Education Commons^™

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Final Close-Out Report, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

“The mission of the Red Rock Desert Learning Center is to instill stewardship and respect by increasing knowledge and understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystems and cultures through a unique experiential discovery program.”

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2006, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! Pre-Visit, Support Materials: Lake Mead Geologic Webquest (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Student worksheets and teacher rubric to accompany the Lake Mead Geologic WebQuest lesson.

Education In The Environment: A Hands-On Student Research And Outdoor Learning Experience: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending November 30, 2006, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

• Forever Earth was scheduled for 17 days and benefited 307 individuals.
• Technology was successfully tested aboard Forever Earth that may allow for distance education opportunities in Clark County School District classrooms.
• Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Congressman Jon Porter were hosted by the National Park Service aboard Forever Earth on October 31, 2006.
• Training for Forever Earth program facilitators was conducted on November 20, 2006.
• Four Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted. A partnership with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization is under development to increase participation in the program.
• Meeting held with Las Vegas developer Focus Property Group …

Alien Invaders! Post-Visit Lessons, Support Materials (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Support material to enable students to write a public service announcement invasive species.

Alien Invaders! Pre-Visit, Support Materials: Water Characteristics (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Student worksheets about water quality and the effect invasive species have on it.

Spherical Geometry, Linda Moore

Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers

Spherical geometry was studied in ancient times as a subset of Euclidian three-dimensional space. It was a logical outcome as the earth is a sphere. The word geometry literally means the measure of the earth. However, the undefined terms, axioms and postulates of Euclidian geometry take on a new meaning when studied on a sphere.

Gk-12: Sensors!, John F. Vetelino

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The University of Maine (UMaine) College of Engineering proposes to partner with Bangor High School (BHS) to develop a model university/K-12 partnership based on the disciplinary theme of sensors. The proposed model integrates education and research for the benefit of BHS students and teachers, and graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and faculty, within the College of Engineering at UMaine. GK-12 Sensors! will involve faculty and students from the chemical, biological, electrical, computer, mechanical, civil/environmental, and spatial information engineering programs at the University of Maine. Five advanced undergraduate and ten graduate students will serve as GK-12 Sensor Fellows. Faculty members recognized …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Stakeholder Phasing Meeting: October 5, 2006, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

• Our goals for this meeting

• What does phasing offer us?

• Possible phasing scenados

• Where do we go from here?

• Other business regarding RRDLC

Connecting A Disconnected Youth To The Outdoor World, Daphne Sewing, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (DM)

• Understand the components of an effective program that connects youth to the natural world.
• Develop ideas for integrating these components into your existing programs.
• Program effectiveness.
• What we can do as environmental educators.

Alien Invaders! Pre-Visit, Support Materials: Introduced And Invasive Species (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Worksheets to accompany pre-visit lesson about invasive fish.

Using Computational Methods To Reinvigorate An Undergraduate Physics Curriculum, Jaime R. Taylor, B. A. King Iii

Physics Faculty Research

Austin Peay State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy has reinvigorated its physics program by adding a required computational methods class and small computational components to classes across its curriculum. A front-to-back problem management approach has required a change in the way the department assesses students' performance.

Education In The Environment: A Hands-On Student Research And Outdoor Learning Experience: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending August 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

During the past three months, the focus of the university’s efforts has included the following highlights:

• Forever Earth was scheduled for 13 days and benefited 110 individuals.
• The National Park Service piloted the concept of using Forever Earth as a mobile visitor center during busy summer weekends. During five outings, Park Service interpreters contacted 1,365 visitors.
• Forever Earth curricula for 5th, 6th, and 7th grades have been completed.
• A Preliminary Implementation Plan was created by the SNAP Conservation Education and Interpretation team.
• A report on the Clark County School District Teacher Survey: Attitudes, Perceptions, Barriers, and Desires for Field Trip …

Project Fulcrum 2006-2007 Handbook

Project Fulcrum: Materials

About Project Fulcrum
Logistics
PF
Assessment and Research
For Scientists: Working in K-12 Schools
Working in the Lincoln Public Schools
Misc Information
Resources

Pf 2006-2007 Case Study Exercises

Project Fulcrum: Materials

7 Case Studies

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! Post-Visit Lessons, Support Materials: The Story In Art (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Student worksheet and teacher's sample for creating a geologic landscape.

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! Pre-Visit, Support Materials: Topographic And Geologic Maps (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

Student worksheets for reading Lake Mead area topographic maps.

Database Handbook 2006-2007

Project Fulcrum: Materials

INTRODUCTION
MAIN WEBSITE OVERVIEW
LOGGING IN
INFO
REPORTING
RESOURCES

Cooperative Learning Groups In The Eighth Grade Math Classroom, Dean J. Davis

Action Research Projects

In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics students, I investigated whether cooperative learning would lead to a better understanding of the mathematical concepts and thus more success for the students. I used my three eighth grade classes with two using cooperative groups and the third not. I discovered that the students who wanted to work in cooperative groups were more successful than they had been. I also discovered that the grouping itself has a great effect on how the group works together. The wrong grouping of students can lead to disaster and many headaches for …

Using Math Vocabulary Building To Increase Problem Solving Abilities In A 5th Grade Classroom, Julane Amen

Action Research Projects

In this action research study of my 5th grade mathematics class, I investigated how students’ understanding of math vocabulary impacts their understanding of the curriculum. I discovered math vocabulary plays an important role in a student’s ability to understand daily lessons, complete homework, discuss ideas in groups, take tests and be successful on achievement tests. A student’s ability to understand the words around him (or her) in math class seem very related to his or her ability to solve word problems. Word problems are what our national assessments are all about. I also discovered that direct instruction and support of …

How To Better Prepare For Assessment And Create A More Technologically Advanced Classroom, Kyle Lannin Poore

Action Research Projects

In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated how to better prepare these students for quizzes and how technology can be used in the classroom. I discovered that there are many different ways to challenge students and help them prepare for assessments. There are also many ways to use technology in the classroom if one has the opportunities to use some of the tools, such as Power Point and Algebra Tiles. As a result of this research, I plan to increase the scores on state standards while also allowing the students to enjoy technology …

The Role Of Habits-Of-Mind Problems, Student Self-Assessments And Self Reflections In A 6th Grade Math Class, Garold J. Furse

Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects

The focus of my action research is to study the impact of student self-assessment and reflection on my 6th grade math students’ abilities to solve deep-thinking math problems, herein referred to as habits-of-mind, or HOM, problems. I investigated the way informal self-assessments and self-reflections impact student learning and motivation. I discovered that students are seldom stimulated to think about their own learning. When they are encouraged to do so, student self-assessments give students ownership of their own learning and provide them with a means for evaluating their growth. Students’ assessments of their work also gives teachers a meaningful indication of …

Discourse And Cooperative Learning In The Math Classroom, Karen Hillen

Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects

In this action research study of my 6th grade math classroom I investigated the effects of increased student discourse and cooperative learning on the students’ ability to explain and understand math concepts and problem solving, as well as its effects on their use of vocabulary and written explanations. I also investigated how it affected students’ attitudes. I discovered that increased student discourse and cooperative learning resulted in positive changes in students’ attitudes about their ability to explain and understand math, as well as their actual ability to explain and understand math concepts. Evidence in regard to use of vocabulary and …

Student Problem Solving, Michael A. Cobelens

Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if students solve math problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division consistently and whether students transfer these skills to other mathematical situations and solutions. In this action research study, a classroom of 6th grade mathematics students was used to investigate how students solve word problems and how they determine which mathematical approach to use to solve a problem. It was discovered that many of the students read and re-read a question before they try to find an answer. Most students will check their answer to determine if it is correct and makes …

Improving Mathematics Problem Solving Through Written Explanations, Janet Schlattmann

Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects

In this action research study of two classrooms of 7th grade mathematics, I investigated how requiring written explanations of problem solving would affect students ability to problem solve, their ability to write good explanations, and how it would affect their attitudes toward mathematics and problem solving. I studied a regular 7th grade mathematics class and a lower ability 7th grade class to see if there would be any difference in what was gained by each group or any group. I discovered that there were no large gains made in the short time period of my action research. Some gains were …

Symmetry Of Scale Expository Paper, Darla R. Kelberlau-Berks

Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers

A checkerboard, a beehive, a brick wall and a mud flat dried in the sun all have something in common. They are all examples of tilings or tessellations. Although you may think of mosaics or other pieces of artwork when you hear these words, in actuality you should also think of mathematics and science. I will describe in more detail the mathematics involved with tessellations and tilings, and discuss specific tilings such as the Pinwheel Tiling and the Penrose Tiles.

Heron, Brahmagupta, Pythagoras, And The Law Of Cosines, Kristin K. Johnson

Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers

The formula for the area of a triangle can be developed by making an exact copy of the triangle and rotating it 180°. Then join it to the given triangle along one side to obtain a parallelogram as shown above. To form a rectangle, cut off a small triangle along the right and join it at the other side of the parallelogram. Because the area of the rectangle is the product of base (b) and height (h), the area of the given triangle must be 1⁄2bh.

The Art Gallery Question, Vicki Sorensen

Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers

MAT question Suppose you have an arbitrary room in an art gallery with v corners, and you wanted to set up a security system consisting of cameras placed at some of the corners so that each point in the room can be seen by one of the cameras. How many cameras do we need? (See the example at right for a possible room with an interesting shape.)

Student Transition To College, Doug Glasshoff

Action Research Projects

In this action research study of recent graduates from my district, I investigated their level of readiness for college-level mathematics courses. I discovered that the students have a wide variety of experiences in college. There are many factors that determine success in college mathematics courses. These factors include size of college, private or public, university or community college. Other factors include students’ choice of major, maturity level, and work ethic. As a result of this research, I plan to raise the individual expectations in my classroom. It is our duty as high school educators to prepare the students for a …

Daily Problem-Solving Warm-Ups: Harboring Mathematical Thinking In The Middle School Classroom, Diana French

Action Research Projects

In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated the use of daily warm-ups written in problem-solving format. Data was collected to determine if use of such warm-ups would have an effect on students’ abilities to problem solve, their overall attitudes regarding problem solving and whether such an activity could also enhance their readiness each day to learn new mathematics concepts. It was also my hope that this practice would have some positive impact on maximizing the amount of time I have with my students for math instruction. I discovered that daily exposure to problem-solving …