Education Commons^™

Engaging Students With The Fold-And-Cut Theorem, Amélie Schinck-Mikel, Elsa Medina

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

When students make geometric constructions through paper folding, it allows them to make geometric concepts come to life in their hands. In this article, we discuss a hands-on geometry activity based on the Fold-and-Cut Theorem that can help teachers enhance students’ engagement with geometry and deepen students’ geometric reasoning by paper folding.

Is Science For All An Elusive Goal? Disparities In U.S. Science Education, David Devraj Kumar, John L. Pecore

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

An examination of published reports on Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) regarding Per Pupil Spending, Technology Resources, Science Course Offerings, and Race and Ethnicity Distribution in FRPL Groups shows that science for all remains an elusive goal in the United States. Science for all requires long-term solutions, including adequate fiscal resources for high FRPL quartile schools and effective policies to ensure quality science learning experiences for low-income students. Teachers in high FRPL schools need access to high-quality instructional resources, technology tools, and effective strategies to engage students in science learning. Schools should invest in technology tools like virtual reality and …

Get Fit! With Math And Lit: A Pilot Program Of Physical Activity, Mathematics, And Literacy With Middle Grades Students Through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Christine L. Craddock, Brittany Pinkerton

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

In an afterschool program at a university literacy center, we piloted the integration of physical activity with multimodal mathematics and literacy exercises. We aimed to incorporate the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) including academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness with middle grades participants by utilizing a sports-based youth development model (SBYD), Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR). Participants participated in 30-minute sessions bi-weekly over two months, which included reflective discussions and journaling to begin and end activities, respectively. Participants were invited to suggest activities during sessions and interact cooperatively with facilitators and peers. They also engaged in …

A Step By Step Shoreline Attribute Analysis For Selected Waterbodies In The Gulf Of Mexico To Promote The Use Of Living Shorelines, Christoper Boyd, Xutong Niu, Taylor R. Horn

The Journal of Extension

Living Shorelines are being promoted by coastal extension professionals as a more resilient nature-based solution to control shoreline erosion. The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Living Shorelines Suitability Model was run in selected waterbodies within the Gulf of Mexico.

The locations of the selected water bodies, coastal data sets used, and shoreline protection recommendations generated by the Model are presented. A step-by-step statistical analysis conducted through ArcGIS Pro from these selected coastal shorelines will illustrate how extension professionals with novice GIS experience can use the model output to promote living shorelines to coastal property owners, city managers, and developers.

Mathematical Modeling, Analysis, And Simulation Of Patient Addiction Journey, Adan Baca, Diego Gonzalez, Alonso G. Ogueda, Holly C. Matto, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

CODEE Journal

This paper aims to develop a mathematical model to study the dynamics of addiction as individuals go through their detox journey. The motivation for this work is three fold. First, there has been a significant increase in drug overdose and drug addiction following the COVID-19 pandemic, and addiction may be interpreted as a infectious disease. Secondly, the dynamics of infectious disease could be modeled via compartmental models described by differential equations and one can therefore leverage the existing analytical and numerical methods to model addiction as a disease. Finally, the work helps to inform how mathematical models governed by differential …

The Perspective Of An Alumnus, Rifah Tasnim

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Note, Amanda Landi

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 3, Issue 1 (2024).

7th International Conference On Creative Mathematical Sciences Communication (Cmsc`24), Frances A. Rosamond

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The 7th International Creative Mathematical Sciences Communication (CMSC) conference is scheduled for October 2024 in Trier, Germany. Initiated in Darwin, Australia in 2013, CMSC aims to explore novel methods of imparting computational thinking to diverse audiences including non-specialists, modern citizens, and children. Participants from around the world and from various and interdisciplinary disciplines such as science, education, dance, drama, and visual arts convene to exchange ideas, present experimental approaches, and collaborate on engaging children in the exploration of ongoing, unresolved research challenges.

The Value Of Adding Nothing: A Call For Reform-Oriented Polynomial Division, Jonathan Clark, Jeneva Clark

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The call to implement reform practices in schools reflects the historical turn away from the behaviorist theory of learning in education. Yet the praxis of this turn remains a significant challenge, particularly within mathematics classrooms where procedural memorization is emphasized. In this article, we show one means of how to advance our pursuit of meaningful mathematics into polynomial division. Building on the literature for reform-based division methods, an alternative to the long division algorithm will be explored that relies solely on adding zero and fundamental algebraic principles.

Sociomathematical Norms And Automated Proof Checking In Mathematical Education: Reflections And Experiences, Merlin Carl

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

According to a widely held view, mathematical proofs are essentially (indications of) formal derivations, and thus in principle mechanically checkable (this view is defended, for example, by Azzouni [3]). This should in particular hold for the kind of simple proof exercises typically given to students of mathematics learning to write proofs. If that is so, then automated proof checking should be an attractive option for math education at the undergraduate level. An opposing view would be that mathematical proofs are social objects and that what constitutes a mathematical proof can thus not be separated from the social context in which …

Mathematical Anxiety In The Turkish Context: Mathematical Experiences Of High School Students, Vahap Yorgun, Serdal Mert

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Although a handful of studies have investigated the prevalence of math anx- iety among Turkish school children and its relationship with several variables like attitudes toward math, gender, self-efficacy, parental style, there is as of now no study focusing on development psychological interventions to cope with math anxiety. Most of the extant studies use quantitative approaches, but in order to develop intervention programs, researchers need to know how math anxiety develops, what kinds of personal variables or factors take place in this process, and what kind of emotional and cognitive reactions hold by students about math. Thus in our research, …

Teacher Outcomes Of An Intensive Stem-Focused Professional Learning Initiative: An Examination Of Their Beliefs, Practices, And Perceptions, Elizabeth L. Adams, Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Caitlin T. Cox, Karen Pierce

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The purpose of this paper is to describe teacher outcomes from participating in an intensive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professional learning (PL) initiative for middle school science teachers in the United States. The initiative included intensive summer coursework and ongoing support (e.g., individual coaching, professional learning communities), and focused on enhancing teachers’ STEM instruction and their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes.

In this mixed method study, we examine change across time in teachers’ beliefs, use of STEM instruction, and PCK. In general, we did not observe statistically significant change in teachers’ …

Demographic Study Of College Of Sciences At University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Laura Seo, Nastasija Damjanovic, Angelica Amansec, Aika Dietz, Monika Neda

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

In the United States, STEM-related industries are among the fastest-growing. Our study examines the enrollment of students in the College of Sciences (CoS) and the demographics of the student bodies in both undergraduate and graduate programs from 2010 to 2021 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Using the method of least squares, a polynomial fit model was used to find trends as well as to calculate enrollment predictions for the years 2025 and 2030. Our results demonstrate that, currently, the UNLV CoS is male dominant in the graduate program and female dominant in the undergraduate program. However, female …

Critical Scoping Review Of Critical Consciousness As A Framework For Precollege Engineering Education, Devon Riter, James Holly Jr.

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Engineering’s promise to build a better world has been realized differently across the United States, often with lines of social identity determining who becomes an engineer, who benefits from engineering innovations, and who suffers devastating consequences. Many educational scholars have argued that engineering inequities are in part due to deep inequities in precollege engineering education, including the failure to enact pedagogies in which engineering educational spaces can help students recognize oppression and act toward liberation. In this critical scoping review we searched five databases to identify 72 relevant peer-reviewed articles for review. Our findings indicate that research on critical consciousness …

Safety In P–12 Engineering Courses Within The Southern United States, Tyler S. Love

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Engineering education programs, especially at the P–12 level, pose inherent legal and ethical responsibilities pertaining to safety that cannot be ignored. Cultivating safer practices and habits during the design and hands-on development of engineering solutions starts well before students enter higher education engineering programs. P–12 engineering education programs play a critical role in enhancing safety awareness, developing safer habits, and improving safety culture, which has an influence on the safety practices that students carry with them into higher education programs and the workplace. This study analyzed the safety factors and accident occurrences reported by 305 P–12 engineering educators from the …

Numerical Issues For A Non-Autonomous Logistic Model, Marina Mancuso, Kaitlyn M. Martinez, Carrie Manore, Fabio Milner

CODEE Journal

The user-friendly aspects of standardized, built-in numerical solvers in
computational software aid in the simulations of many problems solved using
differential equations. The tendency to trust output from built-in numerical
solvers may stem from their ease-of-use or the user’s unfamiliarity with the
inner workings of the numerical methods. Here, we show a case where the
most frequently used and trusted built-in numerical methods in Python’s
SciPy library produce incorrect, inconsistent, and even unstable approxima-
tions for a the non-autonomous logistic equation, which is used to model
biological phenomena across a variety of disciplines. Some of the most com-
monly used …

California 4-H Computer Science Education Pathway, Steven M. Worker, Roshan Nayak, Fe Moncloa

The Journal of Extension

Young people need digital competency and confidence to effectively harness computing power to solve problems and design solutions; a core component is improving young people’s computational thinking. Unfortunately, access to computer science education is lacking for all youth, and in particular for youth who live in lower-income households, who are Black or Latino, or live in rural areas. With funding from Google, through the National 4-H Council, California 4-H embarked on a three-year project to build the capacity of 4-H professionals, volunteers, and teenagers to facilitate computer science education with youth. Our programming was effective as assessed with survey methodology. …

Blazing New Pathways For Digital Engagement In Mathematics Using Geogebra, Math Manipulatives, And Picture Books In A Stem World To Nurture Confident Young People In Mathematics, Joseph M. Furner

FDLA Journal

Using best practices for teaching mathematics like GeoGebra, math manipulatives, and children’s literature picture books can all be connected to each other and better help to prepare students for a STEM world to develop confident young people in doing mathematics in a world of AI and emerging technologies. This paper will highlight all the above best practiced and share how they can be connected and taught in a way that is make math meaningful and help students to be confident with technology and mathematics in a way that helps them see math in a hands-on, visual, and abstract way. Learners …

Global Implications Of Covid-19 On Education And Research In Healthcare And Stem: Analysis Of Case Studies, Yumna Indorewala, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

The zoonotic novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 posed major threats to the world’s economy, social development, and public health. Education and research in STEM and healthcare were no exceptions to the global implications of the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Social distancing guidelines were initially recommended to refrain from in-person operations for preventing the transmission of the virus. As academic organizations implemented multifarious methods to effectively transition to remote/online or hybrid educational formats, COVID-19 necessitated designing, adopting, as well as evaluating the efficacy of new instructional approaches, especially for disciplines that require active, experiential learning such as healthcare and STEM. These …

درجة امتلاك الطلبة المعلمين بتخصص العلوم في جامعة السلطان قابوس لمهارات التفكير المستقبلي وعلاقتها بمستوى معرفتهم بالنمذجة العلمية, Samira Al Maamari, Abdullah Khamis Ambusaidi Prof.

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال معرفة درجة امتلاك الطلبة المعلمين بتخصص العلوم في جامعة السلطان قابوس بسلطنة عُمان لمهارات التفكير المستقبلي وعلاقتها بمستوى معرفتهم بالنمذجة العلمية، واستخدمت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي؛ إذ تكونت عينة الدراسة من (100) طالبٍ وطالبةٍ (45 ذكرًا، و55 أنثى) تخصص العلوم بكلية التربية في جامعة السلطان قابوس، واختيرت بطريقة العينة المتيسرة. ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة أُعدت أداتان، هما: مقياس لمهارات التفكير المستقبلي لديهم، تكون من (36) عبارة موزعة على ستة محاور، واستبانة مختلطة (مغلق – مفتوح)؛ للكشف عن مستوى معرفتهم بالنمذجة العلمية، وتضمن على 12 سؤالًا. أظهرت النتائج أن درجة امتلاك مهارات التفكير المستقبلي لدى الطلبة المعلمين بتخصص العلوم في جامعة …

The Relationship Between Middle Grades Algebra And Advanced Carnegie Credits: A Quantcrit Analysis, Kristian Edosomwan, Jemimah L. Young, Jamaal R. Young

Middle Grades Review

This study examines the impact of early Algebra I coursework on advanced Carnegie credits among 12th graders from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, using data from the NCES HSTS (1990-2019). Findings indicate that early Algebra students, particularly Black and Latinx, earn more advanced credits, revealing a widening gap in advanced course attainment. The study underscores the importance of early Algebra in college readiness and STEM preparation, highlighting the need for interventions to address educational disparities. Future research should explore additional factors influencing college readiness.

Linear Ode Systems Having A Fundamental Matrix Of The Form F(Mt), Kevin L. Shirley, Vicky W. Klima

CODEE Journal

We interweave scaffolded problem statements with exposition and examples to support the reader as they explore specific linear systems of differential equations with variable coefficients, $\vec{x}'(t)=A(t)\vec{x}(t)$ and initial value $\vec{x}(0)$. We begin with a constant $n\times n$ matrix $M$ and a real or complex-valued function $f$, analytic at the eigenvalues of $M$ with $f(0) = 1$, and construct a linear system of differential equations with solutions $x(t)=f(Mt)\vec{x}(0)$, where $t$ is a parameter in some interval including zero. In general, the solutions to the resulting non-autonomous system are more difficult to analyze than solutions to the constant coefficient case. However, some …

Engaging Students In Partial Differential Equations Through Modeling Fourier's Law Of Conduction, Justin G. Trulen, Kayla Keller, John Sinclair, Lauren Meagher

CODEE Journal

In an effort to make active learning exercises in a partial differential equations course, we present a student activity modeling Fourier's law of conduction under the framework of the heat equation. An overview of the heat equation, including several avenues of study, is provided. Then we give an intuitive way of constructing the heat equation from a couple of fundamental properties of physics including Fourier's law of conduction. We outline an experiment that can be run to collect their own data to model Fourier's law of conduction as well as provide data we collected. We conclude with a student activity …

Differential Equations For Modeling Pathways Leading To Diabetes Onset, Viktoria Savatorova, Aleksei Talonov

CODEE Journal

This paper presents a mathematical model that explains potential pathways leading to diabetes onset. By utilizing a system of nonlinear differential equations to describe the dynamics of the glucose regulatory system, the model can serve as a pedagogical tool for teaching and learning differential equations, dynamical systems, mathematical modeling, and introduction to biomathematics. Within this framework, students can analyze equilibrium solutions, investigate stability, assess parameter sensitivity, and explore the potential for bifurcations. Theoretical analysis is complemented by illustrative numerical examples. Instructors have the flexibility to adapt and incorporate suggested activities according to their teaching preferences and objectives.

Blended Genres: Pairing Picturebooks And Poems Across The Curriculum, William P. Bintz

Michigan Reading Journal

Abstract

This article reports on an action research project conducted by a teacher educator in literacy education as part of a graduate course entitled Reading and Writing across the Content Areas. The purpose of the project was to actively engage graduate students, all of whom were pre-service and in-service teachers, in a course-related project in which students developed and implemented blended genres across the curriculum. It begins by situating blended genres within the traditional notion of paired text as a curricular resource and instructional strategy to support the process of intertextuality. It provides a brief overview of the course-related …

Creating A New Border Culture In The Midst Of The Climate Crisis: Activism And Pedagogy Strategies For Teacher Preparation, Puneet S. Gill

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper documents the efforts of an activist group that came to teach about activist efforts, climate change/climate justice/climate crisis issues, and to create leaders in one border community. The leaders of this three-day workshop are a part of an activist organization named SOMOS Sunrise, the Latine constituency of the Sunrise movement. In this paper, I will analyze the climate change workshop training days and components of the workshops. Secondly, this paper will document a climate cohort education group conducted with undergraduate students and pre-service teachers the following summer. This climate cohort helped articulate art activism and public speaking opportunities …

Addressing Climate Change Anomie In Teacher Education, Teresa Anne Fowler

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This research project sought to understand how preservice teachers explore their relationship with Science and confidence in teaching about climate change in Science education amid a culture of denial regarding the impact of the climate crisis. Using data from three cohorts of students in an elementary Science methods course, this paper shares the context of climate change acceptance in the province of Alberta, Canada, the fossil fuel economic hub of Canada, and how using Journell’s framework for controversial issues alongside a critical energy literacy framework using inquiry, supported preservice teachers to address their hesitancy in Science classrooms to engage with …

Intersections Between Science And Social Justice: A Conversation With Liza Finkel, Liza Finkel, Maika Yeigh

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In preparation for the special issue: Cascading Crises: Power, Equity and Liberation, the Editors of NWJTE sat down for a conversation with Dr. Liza Finkel, a Science Teacher Educator in the Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark College. Dr. Finkel’s passions include science (especially geology), finding intersections between science and social justice and helping new teachers learn to include those connections in their teaching, knitting, cooking, birding, and reading mystery novels with women protagonists.

Preservice Teachers Learning To Teach In An Anti-Racist/Climate-Justice Program: Challenges And Promises, Richard Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The global climate crisis represents the most urgent problem facing the planet, impacting social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of life. Alarmingly, it has impacted communities of color in disproportionate ways (Goddell, 2023; Pellow, 2013). The climate crisis, along with the intertwined context of racism, places a profound responsibility on social justice teacher educators to prioritize addressing these issues in teacher preparation. The intent of the following two case studies is to explore the impact of a project based teacher preparation program focused on cultural and environmental justice on the pedagogical knowledge and practice of teaching interns at the …