Learner Choice and the Emergence of Diverse Learning Arrangements in FUSE

Publications

This paper explores how FUSE Studios are organized, describing key design elements, the ways these differ from a traditional classroom model, and the types of diverse learning arrangements that emerge. Data in this paper was primarily collected from five classrooms in the 2013-14 school year and the analysis was refined through discussions within the research team about ongoing data collection during the 2014-15 (one classroom) and 2015- 16 (seven classrooms) school years.[See pages 1025-1032]

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Developing and Recognizing Relative Expertise in FUSE

Publications

Traditional methods of STEM education position the child as a novice and create narrow opportunities for children to demonstrate and constructively utilize their developing skills, related interests and capabilities, perhaps even inadvertently suppressing them (Stevens, 2000; Bevan, Bell, Stevens, & Razfar, 2012; Barron, 2006). Researchers have explored expertise in terms of domain mastery (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993), developed models for how novices become domain experts (Alexander, 2003), and discussed pathways along which students move in developing science expertise (Schwarz et

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GRACE interns research community issues

News

Students from Houghton and CLK schools spent the summer roaming the streets of Calumet and Laurium in the name of scientific research. These students spent the last six weeks as GRACE Program interns. They mapped their surroundings, collected data and learned Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a computer mapping software, to improve their communities.

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Fun with GIS 2016: GRACE

News

Michigan's GRACE Project (GIS Resources and Applications for Career Education) helps students use GIS. GRACE uses a coordinated and multi-tiered approach for educators and students alike, and works with communities across the state to identify partners interested in high school student interns with GIS knowledge and skills. Last week, at the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech, in Houghton, in "copper country" of Michigan's Upper

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GRACE interns GIS-based youth neighborhood and health research StoryMaps

News

We had a full house at the Great Lakes Research Center last night to celebrate the GRACE interns, who presented their data collection and analysis about the streets, parks, buildings, and social activity that influence our daily lives in the Keweenaw. We are so proud of their smart questions and polished presentations!

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Engagement Survey

Instruments

The Engagement survey was written for use with 10-14 year-old respondents immediately after a science activity, whether in a class or in an informal learning context. Such contextualized and immediate use minimizes memory biases or inferences based on beliefs the learner has about themselves or the learning context. Accordingly, it should be used after a focused science activity rather than as a measure of general engagement over a series of activities. No particular assumptions are made about task structure (e.g., brief or extended, alone or collaborative, adult guided or student guided)

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STEM Learning Activation survey

Instruments

Designed to be used with 10-14 year olds, these survey scales are used to assess an individual across multiple dimensions of STEM learning activation (Fascination, Values, Competency Belief, Innovation Stance). Please note that these can be used in conjunction with the scientific sensemaking scale included in Science Learning Activation survey. These scales can be used concurrently to measure the multi-dimensional construct of STEM learning activation or separately to measure individual dimensions. 1. Fascination - Fascination involves positive affect towards doing STEM activities, curiosity

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Career Maturity Inventory Form C

Instruments

It is a 24-item scale that measures change along four scales of student career awareness and planning, along with open-response items about specific schooling intentions and career aspirations. Four scales are Concern, Curiosity, Confidence, and Consultation.

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Measuring Cognitive and Psychological Engagement: Validation of the Student Engagement Instrument

Instruments

A review of relevant literatures led to the construction of a self-report instrument designed to measure two subtypes of student engagement with school: cognitive and psychological engagement. The psychometric properties of this measure, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), were assessed based on responses of an ethnically and economically diverse urban sample of 1931 ninth grade students. Factor structures were obtained using exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) on half of the dataset, with model fit examined using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on the other half of the dataset. The

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