Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Library Steam Kits: Developing Circulatable Curriculum For Community Steam Learning, Daphne Fauber, Ashley Fletcher

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Public libraries serve as repositories for a movement described as cultivation of the Library of Things. In the wake of COVID-19, the West Lafayette Public Library enhanced its existing Library of Things collection through the creation of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) kits. Since 2017, the West Lafayette Public Library has held regular free STEAM programs for the community; those programs were put on hold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which concurred with a library renovation. These kits provide the community with the ability to learn STEAM concepts at home engaging, hands-on activities that may otherwise …

Effects Of Adaptive Learning Technologies On Mathematics Achievement In Low Ses Settings, William Roberts

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Low socioeconomic status is linked to poor mathematical achievement (NCES, 2019 & Barr, 2015). Furthermore, students in rural settings exhibit mathematical incompetencies (Harmon & Wilborn, 2016). One possible remedy is adaptive learning technology (AT). These are computer programs that determine what a student already knows about mathematics (or other content areas) and then identify areas for growth to increase a student’s knowledge about a topic such as Geometry or Algebra 2. Although not necessarily taking a teacher’s place, an AT can aid the teacher by allowing multiple students to be in multiple different places all within the same classroom. This …

Parent Choice: Learning Pods Or Public Education During Covid-19 Pandemic, Shari Kinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the decision-making process of K-12 parents living in the Appalachian Highlands who chose to remove their children from traditional public schools to join learning pods (sometimes referred to as pandemic pods) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to answer this overarching question, the researcher focused her study on two areas: first, what were the possible push factors that influenced parents to remove their children from public schools, and secondly, what were the pull factors that lead parents to choose learning pods over other school choice options. Through the data collected …

The Use Of The South Carolina School Improvement Model - Quick Cycles In Sixth-Grade Science Classrooms, Jennifer Gnann

All Dissertations

Using data to make informed decisions about instruction strengthens a teacher’s delivery of content within the classroom. However, many teachers have not been taught how to properly use a model of rapid improvement cycles to analyze data and apply it to their classroom instruction. I modified the South Carolina School Improvement Model so that it could be used in short cycles to see how teachers used it to plan for, monitor, and adjust instruction in their classrooms.

I conducted a single case study over a six-week period in which I instructed two sixth-grade science teachers on how to use the …

Analyzing The Impact Of An Informal Mathematics Teaching Experience On Preservice Teacher Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy, Kayla Fruth

Honors Projects

A teacher’s sense of efficacy is their belief in their capability to successfully accomplish a specific task. Teachers with a high sense of efficacy exert more effort, persistence, and commitment to teaching, which leads to higher student achievement and attitudes. The purpose of this study is to determine how participation in an informal mathematics teaching experience impacts preservice teachers’ sense of mathematics teaching self-efficacy. This research was conducted at one informal mathematics teaching experience, during which, all participants completed pre-surveys and post-surveys rating their mathematics teaching self-efficacy using the MTEBI. Later, some participants were interviewed to gain insight into their …

The World Around Us: Physical And Chemical Changes, Erica Carpenter

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

The following article describes a lesson that provides students with a better understanding of the world around them. Specifically, the students investigate real-life examples to expand their learning about physical and chemical changes. This lesson is appropriate for middle school students. Within the lesson, the teacher provides readers with resources and activities that can be used to cultivate a culturally relevant pedagogy. Students are provided with a variety of activities to spark their interest in science.

Using Multiple Modes Of Learning In A High School Genetic Engineering Lesson, Hannah Stuart

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

The goal of this article is to discuss a genetic engineering lesson presented to high school biology students to obtain mastery of the Biology Standard of Learning (BIO.5e) associated with genetic engineering products and practices. The lesson described in this article follows the 5E lesson plan model. Therefore, the article will describe the 5Es used in the creation and implementation of this lesson: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. This article focuses on the use of resources and activities that appeal to students with varying learning styles and looks at the effectiveness of individualized teacher-student attention during individual practice time. …

Microscope Investigations: An Inquiry-Based Cell Lab, Joshua Whittaker, R. Whitlow

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This lesson is a collaborative effort between a student teacher and a cooperating senior teacher to design and implement an engaging and exploratory microscope lab for 7th-grade students. The goal of this lesson is to cultivate excitement, interest, and exploration in students who are new to using microscopes, aligning with the Virginia 7th Grade Life Science Standards of Learning on cells and cell theory. This lab incorporates two microscope stations—one focusing on fundamental skills and the other on inquiry-based exploration. By employing the 5E model of instruction, this paper details how students progress through engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation …

Multiplying And Dividing Fractions And Mixed Numbers Using Multiple Models, Pavithra Sridhar

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This lesson is based on the study of Multiplying and Dividing Fractions using multiple representations, and the subsequent application of these concepts to real-life situations. In this lesson, we demonstrate/model multiplication and division of fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers using multiple models. We solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with and without models. The sum, difference, product, and quotient of fraction and mixed number problems are determined. We also determine the sum and difference of fraction, mixed number, and fraction, division, and product of mixed numbers. This lesson focuses on the use …

Teaching Cells To Diverse Learners In The Modern Classroom, Avery Tully

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

During this lesson, my main focus was to engage students in deeper learning about the importance of cells and all the aspects of structure, function, and history. My classroom is extremely diverse as I teach in Northern Virginia, a true melting pot. I have attached the population of minorities in Northern Virginia. This shows that over half of the population is minorities, well over the national average. You will also see the graph of ESOL homes in Northern Virginia. This graph shows that over 35% of homes in Northern Virginia speak another primary language other than English in their homes.

A Cellular Division Called Mitosis, Betsy Kent

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

In biology, cellular reproduction is a fundamental process that ensures the growth and repair of living organisms. This article will detail the lesson that meets the needs of students with disabilities by applying several Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. The plan will be taught over a span of five days and focus on the fundamental process that allows living organisms to grow, repair damaged tissues, and reproduce. The students will have several hands-on activities that will enhance the lecture part of the lesson. Understanding cellular reproduction is crucial in comprehending the complexity and resilience of life itself.

Noticing Instructional Challenges In Artifacts Of Teaching, Tara Barnhart, Elizabeth A. Van Es

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study investigates challenges of enactment teachers notice when analyzing artifacts of teaching in a professional development focused on supporting the enactment of NGSS-aligned modeling instruction. Five secondary science teachers participated in a semester-long video club. Transcripts of the segments of their meetings in which they analyzed artifacts of practice were coded to characterize what they noticed in videos and student work samples from their own and others’ classrooms of students engaging in sensemaking. Through an inductive and iterative approach, three main linguistic challenges were identified related to the teachers’ noticing of students’ disciplinary thinking: learning how to communicate with …

Using L1 Student Narratives And Peer Teaching To Increase Secondary Education Mathematical Understanding, Marco Antonio Martinez Leandro

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This phenomenological study research presents an option to use both discourse in the native language and technology as an alternative to improve the understanding of mathematics in secondary education. 13 students whose native language is Spanish attended a high school in a large urban school district in the Southwest of the United States, participated in this study.

The study's main objective was to observe the effects of using students' discourse in their language and the support of technology to increase their academic literacy in mathematics. Solution-based pedagogy was central to helping students achieve the Development of Academic Literacy in Mathematics …

Catalyzing Change For Equitable Participation, Liza Bondurant, Seema Rivera

Journal of Practitioner Research

This manuscript discusses the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles designed to help math teacher-researchers (TRs) create more equitable discourse patterns in their classrooms. Before the first cycle, TRs were asked to complete gender and race implicit assessment tests (IATs). Then, TRs planned and recorded a video of themselves facilitating a math discussion. Next, math teacher educators (MTEs) used the Equity QUantified In Participation (EQUIP) classroom observation instrument to code and analyze the discussion. Subsequently, TRs had an opportunity to reflect on the EQUIP and IAT results and set goals for making their teaching practices more equitable. MTEs provided guidance …

Examining The Change In Preservice Mathematics Teachers’ Conceptions And Effectiveness Of Social Justice Content, Gregory A. Downing, Brittney L. Black

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study examined preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching mathematics using social justice topics to make mathematics accessible to all students. Situated at a large, public, predominantly White institution in the southeast United States, where preservice teachers are not required to take a course on teaching diverse populations, participants were asked to respond to questions surrounding their experience with a mathematical social justice activity adapted from Gutstein and Peterson (2005). Using a mixed methods approach in analyzing data from pre-and post-surveys, researchers could compare preservice mathematics teachers' initial views of teaching mathematics for social justice after participating in an intervention/activity on …

An Introduction To The Algebra Revolution, Art Bardige

Numeracy

Bardige, Art. 2022. The Algebra Revolution: How Spreadsheets Eliminate Algebra 1 to Transform Education; (Bookbaby) 135 pp. UNSPSC 55111505.

The Algebra Revolution: How Spreadsheets Eliminate Algebra 1 to Transform Education argues that Algebra 1 can be eliminated by teaching mathematics through spreadsheets. Such a change would eliminate the greatest roadblock to student achievement.

Review: Teaching Stem To First Generation College Students: A Guidebook For Faculty And Future Faculty By Gail Horowitz, Jessica S. Robbins

Early College Folio

Book Review: Gail Horowitz’s Teaching STEM to First Generation College Students: A Guidebook for Faculty and Future Faculty (Information Age Publishing, 2019). Horowitz taught chemistry at Bard High School Early College Newark.

Artist Into An Educator—Educator Inside An Artist, Raheela Qabool Abro Ms

Early College Folio

This study is a self-investigation of the author's identity by exploring her two professions: an artist as well as an art educator. Her insights as an educator provided a background for her as an artist through the production of this series of miniature artworks created with cell phone SIM cards. A SIM card, which stands for “Subscriber Identification Module,” contains information tied to the identity of the individual using it. For this reason, the author chose it as a medium for creating an art series to represent identity. In the dialogue of artist and educator, Abro confronts changes to the …

Teaching Food Studies In Early College: Experiments In Collaboration, Cynthia Brown, Maryann Tebben

Early College Folio

This article outlines the process of designing and teaching a collaborative course on sustainable food and agriculture on multiple campuses at once, including two early college institutions. The authors offer insights on the specific elements of the course they designed as well as methods for designing the course, what worked in practice, and what they would change. This article will be useful for faculty who would like to work with other early college colleagues to plan a collaborative course in general or a specific course on sustainable food and farms.

Commitment To Access: A Conversation About The Unconventional And College-In-Prison, Elías Beltrán, Megan Callaghan

Early College Folio

The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) currently operates full-tuition scholarship Bard College degree programs across seven New York State prisons, three Microcollege campuses created in partnership with community-based institutions, and on the Annandale campus of Bard College, where adult students are completing degrees through the BardBac. Since 2005 when the first degrees were granted to BPI students, the program has issued over 5,000 credits and more than 700 degrees.

This conversation between BPI alumnus Elías Beltrán, who earned his Bard College bachelor’s degree in 2017 while incarcerated, and Megan Callaghan, the program’s Dean, touches upon Elías’s upcoming transition to BPI faculty, …

Rolling A Boulder Up A Mountain: The Path To Higher Education In Displacement Concepts, Rebecca Granato

Early College Folio

Students in contexts affected by displacement and forced migration are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing and successfully completing higher education, as well as translating their learning into post-graduation opportunities. Universities with clear social missions and networks of institutions have the power and the obligation to support the creation of “opportunities pipelines” for these populations.

Solving Higher Education In Burma, The Global South, And Beyond, Myat Su San

Early College Folio

By introducing readers to a migrant student from Burma, the author unpacks the longstanding and increasingly complicated barriers to higher education, which many students face across the Global South. Readers are then introduced to one institution seeking to dismantle those barriers through innovation and expansive access, Parami University.

Move, May Honey Maung

Early College Folio

“Move” is a call to action that urges leaders to work together to create a world where education is accessible and inclusive to everyone regardless of their socioeconomic status or background. Drawing inspiration from the author’s own educational experiences as both a student and employee of Phaung Daw Oo, this poem is a reminder that education is not a privilege but a fundamental human right; we all have a responsibility to ensure that it is available to all learners. The author—whose country is currently facing violence and economic and educational instability due to a February 2021 coup d’état—relays the hopeful …

Case Study: Phaung Daw Oo International University, Yee Wai Than Ma

Early College Folio

The case study discusses an unconventional path to education in Myanmar, one that serves as an alternative to government-controlled institutions. The article highlights the challenges faced by students and educators in the country and presents Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School (PDO) and its mission to contribute to society through excellence in education and lifelong learning. The school provides necessary schooling for children who did not receive adequate education at the traditional age, students who are up to five years off from what is considered aligned with the expectations of state-sponsored education. The article also discusses the establishment of Phaung Daw …

Editor's Note, Kyaw Moe Tun

Early College Folio

Editor's Note, Early College Folio, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Spring 2023).

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Spring 2023).

Table Of Contents

Early College Folio

Table of Contents, Early College Folio, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Spring 2023).

Teacher Use Of Computer Generated Feedback Through Online Programs, Sheena Wehr

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of computer-based supplemental programs has grown in popularity (Li & Zhao, 2022). These programs provide both teachers and students with varying amounts of feedback and data for each standard addressed (Shin et al., 2021). However, since many schools implemented these programs during the pandemic there was a lack of training or professional development, therefore teachers relied on learn-as-you-go methods. The goal of this research was to determine how teachers in Florida were currently using computer-generated feedback to drive their instruction and improve overall student achievement. The study concentrated on secondary mathematics teachers who utilize …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

High School Student Narratives Of Error Analysis: A Qualitative Investigation Into Literacy For Geometry Learning, Dean Petti

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This narrative inquiry aimed to relate student narratives to error analysis of Geometry problems as a form of literacy implementation. Teachers need to develop a deep understanding and application of mathematics content through qualitative research to find connections to practice (Enderson et al., 2010). Geometry is a worthwhile subject to understand our world from various perspectives and to spur our imagination with constructing objects based on properties undergoing dynamic changes. However, teachers and researchers often wonder why most secondary students need help with the significance of learning and applying Geometry concepts. Literacy implementation bridges students' narrative experiences and relevance to …