Education Commons^™

Middle School Science Teachers' Vulnerability In The Written Discourse Of A Professional Learning Community, Eliza Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vulnerability is omnipresent in personal and professional human experiences (Gilson, 2011; Lasky, 2005) and an unavoidable condition of work as a teacher (Bullough, 2005; Kelchtermans, 1996). It plays a role in teachers’ interaction with themselves, their students, and their professional communities, as they engage in making sense of their role in these social environments (Uitto, Kaunisto, Kelchtermans, & Estola, 2016). This study examined the written reflection journals by 12 middle school science teachers in a professional learning community (PLC) in New England. Teachers engaged with each other to co-construct knowledge and emotional understanding of their practice within this professional community. …

Why I Believe People Need Painting By Numbers, Jason Makansi

Numeracy

Jason Makansi.2016. Painting By Numbers: How to Sharpen Your BS Detector and Smoke Out the Experts (Tucson AZ: Layla Dog Press). 196 pp. ISBN 978-0998425900.

This piece briefly introduces my Painting By Numbers, which aims to take the core messages of the QL/QR community from academic and professional circles to the rest of the citizenry. I describe the book in the context of the critical need for the most basic numeracy tools to help consumers of news, information, and analysis—delivered through traditional and contemporary social media outlets—determine where a reported numerical result lies on the scale from utter nonsense …

A Conspiracy To Resurrect Life And Social Justice In Science Curriculum With Henrietta Lacks: A Play, Dana Compton Mccullough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a theoretical inquiry into alternative pedagogies that challenge current standardized practices in the field of science education. Building upon a wide array of work, such as philosophy and history of science (Haraway, 1989, 1991,1997, 2000, 2007; Harding 1991, 1998; Latour, 1987, 1991/1993, 1991; Rheinberger, 1992, 2010; Serres, 1982/2007,1991/1997, 2010/2012), curriculum studies and science curriculum (Appelbaum, 2001, 2010; Barone, 1990, 2000; Blades, 1997, 2001; Calabrese-Barton, 2003, 2011; Cartwright, 1999; Doll, 1993; Grumet, 1999; He, 2003,2008, 2009,2013; Lather, 1997,2007,2010; Schubert, 1986, 2009; Schwab, 1978; Weaver, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015); and playwriting (Brody, 2011; Innes, 2002; and Mighton, 1987, 1988), …

Comparison Of The Conceptual Understanding Of Newton's Laws In An Online And Traditional Introductory Physical Science Course, Rex Robert Moak

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine if taking the Physical Science Survey I course in face-to-face (F2F) and online format statistically significantly improves Newtonian conceptual comprehension as measured by the FCI; (b) determine which course format, if any, has statistically significantly higher FCI post-means; and (c) determine if students’ satisfaction with learning is statistically significantly different in the two course formats.

Data for this study was collected from students and faculty in various course formats during the Fall semester of 2012 and the Spring semester of 2013. The researcher used two research tools: the Force Concepts Inventory …

Integrated Stem Model-Eliciting Activities: Developing 21st Century Thinkers, Micah Stohlmann

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Studies have shown that integrating math and science makes learning more connected and relevant and has a positive impact on student attitudes and interest in school, their motivation to learn, and achievement.

Engineering is becoming more prevalent in K-12 schools and can provide great problem solving opportunities for students to learn about mathematics, science, and technology while working through the engineering design process.

Reclaiming And Re-Visioning Indigenous Voices: The Case Of The Language, Edward Shizha

Edward Shizha

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of teaching science to rural primary school students using a second language (English) in Zimbabwe. The study also investigated the opinions and attitudes of primary school teachers toward teaching science using an indigenous language (chiShona). Qualitative data was collected using twenty classroom observations and interviews with ten purposely selected primary school teachers. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed institutional and attitudinal barriers to using chiShona as a language of instruction in science teaching and learning. The results also showed that some teachers frustrate and silence students’ …

Synecdoche And Surprise: Transdisciplinary Knowledge Production, Anne Dalke, Elizabeth Mccormack

Literatures in English Faculty Research and Scholarship

Using contemporary insights from feminist critical theory and the literary device of synecdoche, we argue that transdisciplinary knowledge is productive because it maximizes serendipity. We draw on student learning experiences in a course on “Gender and Science” to illustrate how the dichotomous frameworks and part-whole correspondences that are predominant in much disciplinary discourse must be dismantled for innovative intellectual work to take place. In such a process, disciplinary presumptions interrogate and unsettle one another to produce novel questions and answers.

In Our Own Backyard: Critical Theory And The Development Of The San Jacinto Center For Environmental Education, Susanna Hamilton, Darleen Stoner, Randall Wright

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This research addresses the topic of nature centers from a critical theory perspective. This research assumed in part, the question: what are the characteristics of a functional and successful nature center that includes environmental education goals and programs? Nature center administrators from across the United States were surveyed and asked to share their opinions on this topic. Six overall characteristics pertaining to management and vision were identified through an exploratory mixed‑method design. Other components of these characteristics were discovered during the analysis of the data, and include factors such as approaches to education. Recommendations for improving nature centers and their …