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Science and Mathematics Education Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education

Cross Case Study Of An Elementary Engineering Task, John Heffernan Jul 2017

Cross Case Study Of An Elementary Engineering Task, John Heffernan

Doctoral Dissertations

Designerly play has been identified as a fundamental component of childhood learning (Baynes, 1994; Petroski, 2003). However, as students enter grade one and beyond, the increasing academic focus has resulted in the loss of opportunities for designerly play (Zhao, 2012). At the same time, there are increasing calls to increase the number, skill, and diversity of STEM workers (Brophy, Portsmore, Klein, & Rogers, 2008). The robotics based Elementary Engineering Curriculum (Heffernan, 2013) - used by students in this study - and other similar projects have the potential to increase the STEM pipeline but elementary engineering is not well-understood. Research is …


21st Century Education: The Importance Of The Humanities In Primary Education In The Age Of Stem, Christine M. Reiter May 2017

21st Century Education: The Importance Of The Humanities In Primary Education In The Age Of Stem, Christine M. Reiter

Senior Theses

Taking into consideration the global shift towards innovation and technological development, the rapid changes in the global economy, and the United States Department of Education’s attempts to find a one-size-fits-all solution for America's education woes, our national focus has shifted towards the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This shift to STEM-focused education has challenged the role of the Humanities in American education, introducing concerns that the overwhelming emphasis on STEM disciplines has pushed the arts, Humanities and human sciences off to the side or even completely out of the picture in American classrooms. In our everchanging technology-focused world, …


Primary Mathematics Education Methodologies, Gabi Coty Apr 2017

Primary Mathematics Education Methodologies, Gabi Coty

Student Symposium

Primary grade mathematics education sets the stage for whether students excel or struggle in mathematics in their later school years. Thus, models for teaching mathematics as well as strategies for helping students overcome math anxiety are important concepts for teachers' pedagogical development. Many people are unaware of the variety of methodologies available for teaching math and their benefits. It is important to educate teachers and parents about the various techniques and structures available, so they can make educated decisions about how best to educate students mathematically. Often teachers are taught one or two methods for teaching mathematics, and not made …


Elementary Science Teachers’ Integration Of Engineering Design Into Science Instruction: Results From A Randomised Controlled Trial, Jennifer L. Maeng, Brooke A. Whitworth, Amanda L. Gonczi, Shannon L. Navy, Lindsay B. Wheeler Jan 2017

Elementary Science Teachers’ Integration Of Engineering Design Into Science Instruction: Results From A Randomised Controlled Trial, Jennifer L. Maeng, Brooke A. Whitworth, Amanda L. Gonczi, Shannon L. Navy, Lindsay B. Wheeler

Publications

This randomised controlled trial used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the frequency and how elementary teachers integrated engineering design (ED) principles into their science instruction following professional development (PD). The ED components of the PD were aligned with Cunningham and Carlsen’s [(2014). Teaching engineering practices. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25, 197–210] guidelines for ED PD and promoted inclusion of ED within science teaching. The treatment group included 219 teachers from 83 schools. Participants in the control group included 145 teachers from 60 schools in a mid-Atlantic state. Data sources, including lesson overviews and videotaped classroom observations, were …


Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach To Mathematical Reasoning, Kelley E. Buchheister, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor Jan 2017

Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach To Mathematical Reasoning, Kelley E. Buchheister, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

By incorporating math games into the classroom, through the principles of Universal Design teachers are able to address mathematical content, reasoning and problem solving, as well as tailoring games to address students' individual needs.


Technology And Student Achievement In Stem Subjects: Perspectives From Teachers In Grades 3rd-5th, Kayleigh D. Hunter Jan 2017

Technology And Student Achievement In Stem Subjects: Perspectives From Teachers In Grades 3rd-5th, Kayleigh D. Hunter

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to research teachers’ perspectives of their role and responsibilities of integrating technology in the classroom and the influence of technology on student achievement. The participants involved in the qualitative research process included seven in-service professional public school teachers. The thirty minute to an hour interviews were piloted using researcher created interview question constructed from previous research on teachers’ perceptions of technology. The questions used were created to specifically answer the researcher’s topic of study; some questions are regarding whether teachers believe success is technology driven and what benefits they think technology brings. The teachers …


Implementing Elementary School Next Generation Science Standards, Kathy Kennedy Jan 2017

Implementing Elementary School Next Generation Science Standards, Kathy Kennedy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards requires developing elementary teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge of science and engineering concepts. Teacher preparation for this undertaking appears inadequate with little known about how in-service Mid-Atlantic urban elementary science teachers approach this task. The purpose of this basic qualitative interview study was to explore the research questions related to perceived learning needs of 8 elementary science teachers and 5 of their administrators serving as instructional leaders. Strategies needed for professional growth to support learning and barriers that hamper it at both building and district levels were included. These questions were considered …