Educational Methods Commons^™

Research Brief: "Serving Those Who Have Served- Managing Veteran And Military Student Best Practices", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study focuses on the role of the academic institution and the military student management, as the successful management of “military students” brings benefits to the student, the academic institution, and the community. In practice, a combination of the expansion of online education and the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Veterans Benefits Program has resulted in an increase of military student presence on college campuses and in online educational programs nationwide. In policy, collaborating with various departments on and off campus, such as the Admissions Office, Registrar’s Office, Finance Department, Financial Aid Office, University Counseling Center, Asheville Veterans Administration …

The Effect Of The Engineering Design Process On The Critical Thinking Skills Of High School Students, Heather Ure

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the research reported here was to determine the impact learning the engineering design process (EDP) would have on the critical thinking skills of high school physics students. An EDP unit was conducted with 5 classes of high school physics students in grades 10-12 over 1 month. The EDP unit's curriculum allowed for the gradual release of responsibility as students became more familiar with the EDP and more consistent in using it. The six steps used in this EDP unit were Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, and Improve. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was given as a pre- …

Preparing Middle Grades Teachers To Use Drawn Models For Developing Arithmetic With Rational Numbers, Andrew Izsak, Erik Jacobson

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

We will report on-going efforts to design a research-based content and methods course for future middle grades teachers focused on numbers and operations. A main theme of the course is to solve problems using drawn models and to develop general numeric methods. Attendees will work on activities used in the course that elicit difficulties future teachers experience with this content.

Redesigning And Undergraduate Engineering Course, Elise Barrella

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

The presentation will consist of two parts: (1) description of the introductory engineering course and the experience of using a backwards design approach to create a more learner-centered and active course and (2) group discussion of simple, successful techniques for creating a more learner-centered course. The course was redesigned as part of a preparatory teaching program for graduate students.

Using The Sunspotter In The Stem Curriculum, Richard Schmude

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

Attendees will be introduced to the Sunspotter in this workshop. This is a device that projects an image of the Sun safely. Attendees can expect to learn how to incorporate this instrument into their classroom.

Student Success And Time Management In College Algebra, Steven Wallace, Mary Wolfe, June Jones, Gaston Brouwer

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

The panel will illustrate how the students’ completion of the instructional system ALEKS objectives correlates with student success and retention rates. The panel will also discuss the influence of factors such as time management on success and the promotion of good study practices for students using computer-based learning systems.

Implementing A Blended Model Of Mathematics Instruction – Issues And Outcomes, Natasha Brewley, Alvina Atkinson, Barry Biddlecomb

SoTL Commons Conference

The session will present issues and results from the implementation of a blended instruction model at the authors' institution. The blended instruction model involves coming together as a class less often and encourages student learning by making them more responsible for their learning outside of the classroom. In addition to describing the authors' home institution, this presentation will have three objectives: (1) Describe the blended instructional model (What is Blended learning and what does it look like?), (2) Present student evaluations. (What have students said about taking a course like this?), and (3) Present quantitative comparisons between blended and traditional …

Methodology And/Or Technology: Making Difference In Improving Students' Problem Solving Skills, Zdeslav Hrepic, Katherine Lodder, Kimberly Shaw

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

Wirelessly networked, in-class computing opens a wide array of possibilities for active instructional methodologies (Hrepic, Rebello, & Zollman, 2009). Earlier studies showed a substantial potential that the pen input computers combined with interactive software like DyKnow (www.dyknow.com) may have in facilitating students’ problem solving ability. The session has two goals. The first one is to demonstrate the instructor-student classroom interaction dynamics enabled or facilitated by DyKnow software and pen-input computers. The second one is to present selected research findings associated with student learning while using this technology. The most recent of our studies was to isolate the effect of the …

The Accuracy Of Metacomprehension Judgments: The Biasing Effect Of Text Order, Tracy Linderholm, Xuesong Wang, David J. Therriault, Qin Zhao, Laura Jakiel

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Two experiments tested the hypothesis that relative metacomprehension accuracy is vulnerable when readers' cognitive efforts are biased by text order. It is proposed that the difficulty level of initial text information biases readers' estimates of text comprehension but is correctable when more cognitive effort is applied.

Method: In both experiments, participants were randomly assigned to read a series of expository texts in one of two text order conditions: easy-to-hard and hard-to-easy. Readers made estimates of their comprehension and took comprehension tests over their understanding of the texts in the series in order to determine relative metacomprehension accuracy.

Results: Experiment …

Session E-1: Self-Paced Proficiency Based Physics – Updates And Extensions, Brooke Schmidt, Eric Hawker

Professional Learning Day

This presentation will cover how a typical introductory physics course has been transformed into one that is self-paced and proficiency graded. The changes were made so that each student would be challenged at his/her level and therefore be more engaged in the course. This structure allows the teacher to individualize instruction of the students. The presentation will also cover adjustments that were made to this model based on student feedback and experiences. The model used to make this course self-paced and proficiency graded should be transferable to other courses.

Session D-3: Discrete Mathematics: A Great Curriculum Connector, Donald Porzio

Professional Learning Day

Many topics that fall under the umbrella of Discrete Mathematics cut across the traditional high school curriculum areas of algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus. Come try some classroom-ready hands-on Discrete Mathematics activities that illustrate the true interconnectedness of mathematics.

California Crop Irrigation: An Instructional Irrigation Methods Video, Jose L. Ruiz

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create an educational video based upon the methods of irrigation most used in California. It was created for agricultural educators, in hopes high school agricultural teachers would show it in their classes. The goal was for students to be able to see commercial style irrigation methods systems, and to understand the basic concept of operation. The video was intended to be supplemented with additional print information. It was not intended to be the sole source of information, but should instead be used to enhance the learning environment for students. The survey for local …

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Literature-Based Professional Writing: An Oxymoron Whose Time Has Come, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema, Kelley R. Newhouse, Michele L. Propper, Ruth M. Riedel, Barbara S. Teitelzweig

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article discusses a study regarding the integration of professional writing in English classes. It mentions the proposal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in its annual convention on associating professional writing with literature. It also states that connecting literature with technical writing in English classrooms provides students with opportunities to absorb real life writing experiences.

Professional Learning Community Impacts On Student Achievement In Middle School Mathematics, Jessica Stuewe

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The development of professional learning communities in middle level education is a relatively new and trendy concept sweeping the nation. School professional development committees are training large numbers of teachers through conferences, book studies and online webinars on how to collaborate to improve student learning. This research will explore the impact of the first year of implementation of a departmental professional learning community (PLC) on student achievement at the middle school level in the content area of mathematics. Student standardized test scores from 2010 and 2011 will be compared as a measure of success of the PLC. Teacher surveys are …

A Comparative Analysis Of A Game-Based Mobile Learning Model In Low-Socioeconomic Communities Of India, Paul Kim, Elizabeth Buckner, Hyunkyung Kim, Tamas Makany, Neha Taleja, Vallabhi Parikh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study explores the effectiveness of a game-based mobile learning model for children living in underdeveloped regions with significant contextual variations. Data for this study came from a total of 210 children between the ages of 6-14 years old from six marginalized communities in India. The findings reveal that children with little or no previous exposure to technology were able to not only figure out the given mobile learning technology, but also solve a series of incrementally challenging problems by playing math games without specific intervention or instruction by adults. The study also found that various factors, including gender and …

Beginning Chemistry Teachers: A Longitudinal Study Of The Triplet Relationship, Krista Adams

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

No abstract provided.

The Worth And Values Of Education, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Singapore’s education minister Heng Swee Keat surprised parents and educators when he indicated last September at his first major policy address a desire for education in Singapore – which has come under criticisms for its emphasis on grades- to return to the basics of moulding students’ characters.

Some Assembly Required: How Scientific Explanations Are Constructed During Clinical Interviews, Bruce L. Sherin, Moshe Krakowski, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article is concerned with commonsense science knowledge, the informally-gained knowledge of the natural world that students possess prior to formal instruction in a scientific discipline. Although commonsense science has been the focus of substantial study for more than two decades, there are still profound disagreements about its nature and origin, and its role in science learning. What is the reason that it has been so difficult to reach consensus? We believe that the problems run deep; there are difficulties both with how the field has framed questions and the way that it has gone about seeking answers. In order …

Student Motivation And Academic Achievements, Zeenat Shah

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

No abstract provided.

Concept Inventory Design For Determining Students’ Conceptual Understanding Of Oceanography, Leilani Arthurs

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Concept inventories are relatively new types of diagnostic instruments intended to measure student learning. Concept inventories exist for astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, fluid mechanics, geology, and physics. None is yet available for oceanography, and development of the Introductory Oceanography Concept Inventory Survey (IO‐CIS) serves to fill this gap. A context‐driven development strategy was designed to create this instrument. Qualitative methods utilizing grounded theory and classical test theory were used to construct it. Quantitative methods, including statistical methods associated with classical test theory and item response theory, were used to evaluate and further refine the IO‐CIS. The instrument is valid and …