PreK/Elementary

Computer and informational technology science

Discipline(s)

Engineering

Interdisciplinary

Life sciences

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Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Carie Green — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:29:50 +0000

Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Carie Green Mon, 10/31/2022 - 14:29

Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Project Overview: This two-year research-design project, undertaken in collaboration with GBH and Molly of Denali is: (1) building new knowledge about the ways in which children from rural Alaska Native communities, ages 6- 8, develop “environmental identity” (defined as the empathy, knowledge, and skills that children need to act responsibly for the environment) and (2) investigating how environmental identity can be nurtured via an intergenerational, community-based environmental science program that is supported by appropriate technologies and incorporates culturally responsive ways of understanding and doing science.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

Investigating environmental identity development

NSF Award Abstract

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209594&HistoricalAwards=false

Age Group

Project Stage

Project Type

A one-page project description.

Discipline(s)

Environmental sciences

Other

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Transforming Preschoolers’ Spatial Orientation: Leveraging New Technologies for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms and at Home

Ashley Lewis Presser — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:25:14 +0000

Transforming Preschoolers’ Spatial Orientation: Leveraging New Technologies for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms and at Home

Ashley Lewis Presser Mon, 10/31/2022 - 13:25

Transforming Preschoolers’ Spatial Orientation: Leveraging New Technologies for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms and at Home

The development of spatial orientation (SO) is a strong predictor of math skills and later school success and academic achievement. Thus, fostering SO skills before children enter formal schooling provides them with a sound foundation for later mathematical learning. Our project is titled Transforming Preschoolers' Spatial Orientation: Leveraging New Technologies for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms and at Home. In this project, a team of learning scientists from the Education Development Center and Digital Promise Global, and public media producers from GBH, are developing and researching a preschool mathematics curriculum supplement. We are leveraging digital touch-screen tablets and augmented reality technologies with other hands-on, developmentally appropriate spatial learning activities. These activities are aimed to increase preschoolers’ SO learning and STEM identity, particularly for underrepresented and underserved groups. The project will engage 39 teachers, 50 families, and approximately 585-780 preschool children in SO classroom and family SO learning activities. In addition, the project will generate a new augmented reality tablet app, a digital teachers’ guide for preschool classrooms, a digital family guide, and a validated SO assessment for preschool students. Findings from this study will illuminate the potential for this approach on preschoolers’ SO learning. The study will also add to the literature on how to design digital activities that foster learning and knowledge that the field can capitalize on for other domains and age groups.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

NSF Award Abstract

https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2048883&HistoricalAwards=false

Age Group

2022 STEM FOR ALL VIDEO SHOWCASE: Leveraging Augmented Reality in Preschool Spa…

Additional Link(s)

Project Stage

Year 2

Project Type

NSF Award Abstract for this project

Discipline(s)

Mathematical sciences

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Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Jessica Andrews — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:15:33 +0000

Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Jessica Andrews Mon, 10/31/2022 - 11:15

Investigating environmental identity development among children in rural Alaska Native communities through intergenerational, culturally responsive community science programming

Media producers from GBH and researchers from South Dakota State University and the University of Alaska Southeast have recently launched a new research and development project that is designed to: (1) build new knowledge about the ways in which children from rural Alaska Native communities, ages 6-8, develop “environmental identity”—the empathy, knowledge, and skills that children need to act responsibly for the environment (Green, Kalvaitis, & Worster, 2016)—and (2) investigate how environmental identity can be nurtured via an intergenerational, community-based environmental science program that is supported by media and incorporates culturally responsive ways of understanding and doing science.

The proposed project builds on MOLLY OF DENALI, a PBS KIDS series consisting of a national TV series,digital games, a podcast, book series, and hands-on activities for children, families, and educators—allcentered on Molly Mabray, a 10-year-old Alaska Native girl and her adventures in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska.

The project will unfold over three phases of work:

(1) Formative Research. In this phase, the project team will collaborate with three communities (Northway, Hoonah, and Bethel) to learn more about how 6- to 8-year-old children from rural Alaska Native villages relate to their place and environment; how adults in the community conceptualize their role in nurturing children’s understanding of the environment; and how existing community resources could be used to create a community program that supports environmental science exploration.

(2) Iterative Co-Design and Testing. In this phase, the project team will work closely with communities to co-design, test, and revise an implementation model (potentially centered on library, cultural camp, or public media programming) and set of draft multimedia resources (like videos, hands-on activities and/or a digital game) that can be used to create a community science program that fosters environmental science exploration and identity development.

3) Evaluation. Throughout the project, Alaska-based evaluator Goldstream Group will document how all project participants work together, with the goal of creating a set of guidelines that can be used by other media producers and researchers to co-create educational materials in Indigenous communities. Evaluators will also investigate the kinds of revisions that might need to be made to the program in order to be used widely by other communities inside and outside of Alaska.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

One-page poster

NSF Award Abstract

Age Group

Additional Link(s)

GBH KIDS

Molly of Denali website

Project Stage

Project Type

SSP Project_ITEST PI Meeting 2022.pdf

Discipline(s)

Environmental sciences

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Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts

Sara Robberson Lentz — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 20:39:45 +0000

Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts

Sara Robberson Lentz Fri, 10/28/2022 - 16:39

Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts

The STEM Storytelling through Podcasts (SSP) project focuses on broadening participation for blind/visually impaired (BVI) and sighted upper elementary students by engaging them with podcast technology to promote access to STEM and introduce students to STEM careers.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

NSF Award Abstract

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2148711&HistoricalAwards=false

Age Group

Project Stage

Project Type

NSF Abstract for SISTEM: Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM thinkin…

Discipline(s)

Other

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Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM Thinking for Young Dual Language Learners (SISTEM)

Jessica Young — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:59:33 +0000

Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM Thinking for Young Dual Language Learners (SISTEM)

Jessica Young Fri, 10/28/2022 - 11:59

Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM Thinking for Young Dual Language Learners (SISTEM)

SISTEM’s overarching goals are to (1) Increase DLL PreK families’ perceptions of themselves as partners in their children’s science learning and their engagement, confidence, and skills in supporting their children’s science inquiry; (2)Increase PreK DLL teachers’ perceptions of themselves as partners in their students’ science learning and their skills and self-efficacy in facilitating science inquiry with DLLs; (3) Increase children’s, families’ and teachers’ knowledge of STEM careers; and (4) Improve PreK DLLs’ science, language and literacy skills and their interest and self-confidence in doing and learning science.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

SISTEM 1 pager-poster

NSF Award Abstract

Age Group

SISTEM Google Website for Teachers

Additional Link(s)

Project Stage

Year 3

Project Type

STEM Stories Project from Teachers College, Columbia University

Discipline(s)

Life sciences

Physics and astronomy

Other

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Bridging Communities with Student STEM Stories: Culturally-Responsive Strategies for Motivating STEM Engagement in Diversifying Public Schools

Amy Wells — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:01:35 +0000

Bridging Communities with Student STEM Stories: Culturally-Responsive Strategies for Motivating STEM Engagement in Diversifying Public Schools

Amy Wells Fri, 10/28/2022 - 09:01

Bridging Communities with Student STEM Stories: Culturally-Responsive Strategies for Motivating STEM Engagement in Diversifying Public Schools

This poster describes our NSF ITEST Project on culturally responsive STEM education and the power of students' stories about STEM in their homes and communities to not only engage students more deeply in their STEM learning, but also to help students, eductors and parents expand their understandings of where STEM can be found in the world and valued knowledge that exists in all communities.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

NSF Award Abstract

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1759372&HistoricalAwards=false

Age Group

We were not able to upload our video above due to the format, so we are trying …

Additional Link(s)

Our STEM Stories Lesson Plan Website

Project Stage

Year 4+

Project Type

Discipline(s)

Interdisciplinary

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Integrating Artificial Intelligence with Smart Engineering Tools and English Language Arts in Upper Elementary Education

Jennifer Cross — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:08:53 +0000

Integrating Artificial Intelligence with Smart Engineering Tools and English Language Arts in Upper Elementary Education

Jennifer Cross Fri, 10/28/2022 - 03:08

Integrating Artificial Intelligence with Smart Engineering Tools and English Language Arts in Upper Elementary Education

Our project team is developing a research-informed educational ecosystem bringing AI concepts to upper elementary school students. This ecosystem will include a novel, low-cost, AI-enabled hardware toolset, including components such as sensors, actuators, and a microcontroller, for students to build smart systems, as well as support for teacher professional development. Through after-school and summer programs, we aim to engage over 1000 St. Louis County students in constructing functional AI-enabled solutions to problems presented in fictional stories that the students read in English language arts and summer reading programs. The goal of the approach is to encourage transdisciplinary learning at the intersection of AI, engineering, and literacy.

Through this RETTL ITEST project, we hope to generate a new model for introducing vital AI concepts to elementary students that reduces barriers to integrating computational thinking into school curricula and provides tangible, trainable representations of AI for students to explore.

Additional Media

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

PI Meeting 2022 One-pager

NSF Award Abstract

Age Group

Project Stage

Year 2

Project Type

Computer and informational technology science

Discipline(s)

Engineering

Emerging Tech (Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Blockchain)

Interdisciplinary

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Digital Mathematics Storytelling - Chao

Theodore Chao — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 05:57:56 +0000

Digital Mathematics Storytelling - Chao

Theodore Chao Fri, 10/28/2022 - 01:57

Digital Mathematics Storytelling - Chao

Digital Storytelling with children in urban emergent communities, this project aims to create protocols that children can use to document, share, and showcase the rich mathematical knowledge that exists in their own families and communities.

Additional Media

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

Chao-Digital Math Storytelling

NSF Award Abstract

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1943208

Age Group

Middle School

Exploring Theory and Design Principles (ETD)

Project Stage

Year 3

Project Type

Discipline(s)

Mathematical sciences

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Project eSPAC3: A Culturally Affirming Approach to Spatial Computational Thinking Skills and Career Awareness

Perla Myers — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 22:10:30 +0000

Project eSPAC3: A Culturally Affirming Approach to Spatial Computational Thinking Skills and Career Awareness

Perla Myers Thu, 10/27/2022 - 18:10

Project eSPAC3: A Culturally Affirming Approach to Spatial Computational Thinking Skills and Career Awareness

Project eSPAC3 aims to develop upper-elementary students’ spatial computational thinking skills and awareness of computationally-intensive careers by designing an immersive Latinx culturally affirming enactive learning experience in Minecraft Education Edition which emphasizes family engagement, near-peer mentorship, peer collaboration and expert modeling.

Poster Materials

NSF One Pager

Project eSPAC3

NSF Award Abstract

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2148732&HistoricalAwards=false

Age Group

Multiple/Other

Project Stage

Project Type