Educational Methods Commons^™

Session 3b: Stress....What Is It And How Do I Fix It, Sowmya Anjur, Mary Myers

Professional Learning Day

Join us in learning about stress, its causes, its signs and symptoms and methods for preventing, coping with and/or relieving stress. Popular mind-body fitness methods such as Yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi will be examined and performed within this session.

Session 3c: Building A Microbial Fuel Cell, Peter Clancy, Joe Golab, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

This project introduces students to the science behind MFCs and provides a practical demonstration about this type of renewable energy technology. The technology produces electricity from the byproduct of bacteria breaking down organic matter. The Alternative Energy Module addresses four Engineering NGSS standards as well as global issues such as energy supply and demand, climate change, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. A microbial fuel cell (MFC) aligns with a United Nations Sustainability Goal, i.e. Clean Energy.

Session 3d: Wind Energy, Mark Carlson, Angela Ahrendt, Nicole Ross

Professional Learning Day

Design, construction, and testing will occur in two stages involving blade shape and number followed by wind tracking and generator gearing. Three NGSS Engineering Standards (Global Issue, Problem Breakdown, and Optimization) are directly addressed. Scientific concepts include circuitry, power, mechanical advantage, and rotational motion.

Session 3e: Teaching Using Un Sustainable Development Goals, Donald Dosch, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on how we are using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as guideposts for curriculum development in several of our different science classes. Students will join us to present some of their varied academic work, and share the importance of these activities in their education. Part of our discussion will focus on scaffolding the learning so that students are able to perform successfully in these contextual and issues-based activities. We will also build in time for participant discussion on current issues and ideas for incorporating them effectively into their own teaching.

Session 3h: Learning Progressions Of Elementary Data And Measurement, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

The foundation for formal statistical and probability concepts is laid in the early grades through investigating both categorical and measurement data. Join us for a quick trip through the progression of categorical data and measurement data analysis from kindergarten through fifth-grade. Example tasks will be provided.

Session 2b: Building A Telescope, Peter Clancy, Brooke Schmidt

Professional Learning Day

This is a project suitable for a physics class that covers geometric optics. Students tasked with this project assignment use these principles to select lenses to create a telescope with adequate magnification to read a target with lines of text of successively smaller font sizes. Students also learn how to characterize the telescope by measuring the lens focal lengths, and determining the theoretical magnification and tube. Educators attending this workshop will be given a brief lesson on telescope optics, and will be given the opportunity to select lenses, construct a telescope, and use it to read the target.

Session 2d: Mathematical Play, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

Our youngest students are equipped with the skills and practices needed to be successful mathematicians. That is, they are curious, creative and innovative. Given the opportunity to engage in mathematical play, students are encouraged to take risks, pursue their own questions, and naturally investigate mathematics. Research shows that this practice is beneficial for all students, regardless of grade level. So, come and play!

Session 1d: Mathematicians Take Risks, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

The field of mathematics is driven by problems that currently have no known solution. In order to understand these types of problems, mathematicians take risks. They try novel approaches, inventing new mathematics along the way. In much the same way, we want students to be able to take mathematical risks to generate their own mathematical understanding. Join us for a discussion of how to empower our students to become risk-takers in the classroom.

Session 1e: Nuclear Energy: Then, Now And The Future, Peter Dong, Eric Hawker, Elizabeth Martinez

Professional Learning Day

Nuclear power is one of the most feared and misunderstood energy sources available, and its unique advantages - extraordinary power production with no emissions - weigh against its disadvantages - possibility of meltdowns, difficulty of waste disposal, and potential weaponization. This session will explore some of the basics of nuclear power through a variety of interactive activities for students and give an overview of the economics and risks associated with nuclear power. It will also discuss potential future technologies, including fusion, and how they would change worldwide energy production.

Session 1f: Daphnia Magna And Water Monitoring, Julie Polz, Karen Togliatti, Angela Ahrendt

Professional Learning Day

Daphnia Magna, also known as water fleas, are commonly used in water toxicity studies since they are very sensitive to chemical changes in their environment, which make them good organisms to use in water quality testing. We will be testing the effect of six environmental pollutants on the Daphnia heart rate using a microscope, and then measuring their response to each of these pollutants.

Identifying Reasons For Attrition At The Clemente Course In The Humanities, Worcester, Ma, Mollie Rayner-Haselkorn

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper identifies reasons for attrition and possible solutions to higher retention at the Clemente Course in the Humanities, Worcester (Clemente). Over the last four years, since the re-launch of the Clemente, the retention rate of students completing the program has remained around 50%. Clemente is an alternative, adult education program that provides college level humanities classes to majority low-income, minority adults. In this paper qualitative research methods are used to interview students, professors and an administrator at Clemente. Based upon qualitative research, supported by retention theory, three main reasons for attrition are identified: student academic self-esteem, diversity of student …

Using Wikipedia In Israel Studies Courses, Shira Klein

History Faculty Articles and Research

Instructors of Israeli history or literature, like professors in other areas, complain about students’ use of Wikipedia—and with good reason. Unlike peer-reviewed scholarship, many Wikipedia articles contain information that is both incomplete and wrong. Most instructors will warn their students that relying on Wikipedia is a sure recipe for failing assignments. Yet there is a way to mobilize this giant encyclopedia for pedagogical purposes. When students in Israel Studies classes are assigned to edit Wikipedia articles, they achieve multiple goals: they gain critical reading skills, shape public knowledge about Israel, and engage in active learning. This article explains how to …

Supporting Preschoolers’ Writing Identities In The Scribbling Phase, Andrea Miller Emerson, Anna H. Hall

Publications

The early emergent stage of writing consists of drawing and scribbling. This article provides a rationale for teachers to reframe their dispositions toward scribbling and reshape their interactions with writers in the early emergent stage. These teaching tips were derived from the authors’ study of teacher, parent, and young students’ perceptions of scribbling and highlight the importance of positive teacher interactions regarding the scribbling phase of early emergent writers to maintain students’ self-efficacy, motivation, and writing identity in preschool classrooms. Practical strategies, positive verbal responses, and engaging questions are provided for teachers to acknowledge and encourage scribbling as early writing.

Impact Report 2018: Equity And Excellence, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Impact Reports

For over 30 years, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) has pioneered the future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through its two legislative charges: 1) to provide a uniquely challenging education for students talented in the areas of mathematics and science; and 2) to stimulate further excellence for all Illinois schools in mathematics and science. IMSA champions these goals through:

• Residential education: Helping talented 10th-12th graders representing over 93% of Illinois counties to date reach their fullest potential.
• Student and educator outreach: Leading the charge to continually innovate K-12 STEM education, creating a strong and diverse …

March 2018, Marci Grant

The CETL Correspondent

CETL, SWOSU, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

The Effect Of Two-Way Immersion On Students' Attitudes Toward Education, Other Cultures, And Self-Esteem, Jonathan Pedrone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research compared students who participated in a two-way French/English immersion program to students who participated in an English-only program to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in their perceptions of: (a) education, (b) attitudes towards other cultures, and (c) self-esteem. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to identify the differences in attitudes toward education, other cultures, and self-esteem between students enrolled in a two-way French/English immersion program and those enrolled in a traditional English-only program to test the theory of linguistic interdependence. This study is important because English language learners are the fastest growing subpopulation …

Contemplative Practices In Higher Education: Examining Faculty Perspectives, Daria Pizzuto

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed are consistently reported among college students. Contemplative pedagogy is a teaching approach that incorporates yoga, meditation, and other spiritual and physical activities into an academic curriculum. It is an emerging prescription in the field of higher education to alleviate some of the emotional struggles students face, providing an alternative solution to more clinical interactions. Contemplative faculty are higher education professors who regularly implement contemplative approaches in their teaching as a response to students’ needs. Through an analysis of faculty narratives, this study explores the experiences of contemplative educators in 4-year universities in the United States. …

Using Argument-Based Science Inquiry To Improve Science Achievement For Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Classrooms, Jonte C. Taylor, Ching-Mei Tseng, Angelique Murillo, William Therrien, Brian Hand

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities have long lagged behind their non-disabled peers when it comes to science achievement. The increased emphasis on STEM related careers and the use of science in everyday life makes learning science content and concepts critical for all students especially for those with disabilities. As suggested by the National Resource Council (2012), more emphasis is being placed on being able to critically think about science concepts in and outside of the classroom. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards are asking teachers and students to better understand how science is connected to the everyday world through the use of …

Development Of Information Competence Of Future Teacher Of Initial Classes In Vocational And Educational Activities, Barno Sayfutdinovna Abdullaeva

Central Asian Journal of Education

Information competence of a person is directly related to the process of informatization of society. The exponential growth of information affects society and leads to its informatization. This article considers the information competence of future elementary school teachers as a necessary component of their professional competence.

Teaching Foreign Language Based On Information And Communication Technology, Sh R. Akromov

Central Asian Journal of Education

In this article was analyzed problem of teaching a foreign language based on information and communication technology. The context of informatization of the education system is actively and successfully used information and communication technologies in teaching foreign languages, which can significantly improve the effectiveness of this process.