Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Perceptions About Mathematics In A Socio-Religious Context: A Case From Pakistan, Munira Amirali, Anjum Halai

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This study investigated mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the nature of mathematics and the contributory factors shaping them. A survey of 200 trained and untrained mathematics teachers from public and private schools was carried out in Karachi Pakistan, a context with a strong influence of religion on the socio-cultural practices of the people. The survey was followed by a focus-group discussion with selected teachers and is the focus of this paper. This is a ground-breaking study in a hitherto under-researched socio-religious context.
Teachers across the system showed a strong similarity in beliefs. A commonly held view was that mathematics is created …

Message From The President / 12.15.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Series And Parallel Circuits, Craig E. Shepherd, Shannon M. Smith

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This lesson begins with an introduction on electricity and how it is formed at the molecular level. It then lets learners explore and define a circuit. This introduction is followed by an exploration where learners develop series and parallel circuits using LED lights and motors. Learners then consider what constitutes a series and parallel circuit, open and closed circuit, and a short circuit. The lesson concludes by having learners consider advantages, limitations, and instructional uses of various electronics kits (e.g., Snap Circuits, littleBits, LilyPad, paper circuits, conductive dough) based on their ability to display circuit paths.

The Great Water Design Challenge: A Collaboration With Noaa Planet Stewards, Elizabeth Martinez

Publications & Research

Session Goals

• Define design challenge
• Generate ideas for classroom design challenge
• Outline design challenge for your classroom

NOAA Planet Stewards NESTA Article

Newgrange Skyscape In Stellarium, Frank Prendergast

Articles

Newgrange Skyscape in Stellarium is a new customised landscape planetarium model giving the user the unique ability to interrogate the dynamic sky above the Boyne Valley on any date of interest during the hours of daylight or darkness. Archaeological, astronomical and topographical points of interest are labelled in the model and visible even during the hours of darkness. These are summarily described in a short gazetteer appended at the end of the instruction document to encourage further exploration of the wonderful heritage found in the Boyne Valley and beyond.

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=aGPsVGBXkY4

Watch on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/493351576

Creating Career Pathways Though Curriculum Connections In Math & Science Classrooms, Kelly W. Remijan

Publications & Research

Pathways to Work Partners will discover how the Illinois Math & Science Academy (IMSA) - Center for Teaching & Learning is helping to promote career pathways and curricular connections through the professional development of teachers and the creation and integration of classroom to career connections related to Prek-12^th grade curriculum focused on STEM concepts.

Message From The President / 12.1.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Beating The Odds: High-Growth Schools Based On The Act Aspire Examinations, Serving Low-Income Communities, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high-growth schools across Arkansas based on the ACT Aspire examinations in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. For these awards, we consider schools where at least 66% of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL).

High-poverty schools are ranked by school level (Elementary, Middle, or High) based on Overall Growth (Math and ELA combined), as well as for growth in each content area independently. High-poverty schools are also ranked within each region of the state. Tables include the region in which the school is located, the number of …

Understanding Differences In Underrepresented Minorities And First-Generation Student Perceptions In The Introductory Biology Classroom, Jacob Jantzer, Thomas W. Kirkman, Katherine L. Furniss

Biology Faculty Publications

We used quantitative methods to better understand the perceptions of students in an introductory biology course (Biology 101) at a small, liberal arts college (SLAC) that is also a primarily white institution (PWI). In pre/post surveys, we asked students questions related to their attitudes and beliefs about their professor, classmates, and Biology 101. We were especially interested in the responses and outcomes of underrepresented minorities (URM) and first-generation (FG) students. Our findings suggest URM and FG students have a decreased sense of belonging and increased perceptions of exclusion and differential treatment due to race. These findings can explain, in part, …

Parental Opinions And Perceptions Regarding Informal Stem Education, Christine L. Moskalik

Publications & Research

The purpose of this research was 1) to develop a new instrument to explore factors parents value regarding informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment experiences for their children in Illinois, and 2) to adapt and use an existing instrument to assess the degree to which parental perceptions of their child’s STEM attitudes and beliefs align with the child’s actual STEM attitudes and beliefs. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was implemented over two parts. During Part I, a new survey was developed to quantitatively measure the degree to which certain factors are valued by parents when considering STEM enrichment …

The Role Of The Next Generation Science Standards In Teachers' Curricular Choices In The Life Science Classroom, Amy Tankersley

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2013 a group of experts used A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) to draft the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which aims to increase science literacy through integrating the concepts and practices of science into comprehensive standards for science (NGSS Lead States, 2013). As students learn to explore the content and practices of scientists, ideally, they should increase their ability to think and reason in ways that will benefit their ability to participate in society. Because of the complex nature of systematic education reform, teachers need to put significant time into implementing NGSS to fulfill the goals …

Thinkmed: Providing An Environment For Disadvantaged Students To Explore Stem, Steven Trinh, Lauren Dudley, Peter Chang

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

ThinkMED is a nonprofit initiative offering a four-week curriculum specifically designed to develop critical thinking and encourage evidence-based decision making. Each week’s content material revolves around the use of a ThinkMED Science Kit containing a wet lab experiment designed to supplement the content curriculum. Each experiment is formulated to be inclusive of all California Next Generation Science Standards K through 5. Contained within each week’s ThinkMED Science Kit is a unique QR code that directs the student to an interactive simulation of the experiment created by our team of computer scientists and graphic designers. At the end of each week, …

A Call For A Humanistic Stance Toward K–12 Data Science Education, Victor R. Lee, Michelle H. Wilkerson, Kathryn Lanouette

School of Education Articles

There is growing interest in how to better prepare K–12 students to work with data. In this article, we assert that these discussions of teaching and learning must attend to the human dimensions of data work. Specifically, we draw from several established lines of research to argue that practices involving the creation and manipulation of data are shaped by a combination of personal experiences, cultural tools and practices, and political concerns. We demonstrate through two examples how our proposed humanistic stance highlights ways that efforts to make data personally relevant for youth also necessarily implicate cultural and sociopolitical dimensions that …

Mathematicians’ Beliefs, Instruction, And Students’ Beliefs: How Related Are They?, Rachel Rupnow

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

It is generally accepted that teachers’ beliefs impact their instructional choices, but characterizations of that relationship are limited in college settings. Furthermore, examinations of instructor beliefs, instruction, and student beliefs together in one setting are rarely described. Based on interviews with two Abstract Algebra instructors, classroom video from three units of instruction, and survey and interview data from students in the classes, this paper examines instructors’ stated beliefs, ways these beliefs manifested in their teaching, and students’ beliefs across the course. Both instructors made curricular choices clearly aligned with their stated views of the nature of mathematics, learning, and teaching. …

Peer-Led Team Learning In Mathematics: An Effort To Address Diversity And Inclusion Through Learning And Leadership, Janet Liou-Mark, Melanie L. Villatoro, Ariane Masuda, Malika Ikramova, Farjana Shati, Julia Rivera, Victor Lee

Publications and Research

The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model has shown to be an effective instructional method to support females, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The collaborative problem-solving setting, led by a peer leader, fosters learning that engages all the students. There are six critical components that are vital to the PLTL model: 1) The PLTL Workshop is integral to the course; 2) Faculty is actively involved; 3) Peer Leaders are well trained; 4) The PLTL Workshop modules are challenging; 5) PLTL workshops are allocated time and space; and 6) There is institutional support. City Tech …

Message From The President / 11.17.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

High-Growth High Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2021 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

High-Growth Middle Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights middle schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2021 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

Message From The President / 11.3.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

High-Growth Elementary Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights elementary schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2021 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

When 2+2 Is So Much More Than Four: Integrating Social Justice Into Advanced Mathematics Classes, Marti Shirley

Faculty Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Engaging Students In Equitable Hands-On Assessments, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

I have successfully replaced written assessments with more equitable and innovative hands-on projects such as heart modeling and creating graphic novels in my classroom, which help improve student engagement and stimulate their passion for learning.

Diverse Ways Of Assessing Students In Science, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Microcredentials To Promote Stem Professional Learning, Angela Rowley

Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Mapping E-Commerce Locally And Beyond: Citt K12 Special Investigation Project, Thomas O’Brien, Deanna Matsumoto

Mineta Transportation Institute

As all aspects of the American workplace become automated or digitally enhanced to some degree, K12 educators have an increasing responsibility to help their students acquire the technical skills necessary to organize and interpret information. Increasingly, this is done through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), especially in careers related to transportation and logistics. The Center for International Trade & Transportation (CITT) at CSU Long Beach has developed this K12 Special Investigation Project to introduce ArcGIS StoryMaps, an engaging, accessible and sophisticated web-based GIS application. The lessons center on e-commerce and its accompanying environmental and economic impact. Still, the activities can be …

Message From The President / 10.20.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Boundary Crossing By A Community Of Practice: Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries Engage Science Education, Carol M. Worthman, Ann Cale Kruger, Cindy Achat-Mendes, Tashi Lhamo, Rinchen Wangyal, Gelek Gyatso, Kelsey M. Gray

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As a globalized world struggles with division and disinformation, engaging across difference has emerged as a major challenge to communication and collaborative action needed to address growing global challenges. As such, the initiative by Tibetan Buddhist leaders to incorporate western science in curricula for monastic education may serve as an important case study that illuminates the conditions and processes at work in genuine cultural outreach and exchange. That project, spearheaded in the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI), involves reaching out across two quite different communities of practice, Tibetan Buddhism and science, and the willingness and ability of individuals to cross the …

Diversity And Inclusion In The Stem Classroom, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

A model of equity and diversity in STEM education has been developed, with applications to classroom pedagogy. This Equity and Excellence Model incorporates culturally responsive classrooms, based on diversity and equity minded practices. The diversity model was successfully implemented into a Science classroom and this model is still evolving to be more widespread to fit other classrooms and districts nationwide.

Physics Inventory Of Quantitative Literacy: A Tool For Assessing Mathematical Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman

Physics & Astronomy

One desired outcome of introductory physics instruction is that students will develop facility with reasoning quantitatively about physical phenomena. Little research has been done regarding how students develop the algebraic concepts and skills involved in reasoning productively about physics quantities, which is different from either understanding of physics concepts or problem-solving abilities. We introduce the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) as a tool for measuring Quantitative Literacy, a foundation of mathematical reasoning, in the context of introductory physics. We present the development of the PIQL and evidence of its validity for use in calculus-based introductory physics courses. Unlike …

Meaningful Math: Activities, Applications, & Career Connections For The Teaching & Learning Of Math Concepts, Kelly W. Remijan

Publications & Research

5^th-12^th grade teachers will:

1. Discover career connections & tech tools that can be integrated into the math curriculum
2. Gain ideas, activities, & LOTS of resources which can enhance the teaching/learning of math concepts