The Efficacy of Educative Curriculum Materials to Support Geospatial Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Publication

Teaching and learning about geospatial aspects of energy resource issues requires that science teachers apply effective science pedagogical approaches to implement geospatial technologies into classroom instruction. To address this need, we designed educative curriculum materials as an integral part of a comprehensive middle school energy resources science curriculum. We examined teachers’ perceived impact of the curriculum materials to support their pedagogical content knowledge related to teaching science with geospatial technologies. Results indicated that the educative curriculum materials

Read More

Computational Thinking in Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education

Publication

Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems and formulating solutions that can be automated. In an increasingly information-based society, CT is becoming an essential skill for everyone. To ensure that students develop this ability at the K-12 level, it is important to provide teachers with an adequate knowledge about CT and how to incorporate it into their teaching. This article describes a study on designing and introducing computational thinking modules and assessing their impact on preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts, as well

Read More

Preservice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectancy Beliefs

Instruments

Guided by the theoretical and empirical research on self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs, and the Culturally Responsive Teaching Competencies [Siwatu, K.O. (2006a). The development of the culturally responsive teaching competencies: Implications for teacher education. Manuscript under review], two measures—the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE) and the Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome Expectancy (CRTOE) Scale—were developed and administered to a sample of preservice teachers in the Midwest. The findings from this study suggest that preservice teachers are

Read More

Teaching Confidence Scale

Instruments

This paper reports the results of an ongoing study of changes in teacher efficacy from entry into a preparation program through the first year of actual teaching. Multiple quantitative assessments of efficacy were used including items developed for the RAND studies, Gibson and Dembo’s Teacher Efficacy Scale, Bandura’s Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, and an instrument designed to reflect the specific context and goals of the preparation program studied.

Read More

Design Fixation

Publication

The purpose of this article is to provide awareness of the danger of design fixation and promote the uses of brainstorming early in the design process--before fixation limits creative ideas. The authors challenged technology teachers to carefully limit the use of design examples too early in the process and provided suggestions for facilitating brainstorming sessions to help generate innovative ideas. The authors are not suggesting that teachers never provide design examples; in fact, this article highlights techniques for providing students with authentic examples and the benefits of this

Read More

Persistent Teaching Practices after Geospatial Technology Professional Development

Publication

This case study described teachers with varying technology skills who were implementing the use of geospatial technology (GST) within project-based instruction (PBI) at varying grade levels and contexts 1 to 2 years following professional development. The sample consisted of 10 fifth- to ninth-grade teachers. Data sources included artifacts, observations, interviews, and a GST performance assessment and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Teachers’ teaching actions, beliefs, context, and technology skills were categorized. Results indicated that all of the teachers had high

Read More

Florida's iDigFossils program uses giant 3D printed shark teeth to get kids into STEM subjects

News

A new educational curriculum established by the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of National History is using 3D printing technology to bring kids closer to our pre-historic forebears. The program is known as iDigFossils, and a report in Paleontological Society Special Publications titled ''3-D Fossils for K-12 Education: A Case Example Using the Giant Extinct Sharkcarcharocles Megalodon’' suggests that it is having great success.

Read More

How University of Florida researchers are using 3D printing and digital fossils to improve education

News

A recently conducted case study on the effectiveness of utilizing 3D printing technology to teach intricate subjects within science to young students showcases what researchers from the University of Florida have been working on in a National Science Foundation-funded program called iDigFossils that offers curriculum on intricate subjects such as evolution and climate change through the usage of 3D printed fossil replicas. The case study of the

Read More

Petrosino shares ideas about integrating computer science in schools of education in NSF-sponsored event

News

Computer science education researchers, leaders from colleges of education, teacher educators, and computer scientists from across the U.S. participated in a workshop to address critical questions related to the integration of computing education into schools of education. The National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored conference was held in New York City April 8 and 9 and focused on bringing computer science into colleges of education around

Read More