Education Commons^™

Peace Guardians, Watts Bears And The Maori Haka, Zachariah Fisher

The STEAM Journal

In the summer of 2017, Peace Guardians carried out a summer school program for twenty inner city kids ranging from 8-13 years old in Watts Los Angeles. The program was part of the annual Watts Bears summer school. The Watts Bears are group of student football and track athletes coached by the Los Angeles Police Department. Working in conjunction with the Watts officers and coaches, Peace Guardians and guest teachers spent four hours a day with the students facilitating mindfulness exercises and the Haka as wellness tools to incorporate into their lives in and out of the classroom and football …

Wonder, Walking, And Water, Rachel Mayeri

The STEAM Journal

Art and Science is a seminar and studio course on science-inspired art practices. We will survey and discuss cutting-edge art-science theory, practice, and institutions in seminar. In studio, we examine art-science topics in hands-on experiments, and guided activities leading to art projects.

A Teachable Unit On Soft Corals With Instructional Method Variances, Emily Breech

Honors Projects

The soft coral Sinularia flexibilis contains an aqueous alcohol extract that has shown antineoplastic activity against lymphocytic leukemia (Weinheimer and Matson, 1977). It also has other biological properties that work as antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory agents, and cytotoxicity activities (Kamel and Slattery, 2005). There is much research on the effects of flow rate on growth and morphology (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2007) and the effects of light-dependency on growth rate (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2009). The purpose of this student project was to further research on S. flexibilis, as well as incorporate that research into evaluating the effects of lecture-based teaching …

Science Instruction In A Culture Of High-Stakes Assessment: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Into The Experiences Of Missouri Elementary School Teachers In A Non-Assessed Grade Level, April Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the transcendental qualitative phenomenological research is to describe the characteristics and strategies of teachers who share the same experiences in teaching science, a non-assessed content, in a high-stakes assessment environment at the third and fourth grade levels. Teacher curriculum choices are dictated by the need to prepare students to take content area standardized assessments in the grade level taught. Science instruction that focuses on scientific reasoning may lead to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers for students. Teachers who elect to teach science at the elementary level in a manner that develops scientific reasoning are an …

Dordt Receives Noyce Grant For Stem Education, Kate Henreckson

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Using Imagination To Bridge Young Children’S Literacy And Science Learning: A Dialogic Approach, Huili Hong, Karin Keith, Renee Rice Moran

Karin Keith

Integrating children’s literacy and science learning has become a new focus in literacy instruction. Imagination, an integral part of children’s learning experience, remains marginalized in today’s early childhood education curriculum. Drawing on a yearlong ethnographic study in a first-grade classroom, this paper explores the potential affordance of imagination in integrating young children’s literacy and science learning. The findings showed that the integration opportunities were organically constructed in and through children’s natural engagement of imagination in their reading process. A dialogic approach is presented as one way to ignite children’s imaginations in their literacy and science learning.

Eği̇ti̇m Si̇stemi̇mi̇z Ve 21. Yüzyil Hayali̇mi̇z: 2045 Hedeflerine İlerlerken, Türkiye Için Stem Odaklı Ekonomik Bir Yol Haritası, Mehmet Aydeniz

Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Publications and Other Works

Bilimsel ve teknolojik gelişmeler, yeni sanayilerin oluşmasında, ülkelerin askeri savunma kapasitelerini artırmada, mevcut sanayilerde üretkenliği tetiklemekte, hayat kalitesinin yükselmesinde ve eğitimin erişebilirliğinde önemli bir rol oynamaya devam etmektedir. Dolayısıyla bir Ülkenin ekonomik gelişimi, bilimsel çalışma yapabilme kapasitesine, teknolojisinin gelişimine, girişimcilik ortamı ve inovasyon yapabilme kapasitesine bağlıdır.

Ekonomiye önemli katkıları olan bilimin ve teknolojinin gelişmesi, STEM alanlarında gerekli ön bilgi ve becerilere sahip, problemlere yaratıcı bir bakışla yaklaşabilen, özgür düşünebilen, sorgulayan, inovatif çözüm üretebilen, dayanışmayı önemseyen bir nesil yetiştirebilen okulların varlığına bağlıdır.

Peki Türk Eğitim Sistemi, Ülkemizin ekonomik yarışabilirlik potansiyelini yükseltecek, savunma kapasitesini artıracak, bölgesel liderliğinin bir adım öne çıkmasını sağlayacak …

Teaching Photosynthesis To Eighth Graders: A Graduate Service-Learning Experience In A Local Science Class, Cecilia Espinoza

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The purpose of this service-learning experience was to provide a graduate student from a land-grant university with a teaching experience at a local public school. Through a GK–12 program, author assisted a middle school science teacher in the development of class activities and engaged eighth graders in active learning. In this program, 132 eighth grade students participated in a series of active learning activities developed by the author in collaboration with the teacher. These activities aimed to enhance students’ understanding of the process of photosynthesis.

Puppetry Path 2 Science And Math 4 Girls, Paulette Harris, Linda G. Smith Mrs., Sarah E. Wong Ms.

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

In our proposed practice report session, we will describe an ongoing project that bridges the gap between literacy, science, and math for young children. The project that will be shown demonstrates in a playful hands-on manner how using puppets taps into interests of young children in science and math as they develop literacy skills at the same time.

During this presentation of our practice report, the audience will have the opportunity to explore ideas and strategies for whetting the interests of young children. Examples of integrated science/math/literacy units that are a part of the practice report will be shared. These …

Fall 2017

Scientia

Tried and tested; Selfless service; Postcards from abroad; Why we marched; Education extension; From the ground up; Lab notes

Using Dr. Howard Gardner's Theory Of Multiple Intelligences To Connect 4th-8th Grade Students To Nature, Brent Anderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that early and frequent exposure to nature and the outdoors has a range of physical, mental, emotional, social, and educational benefits. The curriculum designed for this project focuses on using Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to connect 4th -8 th grade students to nature, in order to harness the benefits of nature exposure and increase student’s environmental-literacy. Multiple intelligences have been implemented in a number of formal classroom settings for decades, but research on how they have been used in the environmental and outdoor education fields is limited. The project involved creating a diverse curriculum …

Integrating The Nature Of Science Into The International Baccalaureate Chemistry Curriculum: Lesson Plans And Resources For Educators, Greta Wanless Stacy

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper outlines the need for, and the creation of, ten lesson plans designed to teach the nature of science in an integrated fashion in the IB chemistry curriculum. The nature of science is necessary not just to prepare students to answer experimental questions on the IB exam, but also to answer new questions about chemistry and science throughout their lives. Simply using an inquiry approach is insufficient to teach the nature of science; it must be explicitly taught with varying degrees of contextualization to maximize student learning. Like all content areas, the nature of science should be taught in …

Can Creating An Activity Guide On Soil Health Improve Environmental Awareness And Foster Agricultural Sustainability, Lee Vannyhuis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question in this project was, can creating an activity guide on soil health improve environmental awareness and foster agricultural sustainability? This capstone discusses how healthy soils are important for sustaining agricultural productivity with shrinking farmland and a rising human population. It discusses how soils play a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment. This capstone also shows evidence that experiential learning using activity guides is an effective way of teaching environmental issues. The project developed with the capstone is called Soil Health Activity Guide: Black is the new Green. It was was modeled after the widely used environmental …

Taylor: A Magazine For Taylor University Alumni, Parents And Friends (Fall 2017), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Fall 2017 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

How Can Water Quality Awareness Be Increased In A Small But Rapidly Increasing City Of New Braunfels, Texas?, Zackary Eugene Martine

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this curriculum development Capstone was to create a series of lessons to focus on how to further educate children that live in a pristine water quality environment. The curriculum focused exercises and examples provide increased awareness and education focusing on improving water quality examples on how to keep water quality from degrading during the explosive population growth of the surrounding region. The overall goal is to show how increased growth can lead to potential water quality decreases over time. There are several hands-on lessons that show examples of the ecology of the region and how all things …

Teaching The Language Of A Lab Report: A Guide For Science Teachers, Lori A. Ward

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Academic language in the register of science is often challenging for students to compose, and their science teachers may struggle to support their language development. This project explores the question, what are the language structures science teachers must teach for secondary students to be able to write successful science lab reports? In this paper I report the strong link between language and knowledge in science. Students must develop strong language skills in science not only to communicate scientific ideas but also to gain understanding of scientific concepts. Supporting the development of language in the register of science is a challenging …

Forces And Motion (Ps2): An Integrated K–8 Hands-On Approach Supporting The Ngss And Ccss Ela, Laura Robertson, Lashay Jennings, Huili Hong, Karin Keith, Chih-Che Tai

Laura Robertson

Explore the benefits of merging experiential science and literacy instruction to deepen students’ understanding of force and motion.

A Closer Look At Flowers: Exploring Structure And Function In Science And Art, Laura Robertson

Laura Robertson

Integrate art into a 5E model unit on the anatomy of flowers to provide students with another lens through which to view the specialized structures and organization of flowering plants.

Saudi Science Teachers' Assessment Practices In Alzelfy Educational Administration According To Their Perceptions, Saeed Mohammad Alshamrani

International Journal for Research in Education

This paper aimed to identify science teachers' assessment practices according to their perceptions through identifying the assessment goals, activities, criteria, and the nature of assessment reports (types and data). It used the descriptive method; the population was all science teacher in Alzelfy educational administration in Saudi Arabia (106 teachers); however, the response rate was (38%) of the population. A questionnaire with four dimensions was developed; these dimensions are: the goals (two items), activities (20 items), criteria (six items), and the nature of reports (11 items). The results indicated that the teachers thought that they practiced the assessment highly to achieve …

Impact Of Integrated Science And English Language Arts Literacy Supplemental Instructional Intervention On Science Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students, Jamar Marks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design study was to determine if any differences existed in upper elementary school students’ science academic achievement when instructed using an 8-week integrated science and English language arts literacy supplemental instructional intervention in conjunction with traditional science classroom instruction as compared to when instructed using solely traditional science classroom instruction. The targeted sample population consisted of fourth-grade students enrolled in a public elementary school located in the southeastern region of the United States. The convenience sample size consisted of 115 fourth-grade students enrolled in science classes. The pretest and posttest academic …

Experience Of The Neophyte Science Teachers: Through Their Eyes, David Thornton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of lenses were used to examine the world of the novice science teacher. A degree of agency was provided by looking through the eyes of the beginning teacher. Previous studies focused on researcher or program’s orientation, the successes of various educator preparation programs, or were limited in scope to elementary teachers of science. This study was conducted to better understand and appreciate the high school novice science teacher’s view of science, teaching, and teaching science in the today’s contextual setting. Experiences encountered during the initial year of teaching high school science and as perceived by teachers without previous …

Infographic: Books In The Home And Student Achievement, Rebecca Vukovic

Teacher infographics

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of student achievement. Here, we look at TIMSS data on books in the home and the percentage of Australian students at or above the proficient standard for maths and science.

How Can Education Improve The Recycling Behaviors And Attitudes Of Middle School Students, Sara Flanagan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research project adapted and implemented curriculum into a middle school science classroom to gauge the effect of the curriculum on the students’ behaviors and attitudes. The focus of the curriculum was on waste management and recycling. Students participated in surveys both before and after the curriculum. Their responses were compared to others in the school who did not go through the curriculum. There are not many updated curriculums available however, through this study it was concluded that education can impact the recycling behaviors and attitudes through curriculum in a positive way that makes students connect their actions to the …

Developing A Teacher Guidebook To Increase Outdoor Education In Schools, Patrick Schuette

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

An outdoor education guidebook was developed to help teachers start outdoor education courses, increase student engagement, and develop intrapersonal and interpersonal skills in students. Outdoor education is about much more than learning content information in a classroom; it is the class and teaching mindset which rekindles students’ passion for learning and discovery. Outdoor education best practice consists of place-based learning where students learn physical and mental skills with the outcome of success being directly related to those skills. Outdoor education will look different depending on location because it is influenced by local environmental, students, resources, and culture. The outdoor education …

Curriculum Development And Analysis To Encourage Positive Environmental Attitudes In High School Students, Matthew Johnston

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone project used a qualitative research design to explore the research question, how do students who are participating in a course on ecology and resource conservation, describe their understanding of ecology and conservation? The capstone researcher designed a student centered curriculum that used project based learning and outdoor experiences in an elective science course. A major goal of the course was to engage high school students in environmental education and shift students’ attitude to be more positive toward the environment. To measure students’ attitudes, the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) (Anderson, 2012) survey was completed at the start and end …

How Can We Use The Lake Superior Watershed To Connect To Anishinaabe Youth And Inspire Them To Continue As Stewards Of The Land?, Heidi Lynn Ojibway

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Anishinaabe youth have historically experienced difficulty adjusting to mainstream education. Their graduation rates are the lowest in the country (Camera, 2015). By developing curriculum that is culturally relevant and rebuilds connections to the land educators can work towards closing the education gap. The curriculum in this capstone project uses the Lake Superior Watershed, environmental education practices, and American Indian Learner Outcomes to meet state standards. By using culturally relevant materials to connect to Anishinaabe youth it is expected that they will feel invested in the curriculum. They will build stronger community ties which in turn results in stewardship. The curriculum …

What Is The Impact Of Effective Questioning And Critical, Relevant Conversations On Sixth Grade Science Students’ Agentic Engagement?, Corrie L. Christensen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question in this project was, “What is the impact of effective questioning and critical, relevant conversations on sixth grade science students’ agentic engagement?” It documents a teacher’s investigation into the impact of two isolated components, effective questioning and relevant conversations, on the agentic engagement of a group of sixth grade students. The author describes the outcomes of data collection using randomized student agentic engagement surveys. She outlines the successes and struggles that were realized during the process as well as the realization that an isolated component or two does not make a significant change in agentic engagement.

Science Interactive Notebooks: A Case Study On Learning In High School Students, Autumn A. Mollet

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

I conducted a qualitative case study using classroom observations, written documentation, and experience to answer the research question, what is the effect of science interactive notebooks on high school biology students learning? One class of tenth grade biology students was observed and asked writing prompts in order to determine how interactive notebooks influenced learning. Several key themes emerged within the data collected including; organization, note taking, creativity, variation, reference, student engagement, and student affinity towards the interactive notebooks. Findings suggest that students are more engaged in class and are able to identify key ways in which the science interactive notebooks …

Developing A Garden-Based Curriculum For Middle School Content Enrichment, Dane Warming

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Garden-based education has been around for more than a century. It is one of the many outdoor learning strategies used by modern teachers. Gardens provide an engaging, safe, and interesting place to learn. However, teachers face a number of challenges when teaching in an outdoor setting. In order to decide if those efforts are justified a study of the research relating to outdoor education was conducted. The literature review revealed that outdoor learning offers benefits to student learning, physical and mental health, and overall development. This literature review informed the creation of a cross-content curriculum project. The lessons that make …

Creating An Inquiry-Based Force Unit For A Ninth-Grade Science Class, Hans P. Harlane

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As students study science, they need to learn how to investigate a question, as a scientist would, not just memorize facts and figures. Teaching through inquiry lends itself well to students working collaboratively to build their own understanding as opposed to only being told. The literature shows that there are several ways to teach through inquiry, all of which include the students being engaged in, exploring, explaining, and extending their learning. Using the four necessary parts of inquiry, along with the Understanding by Design framework, a unit curriculum on forces was developed to help guide the students to build their …