Education Commons^™

Beyond Jeopardy And Lectures: Using Microsoft Powerpoint As A Game Tool To Teach Science, Jason Paul Siko, Michael K. Barbour, Sacip Toker

Education Faculty Publications

To date, research involving homemade PowerPoint games as an instructional tool has not shown statistically significant gains in student performance. This paper examines the results of a study comparing the performance of students in a high school chemistry course who created homemade PowerPoint games as a test review with the students who used a traditional study guide on two separate unit tests. Students scored significantly higher on one of the two unit tests; however, there was no difference in performance between students who created games multiple times. This was the first time a significant difference has been reported when using …

O Debate Ciências Versus Humanidades No Século Xix: Reflexões Sobre O Ensino De Ciências No Collegio De Pedro Ii [The Science Vs. Humanities Debate In The Xix Century: Reflections On The Teaching Of The Sciences In The College Pedro Ii], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Education Of Mathematically Talented Students In Hungary, Julianna Connelly Stockton

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Hungary is famous for its production of large numbers of highly talented mathematicians and physicists. This study explores the Hungarian system for educating mathematically talented secondary school students with the goal of identifying successful features that may be applicable to education in the United States. Highlights of the Hungarian approach include an emphasis on problem solving, problem posing, detailed explanation or proof for solutions, and development of mathematical creativity through the search for multiple solution paths.

Hungary And The United States: A Comparison Of Gifted Education, Julianna Connelly Stockton

Mathematics Faculty Publications

There is a lot that can be learned about a country based on the programs and provisions it has for mathematically talented students. While it is difficult to identify a single U.S. "program" or "approach" for gifted education, in general the trend is to put mathematically talented students through the standard mathematics sequence, just starting at an earlier age. In Hungary, on the other hand, the focus is on enrichment over acceleration. This paper explores how some very different historical, cultural, and political forces have shaped these two countries’ different approaches to educating mathematically talented students.

Standardization Of Scientific Terminology And The Teaching Of The Natural Sciences In Nineteenth-Century Brazil: The Contribution Of Benjamin Ramiz Galvão, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

O Positivismo No Ensino De Ciências Naturais Na Escola Secundária Brasileira: 1890-1900 [Positivism And The Teaching Of The Natural Sciences In The Brazilian Secondary School: 1890-1900], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Robots That Teach: Developing An Integrated Curriculum For Middle School Math, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

Keeping middle school students interested in mathematics and motivating them to succeed are challenges that continually present themselves to even the most seasoned teachers. Students will be drawn to mathematics if they are able to connect it to exciting careers. This paper describes a research-based curriculum model for teachers, grant writers, and others interested in incorporating Lego robotics technologies into an existing middle school mathematics curriculum. The model is based on data gathered from a three year research study in which approximately 150 sixth grade students per year and their teachers collaborated with a middle school Math Coordinator, a school …

Idéias Educacionais Transnacionais E O Ensino Secundário Brasileiro: O Imperial Collégio De Pedro Ii Como Uma Versão Do Ensino Secundário Frances [Transnational Education Ideas And Brazilian Secondary Education: The Imperial College Pedro Ii As A Version Of The French Lycée], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Relatório Do Projeto: Os Livros Didáticos De Ciências Para O Ensino Secundário Brasileiro Do Século Xix [Project Report: Science Textbooks In Brazilian Secondary Education During The Nineteenth Century], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

Este trabalho apresenta os objetivos, metodologia, e resultados sumários de uma pesquisa historiográfica, iniciada em 2002 e recém concluída, que identifica, descreve e contextualiza 32 textos escolares utilizados no Colégio de pero II, por ser este o modelo instituição secundário durante o século. O projeto envolveu a consulta de 13 programas de ensino correspondentes de reformas educacionais da Corte, e a identificação dos textos, as edições possivelmente usados, e seus autores, com base nas informações parciais contidos nos mesmos. O trabalho também descreve a utilização de fontes eletrônicas como Google, Projeto Gallica do BNF, o Worldcat, sistema de documentação da …

Integrating The Humanities And Sciences: The Human Journey: Sacred Heart University's Common Core, Michelle Loris Ph.D., Nicole Cauvin, Kathryn Lafontana

English Faculty Publications

One way to respond to the crisis in the humanities is to integrate learning for our students. In fact one of higher education's greatest challenges today is for faculty to develop ways to integrate knowledge and learning across the disiciplines. This essay describes a common core curriculum, THE HUMAN JOURNEY, which engages students in an integrated, common, and coherent understanding of the humanities,arts, and sciences, and the Catholic intellectual tradition framed by four enduring questions of human meaning and value. THE HUMAN JOURNEY is a five course sequence including literature, history, the social and natural sciences, and religious studies and …

Using A Robotic Arm To Evaluate The Programming Ability Of K-12 Educators, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

This usability study measured the ability of educators to master advanced computer programming concepts through the OWI Robotic Arm Trainer and PC Interface. Research findings revealed that the lack of prior computer programming experience did not impact the ability of each participant to successfully program his/her robotic arm. However, the absence of a detailed instructional manual detracted from the product’s usability. Future directions for research and the suitability of the robotic arm for use in an online teacher preparation course in robotics technologies are discussed at the conclusion of this paper.

First Experiences With Object Lessons In Nineteenth-Century Brazil: Origins Of A Progressive Pedagogy For The Brazilian Primary School, Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

This paper describes the methodology of Object Teaching and relates how its appearance in Brazil was a transnational phenomenon that achieved its maximum articulation in 1886 with Rui Barbosa’s translation of Norman Calkins’ Primary Object Lessons. It begins with an overview of primary school teaching in Brazil in the second half of the 19th century, followed by discussion of Barbosa’s ideas on promoting change in the schools. Central to the exposition are the ideas contained in a report that Barbosa submitted to the National Assembly in 1882, in which he proposed a new organization of primary school education, suggestions for …

Methods For Marine Ecosystems Research Through The Use Of Pdas With Preservice Teachers, Antoinette P. Bruciati, Maria Lizano-Dimare

Education Faculty Publications

Science teachers are charged with the task of providing students in grades K-12 with opportunities that will enable them to make sense of science and develop habits of mind. One goal of science education is to prepare well-rounded citizens who are scientifically literate. Through inquiry-based learning, students formulate questions, perform investigations, and construct new understandings.

It is important for preservice science teachers to be introduced to current techniques, discoveries, and debates in the field of science. The use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) can provide K-12 students with increased opportunities for exploring and learning through scientific investigations. In order for …

A Reforma Do Ensino De Ciências No Ensino Secundário Brasileiro Nas Décadas De 1960 E 1970 [Science Education Reform In Brazilian Secondary Schools In The 1960s And 1970s], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

Na segunda metade do século dezoito, foi transplantado para o Brasil um paradigma que focalizava no processo da investigação científico no ensino das Ciências Naturais na escola secundária. O paradigma teve origem nos Estados Unidos em resposta às criticas internas referentes ao ensino secundário e aos acontecimentos internacionais. Inicialmente sustentado por subvenções estrangeiras, e mais tarde patrocinado pelo ministério da Educação, um movimento surgiu no Brasil que objetivava a produção e divulgação de materiais didáticos que incorporassem os princípios desse paradigma. Este trabalho descreve a trajetória do paradigma e do movimento reformista do ensino de Ciências, desde sua origem nos …

The Challenge Of Environmental Protection, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

Connecticut is in the midst of a demographic transition to a period of lower population growth. These demographic changes will help check the pressures exerted on the state's natural resources by population growth. Water, air, soil, energy sources, food, fisheries, forests, and biodiversity are common pool resources upon which we depend in ways that transcend political boundaries. Those governing Connecticut should help turn the state into a model of how to manage natural resources by halting forest fragmentation, reducing pollution, and promoting environmental science education.

Beyond 'Hot Lips' And 'Big Nurse': Creative Writing And Nursing, Sandra Young

English Faculty Publications

This essay describes a special topics creative writing course designed for nursing students, and argues that creative writing strategies work to improve nurses' compositional skills. Also discussed are other potential benefits from creatively writing patients' lives, notably, the blending of arts and sciences, and the ways in which medical schools are encouraging their students to study the humanities, especially literature and creative writing. The essay includes student creative writing samples.

The essay also discusses the depiction of nurses in popular culture. M*A*S*H*, Richard Hooker’s black comedy about the antics of doctors and nurses during the Korean War, gave us “Hot …

Talent Development In Science: A Unique Tale Of One Student's Journey, Terry W. Neu, Susan M. Baum, Carolyn R. Cooper

Education Faculty Publications

This narrative presents the educational route followed by an Intel Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) winner who was not always recognized for his scientific abilities. Factors contributing to the success of this gifted student are presented, as well as his creative insights for solving the problem that gave rise to the winning project. Further, the major issues that emerged from this student's story can inform both professional development and instructional practice. These issues include: the need to recognize science talent or creative productive behaviors in students with special needs; students' need for an experiential science curriculum that incorporates multidisciplinary …

Developing Scientific Talent In Students With Special Needs: An Alternative Model For Identification, Curriculum, And Assessment, Carolyn R. Cooper, Susan M. Baum, Terry W. Neu

Education Faculty Publications

Can students with learning and attention difficulties in school actually be talented scientists in disguise? This article presents a model that was highly successful in identifying and developing scientific talent in these special students. The factors that contributed to the success of the model were the following: The emphasis was on helping students become creative producers. The model also featured a strong mentoring component that included role-modeling and problem solving within specific scientific domains and provided students with authentic, discovery-based, experiential, advanced level subject matter of the domain. Finally, the alternate means of assessing student achievement focused on a student’s …

Rui Barbosa And The Argument For Teaching The Natural Sciences In The Brazilian Primary School Of The Xix Century, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

The paper discusses the ideas of Rui Barbosa on the importance of teaching science in the primary schools of nineteenth-century Brazil. Barbosa was one of the great parliamentarians of his time and one of Brazil’s most vocal advocates of educational reform in the nineteenth century. In 1882, Barbosa was directed to provide a written assessment of the1878 educational reform of Minister Leonçio de Carvalho. In the document that resulted, Barbosa states his rationale for why and how the natural sciences should be taught in the primary school. This paper relates Barbosa’s ideas on science teaching and argues that he was …

Os Livros Didáticos De Matemática Na Escola Secundaria Brasileira No Século Xix [Mathematics Textbooks And Brazilian Secondary Education In The Xix Century], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

O estudo identifica os livros didáticos de matemática utilizados no Colégio de Pedro II do Rio de Janeiro no século XIX, considerado "padrão" para seus congêneres. A partir de informações contidas nos programas de ensino adotados no Colégio de 1838 a 1900 e com auxílio da literatura especializada, foi possível identificar a autoria e o título de trinta e dois livros-texto, sendo a maioria deles escrita por autores brasileiros e um número menor escrito por autores franceses. Infere-se que houve equivalência entre os estudos de matemática do Colégio Pedro II e dos demais colégios do Rio de Janeiro e das …

Robotics Technologies For K-8 Educators: A Semiotic Approach For Instructional Design, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

Robotics engineering courses have provided undergraduate computer science students with opportunities for designing and programming simulations of robotic tasks. In contrast, many teacher preparation programs have lacked courses in this area. Educators who have not gained a conceptual understanding of computer programming may not possess the skills that would have enabled them to successfully integrate robotics technologies into their K-8 curriculum.

Recent technological advances have provided a viable means of approaching this problem. Several icon-orientated robotics technologies have been identified that allow educators to master computer programming concepts through a simplified graphical user interface (GUI) design.

This investigation addressed the …

The College Pedro Ii And The Modernization Of The Secondary School Curriculum In Imperial Brazil, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Mind Journeys: Awakening Minds To Computational Fluency, Susan Austine Ebdon, Mary Mcgee Coakley, Danielle S. Legnard

Education Faculty Publications

Connecticut's New Canaan Public Schools has a mission of mathematical literacy for all children and has undergone an extensive curriculum review process over the past six years. Designing reformed curriculum and ensuring computational fluency have been shared visions for the district's mathematics educators, including the authors of this article. We are three teachers who have taught across levels K-12 and have led the mathematics initiative as mathematics resource teachers, mathematics coordinators, and building administrators. We coined the term "Mathematical Mind Journey," or "MMJ," to describe the adventure we take our students on each day. MMJs support the Process and Content …

Online Writing As A Form Of Electronic Communication In A Second Year Biology Course, Michael Barbour, Michael A. J. Collins

Education Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, the proliferation of technology in the realm of teaching has occurred at a phenomenal rate. From the smallest integration of technology into the classroom to entire courses being taught in an online environment, the use of computers by students and teachers has continued to increase.

This paper considers student use of an online discussion forum in a second year Biology course and how that participation may be an indicator of increased student success in the course. The authors discuss how participation in the online discussion forum is a form of public writing in which the students …

De Asilo De Órfãos A Colégio Das Elites: A Gênese E A Trajetória Do Imperial Collegio De Pedro Ii [From Orphanage To An Elite College: The Origin And Trajectory Of The Imperial College Pedro Ii], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Programa De Ensino Da Escola Secundária Brasileira: 1850-1951 [Teaching Programs Of The Brazilian Secondary School: 1850-1951], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

O livro e uma coletânea de dezoito documentos que delineiam os conteúdos programáticos ensinados na escola secundaria brasileira de 1850 a 1951. Os documentos correspondem a reformas educacionais efetuadas neste período. Dentre os programas da coletânea, quinze foram elaborados especificamente para o Colégio Pedro II, no Rio de Janeiro. Os outros três foram expedidos pelo Ministério da Educação para serem implementados em nível nacional. Os programas de estudo contem informações sobre os itens de conteúdos das matérias e sua organização nas series, o numero de lições atribuídas a cada tópico, a carga semanal, e referencias a autores e livros textos …

O Currículo De 1870 De Paulino De Souza [The 1870 Curriculum Of Paulino De Souza], Viii Reunião Da Sociedade Brasileira De Pesquisa Histórica , Florianópolis, Brasil (1993), Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Currículos De 1892 E De 1894: Tentativas De Acomodação Do Currículo De 1890 De Benjamin Constant [The Curricula Of 1892 And 1894: Attempts At Accommodating To The Curriculum Of 1890 Of Benjamin Constant], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

O trabalho relata a historia e analisa os conteúdos dos programas de estudos do Gymnasio Nacional (antigo Colégio Pedro II), propostas nas reformas educacionais brasileiras de 1892 de Fernando Lobo e de 1894 de Cassiano do Nascimento, e as compara com a de 1890 de Benjamin Constant. Demonstra que o plano curricular de 1894 manteve o elenco de disciplinas de 1890 e a distribuição das matérias nas series segundo o plano de 1892. No entanto, reduziu a carga horaria total ao nível da proposta em 1890. Estas alterações sugerem que, neste período, o ensino secundário vivia um clima conturbado e …

Analise Quantitativa Do Currículo Escolar [Quantitative Analysis Of The School Curriclum], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perfil Quali-Quantitativo Dos Currículos Do Ensino Secundário Brasileiro No Século Xix [A Quali-Quantitative Profile Of The Curricula Of The Brazilian Secondary School Of The Xix Century], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

O trabalho caracteriza a organização e os conteúdos dos currículos adotados na escola secundária brasileira de 1838 a 1900, tomando como referência o Colégio Pedro II. O estudo classifica as disciplinas em quatro conjuntos curriculares: Humanidades, Ciências, Matemáticas e Estudos Sociais. Analise, quantitativamente, as disciplinas dos conjuntos curriculares, sua frequência e distribuição nas series, e a carga horaria atribuída elas.

The paper describes the organization and contents of the curricula adopted in the Brazilian secondary school for the years 1838 to 1900, using as its reference the College Pedro II. The study classifies the curricular disciplines in four groups: Humanities, …