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Eric.ed.gov – The Skyline TEAMS Model: A Longitudinal Look at the Impacts of K-12 Engineering on Perception, Preparation and Persistence

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper describes the longitudinal impacts of a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder’s K-12 Engineering Education initiative and the St. Vrain Valley School District. Together, university and high school educators created a replicable pre-college engineering model in a nine-school feeder system, which serves many Colorado students who are traditionally underrepresented in the engineering profession, and culminates with a high school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Academy whose graduates are motivated to thrive in engineering colleges. However, the following question, “Is this an effective model for increasing student STEM persistence and performance?” remains a driver for our investments as we refine the K-12 engineering program based on partner school feedback and quantitative and qualitative assessment results. Data show that our K-12 engineering program has positively… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics Academies: Cohort 1 Evaluation Study, 2011-2013

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Commencing in 2011, the Mathematics Academies Initiative is a series of professional development academies (lasting 1 to 2 years, depending on cohort) with the primary objectives of (a) providing educators with a high quality professional development experience that enhances their mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical skills, and (b) increasing positive attitudes and confidence when providing mathematical instruction. As coordinator of the initiative, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Special Programs (OSP) partners with regional education service agencies (RESAs) and local school districts to identify and invite teachers to the math academies, and with Carnegie Learning Inc., an external vendor, to provide instruction and materials. This research study is an evaluation of the first cohort (hereafter, Cohort 1) of the Mathematics Academies Initiative. Cohort 1,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Who Does the Alternate Assessment Really Assess?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Special education teachers in Georgia are required to develop grade level tasks, reflecting grade level standards, teach the tasks and document the progress of their students with significant cognitive disabilities in the areas of math, science, literature, and social studies. The teachers must then compile the evidence of the students’ progress on the tasks into a portfolio that is graded to determine if the students (and sometimes the schools) make adequate yearly progress. This literature review will look at research concerning teachers’ perceptions of alternate assessments. This literature will attempt to prove the hypothesis that teachers perceive alternate assessments as an assessment of their ability to complete the task rather than student learning and knowledge. The literature is arranged chronologically. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Helpwithmaths.com: Students’ Use of Online Mathematical Resources

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A recent Google search for “Help with maths” produced 57,600,000 results, indicating that there are literally millions of online resources claiming to provide assistance with mathematics. As mathematics educators, however, we remain largely uninformed about students’ use of such resources, particularly when they are self-initiated and often accessed in an out of classroom environment. This paper reports on a study that investigated the resources Grade 8 and 9 students accessed when requiring support with understanding mathematical concepts. The study found that while friends and teachers were often students’ preferred options, they did access online sites, particularly in the later years of schooling. The study has implications for students and teachers including the potential for online resources to both complement and challenge the traditional role of the teacher… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Environmental Systems Simulations for Carbon, Energy, Nitrogen, Water, and Watersheds: Design Principles and Pilot Testing

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Guided by the Next Generation Science Standards and elements of problem-based learning, four human-environment systems simulations are described in brief–carbon, energy, water, and watershed–and a fifth simulation on nitrogen is described in more depth. These science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education simulations illustrate design principles that make them engaging to students, such as dynamic visual environments that are controlled by the user and immediate visual feedback to user actions taken. The simulations are contextualized in real-world natural resources management challenges involving biogeochemical cycles, such as Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, which provide an opportunity to “win the game,” while the introduction of complexity in steps provides scaffolding. Pretest versus posttest results indicate a substantial and statistically significant improvement in learning outcomes resulting from using the nitrogen simulation,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – An Investigation for the Future Educators’ Attitudes towards the Environmental Issues in the Context of Ecocentrism and Anthropocentrism

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this study, it was revealed that the factors influencing the future educators’ attitudes towards the environment. The survey was conducted between 2013-2014, on the freshman and the senior students studying in two different education faculties providing training within the boundaries of Turkish Cypriot. As a result, it has been found that persons who take any course related to environment, become a member of any environmental organizations, join any environmental activities, and follow any publication related to the environment by throughout education life contribute the formation of environmental protection awareness for them. The majority of the participants had an ecocentric attitude. To be increased of the environmental awareness for teacher candidates studying in math and social sciences, the necessity and importance of a number of environmental activities… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Research of the Effect of Attitude, Achievement, and Gender on Mathematic Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Recent studies in math education focus on differences between behaviors and performances of male and female students. In this study, achievement and attitudes of middle school students to math were described in terms of gender and grade differences. The aim of this study is to determine whether any differences exist between female and male students’ attitudes and successes of middle school toward mathematics. This research was designed as a descriptive research. Students (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) were registered to “Attitude Survey toward Mathematics.” This survey is consisted of two parts. In the first part, there are demographic questions. The second part is 5-Likert type survey which is intended to learn students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Secondly, in order to determine students’ achievements from mathematics, their grades and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teaching Mathematics in a Project-Based Learning Context: Initial Teacher Knowledge and Perceived Needs

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper reports on initial data from teachers at an Australian Year 9-12 secondary school which is attempting to implement a project-based learning model across the entire curriculum. The eight teachers had diverse prior teaching experiences, including work in primary schools, special education, Year 7-10 secondary schools, and technical and further education. None had studied mathematics at tertiary level and just one listed maths as a main teaching area. Results of an initial survey indicate that most had reasonable levels of personal mathematics competence, and could identify relevant mathematical concepts among the affordances of a particular scenario, but that they struggled to articulate how they would work with students to pursue any of the relevant mathematics in depth. [This project was funded by University of Tasmania Research… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Toward Social Justice: The Characteristics of an Effective Mathematics Intervention Program for Urban Middle School Students

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This two-part investigation (a) assessed the impact of the Jaime Escalante Math Program (JEMP), a structured summer mathematics intervention program, on the math achievement of urban middle school students, (b) identified the characteristics of the program that the administrators and teachers perceived to contribute to student achievement, and (c) compared the JEMP characteristics to those found in the literature on effective mathematics intervention programs. A mixed methods approach included analysis of two years of student math assessment data, administrator interviews, and teacher surveys. Quantitative findings indicate that student participants in the JEMP achieved significant growth in mathematics on two measures. Additionally, effective program elements are revealed in the qualitative data including specific classroom instructional strategies used in the JEMP. The results of this study will assist educators… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – In-Service Training Needs of Agriculture Teachers for Preparing Them to Be Effective in the 21st Century

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this descriptive survey research study conducted with agriculture teachers in North Carolina was to determine their in-service training needs in order to be effective for preparing students with the 21st century skills necessary for students to be successful. This study reaffirms the need for continuation of leadership education as an important skill and integration of reading, writing, and math concepts into all agricultural education curricula for preparing students to be successful in the 21st century. The role of agriculture in global food security; application of problem-based learning; planning and delivering lessons to utilize higher order thinking skills; teaching leadership skills; and development of teamwork and student collaboration were identified as the five most important in-service training needs for preparing agriculture teachers to be effective… Continue Reading