Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Maximizing Participation In An Online Mathematics Course, Lauren Falck, Douglas Shaw

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

No abstract provided.

Steam Implementations For Elementary School Students In Turkey, Nil Duban, Bülent Aydoğdu, Selçuk Kolsuz

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

The main aim of the current research was to fill the absence of STEAM activities for primary school students in Turkey. Accordingly, a study in which STEAM activities were implemented was conducted with the primary school students. There were four activities during STEAM implementation. The activities were these: Students recognized circuit components of simple electric circuits, designed simple electric circuits using circuit components by the guidance of researchers, later designed an ecological village via STEAM using simple electric circuits, and presented their ecological village via STEAM. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group design was used in the current …

Invention Through Form And Function Analogy, Audrey C. Rule

Faculty Book Gallery

Invention through Form and Function Analogy is an invention book for teachers and other leaders working with youth who are involving students in the invention process. The book consists of an introduction and set of nine learning cycle formatted lessons for teaching the principles of invention through the science and engineering design principles of form and function. An appendix contains sets of color, illustrated cards to be printed onto cardstock paper and used for sorting and sequencing activities during the lessons. This set of lessons has been field-tested with elementary and middle school students by teachers and was improved through …

Comparing Fossil Instruction With And Without Analogy Use For Gifted Middle-School Students, Tabatha J. Klopp

Graduate Research Papers

Twenty-eight identified gifted elementary to middle school students (n=28) (16 female, 12 male; 26 Caucasian, 1 Hispanic, and 1 Native American), participated in the study of Iowa fossils through form and function analogy compared to self-research of information on the Internet, and practiced new concepts through technology-rich or hands-on craft projects. This study compared using analogical thinking skills along with technology skills to determine the effects on science learning in the elementary gifted classroom. Analogical thinking or teaching is a method recognized as a valuable source of new ideas, a way to transfer previous knowledge to solve new problems. Content …

Maggie And Her Students: Talking And Reasoning In A Reform-Based Mathematics Classroom, Debra Louise Semm Rich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative case study, I explored how Maggie, the teacher, and her students used language to advance students' conceptual understanding of mathematics in a reform-based mathematics classroom. Specifically I sought to describe how Maggie's reform-based mathematics classroom environment impacted the quantity and quality of mathematical language spoken by her students. Maggie's eighth-grade mathematics classroom was observed during a course of study on data and statistics. Three semi-structured interviews with Maggie, artifacts provided by her, and fourteen 52-minute classroom lessons, supported with field notes, were analyzed.

Environmental themes were revealed as they related to Maggie, her beliefs, goals, knowledge, and …

The Impact Of Math Teaching Strategies On Math Achievement, Patty Jenkins

Graduate Research Papers

The following study will highlight student achievement analysis of selected portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills of fourth grade students at Lincoln Elementary School. Teacher interviews about planning for teaching math, teaching strategies used, and outcomes are the second part of this research. A student survey about strategies teachers use and attitudes toward math is included along with the results of classroom action research. These data will be will be utilized to answer the question: Has the implementation of math teaching strategies had a positive impact on student math achievement at Lincoln Elementary School?

Small Group Math Instruction : Is It Beneficial In A Seventh Grade Classroom?, Joellen A. Schwab

Graduate Research Papers

Is small group math instruction a beneficial practice in a regular seventh grade classroom? Two teachers and approximately 500 students were involved in a study to address that question. The study occurred from the fall of 2002 through the fall of 2004 at Hoover Middle School in Waterloo, Iowa. Before small group math instruction was implemented, students averaged approximately 61 % on chapter tests, while after its implementation students were scoring an average of 76%. Procedures included both pre and post test data analysis.

Small groups were created based on student achievement. There were three main groups: low, middle, and …

Implementing Distributed Practice, Christi Sires

Graduate Research Papers

Distributed practice is a daily routine where students are exposed to a math problem, asked to solve it, and then explain how they solved it. The idea of short intervals of instruction over a period of time can have remarkable results. This instructional strategy has been cited in numerous research studies, an indication that it may be successful in helping students better understand how they can solve mathematical problems.

This study will try to determine the growth of Jewett Elementary's first grade students as they were exposed to distributed practice over a period of time from first to second quarter …

A Distributed Strategies Approach To Teaching Multiplication And Problem Solving, Holly K. Ritter

Graduate Research Papers

Multiplication and problem solving are two fundamental math topics in third grade. The expectation is that students will enter fourth grade with a strong foundation in multiplication and problem solving, which was established in third grade. This research project implements a variety of multiplication and problem solving strategies, in conjunction with a "distributed" or "spaced" curriculum style. Distributed teaching means multiplication is introduced and practiced on a regular basis. This project addresses the question; . Does a distributed curriculum in multiplication and problem solving improve students' understanding of multiplication and problem solving and improve students' assessment results?

Using Authentic Learning To Teach Basic Technology Skills, Steven Burken

Graduate Research Papers

During the past decade, most school districts have been required to write technology plans that have included the goal that students will become technologically literate. Teachers and administrators have been challenged to teach technology skills that will help student solve problems in the work place. What has been commonplace is for schools to offer courses or units in which students acquire skills without applying them to real world problems. This paper takes a look at the literature and research surrounding the use of technology, and the learning of technology skills, in the framework of authentic learning.