Education Commons^™

Imsa: Innovating Stem Education, Britta W. Mckenna

Publications & Research

The mission of IMSA, the world’s leading teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry, is to ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds that advance the human condition.

Stem Storytelling: Using Picture Books To Integrate Mathematics - "Who Lives Here?", Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

This series of activities invites students to explore animals and their habitats, classify “animal” figures by habitat, sort, represent, and analyze data. In the first activity, the picture book Listen to Our World by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson will be used to discuss eleven different animals and their habitats. Questioning strategies will focus on student comprehension and inferential reasoning skills related to why each animal lives in a particular type of habitat. This book is utilized at all grade levels to introduce the subsequent activity.

The grade-level activities that follow integrate students’ knowledge of animals and their habitats …

To Engage Students In Stem, Engage Them In The World, José M. Torres

Publications & Research

Over the coming years, the next generation of bright young minds will have to confront climate change, humanitarian crises, income inequality, and the other great challenges of our age. But for now, those challenges can provide them with great opportunities to learn. By bringing such topics into the classroom, teachers can tap into students' intrinsic motivation to grapple with authentic, real-world problems that truly matter, both at the local and global levels. Further, because these topics are so complex, they invite students to wrestle with ideas that reach across the academic content areas, requiring them to integrate their knowledge of …

Parents’ Perspective On Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pipeline: Motivating Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Gifted/Talented Students To Engage In Stem, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

According to the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), there is a lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and careers. The 2013 U.S. Census Bureau indicates that Blacks and Latinos are underrepresented in STEM, with each group making up less than 7% of the STEM workforce; while Whites are overrepresented, making up 70% of the workforce (2013). However, the 2016 Illinois STEM report card suggests that 24% of Black and 28% of Hispanic high school students are interested in STEM. The Research Consortium on STEM Career Pathways further indicates that 21% of Blacks …

Stem Integration: Math, Meet Biology!, Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

Join us for three hands-on, inquiry-based activities integrating mathematical and scientific thinking. First, explore patterns in the powers of ten and use this information to sort a set of images and design a scale model of an E. coli's DNA. Then, simulate a colorful biotechnology application using new tools and laboratory skills. Art, science, and math intersect in an activity merging coordinate geometry, symmetry, and biotechnology skills. NGSS and CCSS practice standards will be demonstrated.

Social Justice For Gifted Populations: The Intersectionality Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion, Adrienne Coleman, Sowmya Anjur

Publications & Research

Through a model of inquiry and collaborative learning, participants will learn about the structural and institutional features of oppression faced by gifted students. Participants will develop meaningful ways to apply their new awareness and knowledge at both the individual and institutional levels, creating a diversity plan including a diverse curriculum. The ultimate goal is to provide professionals with the tools and resources to ensure equity and promote an environment that is both diverse and inclusive.

The Racial Identity Conflict: Diverse Perspectives On The Minimization Of The Stem Education Gap That Impacts Gifted And Talented Black Male Students!, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

Research suggests that a cognitive gap begins as early as nine months of age in Black males, widens by two years of age, and by fifth grade cognition lags by nearly two full years (ETS, 2011). This gap is a result of multiple facets: “Children are suffering from a toxic cocktail of poverty, illiteracy, racial discrimination and massive incarceration that sentences poor boys to dead-end hopeless lives” (ETS, 2011, p. 2). The outcome is the Black male being inadequately educated and academically behind other subcultures of the population. Lack of family support, poor school systems with inadequate resources, peer pressure, …

Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pipeline, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

This webinar will provide participants with the results of the Diversifying STEM Think Tank and provide strategies to enhance diversity in the STEM Education to Career Pipeline. It will further focus on the motivation of Black and Latino students to engage in STEM. With an understanding of strategies to diversify, matriculation to higher education may improve, STEM engagement may be enhanced, and visibility in STEM careers may increase. Diversifying the STEM fields may indirectly impact the socioeconomic status of these communities with opportunities to increase their earning potential, have more consistent employment, and obtain leadership positions; while enhancing the industry …