrated into science and engineering topics in the subsequent science and engineering courses. For example, the functional nature of the mathematical concept of proportionality is applied in the second course on Connecting Math with Physics and Chemistry for understanding the Universal Gas Law. Subsequently, in the course on Connecting Engineering with Science and Math, the conceptual knowledge of proportionality and the Universal Gas Law is applied as a predictive tool in the design process for the Hot Air Balloon Project. Here we report on, from qualitative analysis of teacher reflections, the research question, "What is the effect of an integrated math-science-engineering professional development project on high school math and science teachers' classroom practice using the core concept of function that is integrated into the delivery of contextualized content by team-based inquiry learning."
Introduction
Project Pathways is an NSF Math Science Partnership professional development project which targets mathematics and science learning and achievement in grades 9-12 by connecting mathematics with context-rich content and problem solving processes in science and engineering. Teams of mathematics, science, engineering and education faculty are partnering with community college master teachers to generate instructional sequences of modules for four courses for secondary mathematics and science teachers and their students. The courses are promoting conceptual competence in core content subjects and key problem solving process behaviors in mathematical problem solving, scientific inquiry, and engineering design. The understanding of mathematical function as a unifying concept is applied throughout the courses. Conceptual competence in core content subjects and problem solving process behaviors in scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving, and engineering design is promoted using team-based, inquiry learning pedagogy with contextualized content in MSP-created modules. The unifying concept of function, developed in the initial Functions and Modeling course, is integrated into science and engineering topics in the subsequent courses. Professional learning communities are supporting teachers in adapting their new knowledge and instructional approaches to their own classroom practice by engaging them in deep reflections on their
Krause, S., & Culbertson, R., & Carlson, M. (2008, June), Attitude Shifts In High School Math And Science Teacher Practice Through Connecting Math, Science, And Engineering In A Math Science Partnership: Project Pathways Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--4162
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