Preparing Teachers to Engage Rural Students in Computational Thinking through Robotics, Game Design, and Culturally Responsive Teaching

Publications

This article examines teacher preparation and teacher change in engineering and computer science education. We examined culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) beliefs, and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) as teachers participated in one of three treatment groups: robotics only, game design only, or blended robotics/game design. Descriptive data revealed that CRTSE gain scores were higher in the robotics only and blended contexts than in the game design only context. However, CRTOE beliefs were consistent

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Peanut butter and jelly: The edible algorithm

News

The Arizona Chief Science Officer (CSO) program, supported by State Farm, gets students involved in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities, while teaching them about careers in these fields. During a CSO institute, State Farm volunteers used a childhood favorite – the PB&J, to demonstrate the importance of algorithms. Students plotted the steps needed to build the perfect PB&J, then shared their algorithms with volunteers –

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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

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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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GRACE interns GIS-based youth neighborhood and health research StoryMaps

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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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Modeling and Simulation: How Everything seems to Form and Grow

Publications

The ideas in this article resulted from many years of research in engineering, physics, computer, and cognitive sciences, as well as teaching experience in college and secondary schools. While its main purpose is to discuss the universality of modeling and simulation process and its pedagogical use in teaching, there are several conclusions to be drawn.

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Epistemological, Psychological, Neurosciences, and Cognitive Essence of Computational Thinking

Publications

The construct of computational thinking (CT) was popularized a decade ago as an “attitude and skillset” for everyone. However, since it is equated with thinking by computer scientists, the teaching of these skills poses many challenges at K-12 because of their reliance on the use of electronic computers and programming concepts that are often found too abstract and difficult by young students. This article links CT – i.e., thinking generated and facilitated by a computational device – to our typical fundamental cognitive processes by using a model of mind that is aligned with research in

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The Essence of Computational Thinking

Publications

A decade of discourse to capture the essence of computational thinking has resulted in a broad set of skills whose teaching continue to pose challenges because of the reliance on the use of electronic computers and programming concepts. This article not only links computational thinking skills to fundamental cognitive competencies but also describes pedagogical tools that have proven effective in teaching them at early ages.

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