Education Commons^™

Developing Collaborative Partnerships: Stem On A Mission, Kania Greer, Robert L. Mayes, Debbie Walker

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education at Georgia Southern University seeks to develop partnerships with schools, businesses, and research institutes to improve STEM Education in rural Georgia. This is not without it’s challenges. This session will focus on an overview of the Institute and then engage participants in a round table discussion of best practices to improve partnerships.

A Touch Of Glass, Daniel E. Rivera

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Learn more about Google Glass! We will demonstrate how Glass works, provide details on the features, functions, and limitations, and explain where Glass is moving in the future. Why do educators need to know about it? What are the implications of such technology? How is it being used in STEM education?

Critical Thinking And The Languages Of Stem, Connie H. Rickenbaker, Sally Gilbreth

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Participants in this session will learn about the critical thinking strategy of SEEI (Nosich, 2011) as used by both high school and university students. SEEI (State, Explain, Example, Illustrate) has a strong connection with the languages of STEM (Baber, 2011) which will be shown by the presenters. Participants will have the opportunity to implement and share their own SEEIs as part of the group discussion.

Literacy Matters In Science And Mathematics, Gladys T. Hamilton

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Where are literacy opportunities in the CCGPS Science and Mathematics standards? Lets dig into the standards and discovery the opportunities.

What School Administrators Can Do To Support K-12 Stem Teachers, Robert H. Costlow, Richard Mccombs, Ashley Crosby

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Retaining good teachers has and continues to be a major issue for all levels of K-12 Education. However, many things can be done at the school level to keep your good teachers. This interactive session is designed to give you good ideas about retaining your teachers from both an administrative and teacher viewpoint, as well as give you an opportunity to ask specific questions in a guided discussion format so that each of us can learn from each other.

Hitting Pause On Organic Chemistry, Jenny B. Vu

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Written procedures for performing organic chemistry experiments are replaced by visual demonstrations that allow students to watch these videos at home and/ or in the laboratory. These previously recorded demonstrations allow students to watch, pause, and rewind the video to better understand laboratory techniques.

Developing A Stem Teacher Recruitment Pipeline, Kimberly Shaw, Cindy Ticknor, Tim Howard

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The Columbus Region Academy of Future Teachers of STEM (CRAFT-STEM), a Phase I Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, combines internships and scholarships, an exciting summer STEM Honors Camp, a new Teaching Connections Seminar, and an impressive array of existing resources to recruit, prepare, and graduate an increasing number of STEM teachers committed to serving high need high schools.

Integrating Manipulatives To Improve Fraction Concepts, Rachel Dunn

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The aim of this session is to demonstrate the tools used to help reinforce and recreate students’ conceptual knowledge of fractions, specifically targeting the unit of reference. These manipulatives will provide teachers with instructional support for Common Core Standards, which emphasize critical thinking skills and various representations of knowledge, specifically with fractions. Participants will become actively engaged in learning about these tools, including jumping on a number line floor mat, working with circular fraction pieces and placing fractions on a number line rope. By representing knowledge through circular and linear methods, students will use critical thinking skills and support will …

Teaching Undergraduates At The Peer Review Level, Thomas J. Manning

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Undergraduate science students have participated in a host of science activities, including designing, synthesizing and submitting cancer drugs to the National Cancer Institute, writing and submitting a patent, formed a company and won two SBIR grants, launching high altitude balloons and developing a new nomenclature system for nanostructures. This presentation will outline ten projects conducted by students as part of classes that have been published in peer reviewed journals and discuss the logistics surrounding them.

Research Experience Via Active Collaboration With High Schools (Reach), Sharmistha Basu-Dutt, Megumi Fujita, Victoria Geisler, Douglas Stuart

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The nature, activities and outcomes of the REACH program, a symbiotic partnership between UWG and selected high schools in West Georgia, will be presented. REACH provided an enrichment opportunity for high school students and teachers to experience the full spectrum of the scientific enterprise, understand the true nature of how and what scientists do, and explore exciting career opportunities.

Joining & Using Google Plus Communities: Georgia Stem Teaching & Learning Conference Community, Daniel Rivera

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The 2nd Annual Georgia STEM Teaching & Learning Conference has chosen Google Plus Communities as the designated tool for encouraging communication among university faculty, K-12 teachers & administrators, research institutions, and businesses. The purpose of this session is to show participants how to get connected and then how to use Google Plus Communities for collaboration.

Under Graduate Curriculum Integration: Bringing Students Together Through Research, Clay Runck, James Russell, Allison D’Costa

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

At Georgia Gwinnett College we are integrating the undergraduate educational experience for our Bachelor of Science students in the Biology discipline. We are using the opportunities presented by the genetic information revolution to combine biology courses in a longitudinal and integrative research project aimed at cataloguing biological diversity over space and time on the developing Georgia Gwinnett College campus.

Creating A Faculty Learning Community To Support Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Among Stem University Faculty, Cher C. Hendricks, Myrna Gantner

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

In this session, we describe the creation of a Faculty Learning Community for university faculty in science, mathematics, and computer science. These faculty, recipients of mini-grants funded by the USG STEM Initiative, are studying ways to improve their instruction and increase student learning in STEM courses. Through the FLC, they are able to collaborate and support each others’ work.

Research Participants Discuss Stem Conference Participation And Impacton Thinking And Practice, Colleen Beyer, Thomas Koballa, Delena Bell Gatch, Leslie S. Jones, Sharmistha Basu-Dutt, Farooq Khan

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Last spring, Georgia Southern University hosted its first Scholarship of STEM Teaching and Learning conference. Conference participants were asked to respond to a survey and a subset of participants was selected for an in-depth study. In this session, an overview of the research project will be presented and current research participants will discuss the impact of conference participation on their thinking and practice.

Classroom Solutions: Managing Common Core, Donna Lamkin, Stacy Hinds

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Participants will learn research-based, classroom tested strategies that empower teachers, inspire students, and raise test scores. They will learn how to build and maintain high achieving classrooms. The evidence based strategies expand learning and enhance the efficacy of academic and behavioral programs that are already in use. The strategies increase student on-task time and create classroom environments conducive to maximum student performance

Providing Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers With Increased Science Content Knowledge And Effective Teaching Strategies: A Two Year Project, Lyndall Muschell, Holley Roberts, Christine Mutiti

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

This presentation explores the results of a two-year project with pre-service teachers which focused primarily on providing increased knowledge of science concepts, effective strategies, and use of resources to improve science instruction while increasing confidence for the teaching of science.

Stem And Branches: Update On The Columbus State University Stem-Ii Initiative, Cindy Ticknor, Tim Howard, Kimberly Shaw

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Two USG STEM Initiative awards to Columbus State University have spawned the growth of several STEM and STEM education programs and nearly $2.6 million in grants. We provide an update on STEM-II Initiative projects including a peer leader program for core math and science courses, a faculty mini-grants program to promote scholarship on teaching and learning and awareness of best practices models, and a service learning course. The infrastructure that emerged through the first STEM Initiative and continued to develop with the STEM-II Initiative paved the way for a $1.4 million UTeach replication grant and a $1.2 million Robert Noyce …

Trig-Star, James M. Anderson

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

A TRIG-STAR is a mathematics student who has demonstrated in competition that he or she is the most skilled among classmates in the practical application of trigonometry. The competition for the honor is a timed exercise which is the solving of a trigonometry problem that incorporates the use of right triangle formulas, circle formulas, the law of sines, and the law of cosines. The contest helps to promote careers in surveying and mapping to students at the High Schools across the country. The award is sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors and cosponsored locally. State winners also have …

Research Experience Via Active Collaboration With High Schools (Reach), Sharmistha Basu- Dutt, Megumi Fujita, Victoria Geisler, Douglas Stuart

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

“RESEARCH EXPERIENCE via ACTIVE COLLABORATION with HIGH-SCHOOLS (REACH)” is an outreach program targeted to help high school students develop competitive science fair projects by actively engaging them in a Problem Based Learning (PBL) research experience that uses Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to learn, discuss, and apply concepts in a real-world context.

Teacher Professional Development: Using Local Resources To Engage Teachers And Students In Learning, Missy M. Bennett, Heather Scott

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Do your students or teachers suffer from “nature deficit disorder”? Engage and interest students and teachers in the study of ecology and other content through the use of place-based resources to teach national and state standards. This presentation shares preliminary data and engaging strategies from professional development activities which engage secondary teachers in the investigation of local natural resources and encourage the development of ecology lessons and activities using local resources.

I2StemE - What, Who, Where?, Kania Greer, Bob Mayes

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

I²STEM^e is a new Institute on the campus of GSU whose focus is to increase opportunities for K-20 students, teachers, and businesses to partner together to improve STEM Education in Georgia around the tenets of place-based learning, problem based learning and teaching for understanding.

Increasing The Number Of Undergraduates Who Succeed In Stem At Uga, Nancy Vandergift, Chuck Kutal

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The University of Georgia has implemented several strategies focused on improving instruction and student achievement in STEM courses and assisting in the preparation and professional development of K-12 science and math teachers. Specific activities include a mini-grants program, learning communities, pre-service teacher recruitment, expanding Project FOCUS, and increasing faculty effort to improve instruction and student learning in the STEM disciplines.

Integrating Manipulatives To Improve Fraction Concepts, Rachel Dunn

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Many students are overwhelmed by mathematics because the language is too difficult, the teaching strategies are insufficient or they have lost motivation. With a recent emphasis on meeting the Common Core expectations, using manipulatives to eliminate misconceptions in the mathematical classroom has become even more prevalent. I explored the misconceptions that many students struggle with and provided possible methods of eliminating them at all levels for learning. During this investigation, I studied the effect of manipulatives on students’ understanding of fraction concepts and the students’ conceptions of the unit of reference when working with fraction word problems. I learned that …

Building, Refining & Defining Stem Learning Outcomes: K-16 Implications, Richard A. Duschl

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The July 2012 release of the National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas heralds ‘a new vision of science in education.’ The Framework sets out a comprehensive agenda for the reform of science and engineering education coordinated around 3 Dimensions: Science & Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. While the Framework’s central mission is to impact K-12 education through implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards, there are important but less understood implications for higher education, informal science education and publics’ understandings of science communication efforts. In this talk, I will provide …

Assessing And Improving Student Sustainability Knowledge In Civil And Environmental Engineering At The Georgia Institute Of Technology, Mary Katherine Watson, Joshua Pelkey, Caroline Noyes, Michael Rodgers

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Overview of a research study being conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) to assess and improve student sustainability knowledge.

Improving Education Of Mathematics Majors, Goran Lesaja

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

In this talk we will explore and discuss different ways of improving instruction of upper level mathematics classes. Several case studies will be presented, including in Calculus and Operations Research courses. We will also discuss the importance of extracurricular activities in education of mathematics majors. In particular, we will describe activities related to undergraduate mathematics competitions.

Stem Ii Initiative-Updates From Participating Institutions (Part 2), Pamela Gore, Dabney Dixon, Charles Kutal, Farooq Khan, Myrna Gantner

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

STEM II Initiative – Updates from Participating Institutions (Part 2) is made up of a series of “sampler sessions” so that interested individuals can get an overview but not comprehensive coverage. Dr. Pamela Gore will begin this session by discussing the STEM II Initiative at Georgia Perimeter College. Second, Dr. Dabney Dixon will talk about the STEM II Initiative at Georgia State University. Third, Dr. Charles Kutal will provide information concerning the STEM II Initiative at the University of Georgia. Fourth, Dr. Farooq Khan and Dr. Myrna Gantner will discuss what is happening with the STEM II Initiative at the …

Preparing Middle Grades Teachers To Use Drawn Models For Developing Arithmetic With Rational Numbers, Andrew Izsak, Erik Jacobson

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

We will report on-going efforts to design a research-based content and methods course for future middle grades teachers focused on numbers and operations. A main theme of the course is to solve problems using drawn models and to develop general numeric methods. Attendees will work on activities used in the course that elicit difficulties future teachers experience with this content.

Assessing The Impact Of Tutorial Services, Cindy Henning, Kimberly Shaw, Tim Howard

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

This is a preliminary report assessing the impact of tutorial services on student performance. We discuss a statistical approach, and why regression models do not appear suitable for the analysis.

Climate & Chemistry- An Introductory Course For First Year Students, Catrena Lisse, Chavonda Mills, Julia Metzker

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Students will be able to:

• explain multiple approaches that respond to problems in chemistry

• implement effective search strategies and evaluate sources of chemical information for relevance and authority.

• explain and analyze scientific evidence.

• form logical conclusions from the chemical information presented.

• understand the chemical properties of atoms, molecules, ions and gases.

• understand the chemical principles of stoichiometry, reactions in solutions, thermochemistry, atomic structure, periodicity and bonding.

• construct strategies to solve problems with integrated concepts and evaluate solutions