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Full-Text Articles in Education
Teaching Stats For Data Science, Daniel Kaplan
Teaching Stats For Data Science, Daniel Kaplan
Faculty Publications
“Data science” is a useful catchword for methods and concepts original to the field of statistics, but typically being applied to large, multivariate, observational records. Such datasets call for techniques not often part of an introduction to statistics: modeling, consideration of covariates, sophisticated visualization, and causal reasoning. This article re-imagines introductory statistics as an introduction to data science and proposes a sequence of 10 blocks that together compose a suitable course for extracting information from contemporary data. Recent extensions to the mosaic packages for R together with tools from the “tidyverse” provide a concise and readable notation for wrangling, visualization, …
Equity Of Success In Clasp Courses At Uc Davis, Cassandra Paul, David Webb, Mary Chessey, Wendell Potter
Equity Of Success In Clasp Courses At Uc Davis, Cassandra Paul, David Webb, Mary Chessey, Wendell Potter
Faculty Publications
We have recently described the reformed introductory physics course, Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-Making in Physics (CLASP), for bioscience students at UC Davis and argued that the course was more successful than its predecessor (Physics 5) by several measures. Now we examine the effects of these courses for different student ethnic groups. We find that, compared to Physics 5, students of most ethnic backgrounds were more successful in CLASP. We also find that students from ethnic groups underrepresented in STEM who took the CLASP course were more likely to graduate as STEM majors. We discuss possible features of CLASP that …
Conquering Worrisome Word Problems – Algebra Success, Vicki-Lynn Holmes, Karla Spence, Jane Finn, Shelia Mcgee Ingram, Libbey Horton
Conquering Worrisome Word Problems – Algebra Success, Vicki-Lynn Holmes, Karla Spence, Jane Finn, Shelia Mcgee Ingram, Libbey Horton
Faculty Publications
High school students can struggle with word problems in upper level math classes. Causes for this struggle could include lower reading comprehension, limited mathematic vocabulary, and difficulty changing words to algebraic expressions. This article proposes three techniques to help teachers instruct these struggling students that include (a) organization by difficulty of comprehension and computation (b) scaffolding and (c) utilizing the Explain, Practice and Assess (EPA) strategy.
Why Teach Science? Helping Teacher Candidates Frame Instructional Decision Making From Moral And Ethical Perspectives, Grinell Smith, Colette Rabin
Why Teach Science? Helping Teacher Candidates Frame Instructional Decision Making From Moral And Ethical Perspectives, Grinell Smith, Colette Rabin
Faculty Publications
This qualitative research project’s overarching goal was to explore ways to help primary grade teacher candidates (re)kindle a conception of teaching as a moral enterprise involving ethical choices and enactment of one’s values. In the context of a science methods course, we explored the research question: What happens to the commitments toward science instruction of pre-service elementary teachers when we help them view science instruction as an act of caring? Our findings suggest that for many, this approach helped students take a moral stance, articulate an ethical position regarding educational issues, and use these perspectives to inform decision-making at the …
A Summer Camp In Engineering Physics For Incoming Freshman To Improve Retention And Student Success, Hector A. Ochoa, Christopher J. Aul, Dan Bruton, Collin J. Timmons
A Summer Camp In Engineering Physics For Incoming Freshman To Improve Retention And Student Success, Hector A. Ochoa, Christopher J. Aul, Dan Bruton, Collin J. Timmons
Faculty Publications
Summer camps have proven to be a valuable tool to attract and recruit students interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. They have been also used to spark their curiosity in areas like mathematics. However, these camps do not help with issues that appear after the student has been admitted at the university. It is well known that many students are shocked when they transition from high-school to college. Many of them do not know how to handle their academic freedom; they start without any friends, and they do not know the campus and the resources available. By …
Teaching In The Age Of Humans Helping Students Think About Climate Change., Grinell Smith
Teaching In The Age Of Humans Helping Students Think About Climate Change., Grinell Smith
Faculty Publications
To convey the magnitude and rapidity of current climate change and the severity of predictions for the next century, I present essential climate science information using four key sets of data and contextualize that information with personal anecdotes. I then consider the reasons for the large gap between the scientific consensus about anthropogenic climate change and public perceptions of that consensus. With several known challenges to climate change education in mind, I offer four recommendations for teachers that map relevant social psychology to pedagogy: (1) establish a learning community that works to disrupt in-group favoritism and reduce attribution bias; (2) …