Incorporating engineering in high school biology

textThe purpose of this project was to create a series of lessons that incorporate both Biology and Engineering concepts. The three lessons were intended to increase in complexity as the students progress throughout the year. Using PyMol software allowed students to visually represent complex protein structures while introducing and providing an opportunity to practice programming. Each lesson was followed by a worksheet or activity to aid in students' comprehension and application of practice. These lessons were designed to maximize students' time learning to program and using PyMol software while enhancing the current curriculum. Lesson one introduced students to the PyMol software while building and representing the four main structures of proteins. With increased programming knowledge, lesson two focused on modeling the DNA double helix. The final lesson introduced students to evolutionary relationships based on a protein's amino acid sequence.Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Educatio

\u3cem\u3eLearning to Code Music\u3c/em\u3e: Development of a Supplemental Unit for High School Computer Science

Learning to Code Music is a supplemental unit developed for high school computer science. This unit was developed after researching the effects of biases in curriculum, effective teaching, and incorporating the arts into coding. This supplemental unit is intended to be used with one of the Computer Science Principles curriculum approved by the College Board and explained in the literature review. It is my goal to have other teachers and myself to use this supplemental unit in their high school computer science courses. All supplemental unit material can be found at https://sites.google.com/notusschools.org/earsketch-csp/hom

EXPLORING TEACHERS’ AND ADMINISTRATORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STEAM EDUCATION IN K-12 SCHOOLS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEAM: AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL MIXED METHOD DESIGN

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed method design was to investigate, identify and document the similarities and differences in perceptions when implementing a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education between teachers and administrators at the K-12 level. Throughout this process, teachers’ and administrators’ beliefs and perceptions towards STEAM instruction were analyzed to determine how they perceived, interpreted, implemented and sustained this new initiative. The problem, however, is that studies have demonstrated that educators have a limited understanding of STEAM content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), as well as low self-efficacy in teaching STEAM concepts, which results in educators avoiding teaching a STEAM based education (Epstein & Miller, 2011). The sample for this research included educators that teach grades K-12 in a suburban region of New York that encapsulated 5 school districts. It also included school administrators (superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, directors and department chairs) from elementary, middle and high schools in the same suburban, New York region as the teachers, within those same 5 school districts. All participants in this research (educators and administrators) were from a suburban region of New York that had a STEAM model within their district. Data collection and analysis consisted of the participants completing a STEAM Education Perception Survey, which was administered to participants anonymously through Survey Monkey, examined and then transferred into SPSS statistical analysis software. It also consisted of teacher and administrator interviews, in which the qualitative data was analyzed. This study revealed that ongoing and continuous efforts are needed in order to develop more effective methods for promoting the perceptions of STEAM education. This study is significant and has valuable implications to educators, administrators, researchers and policy makers in understanding the perceptions, experiences and challenges when integrating and implementing a STEAM curriculum. The findings of this study will seek to assist educators, researchers, school and district leaders and policy makers in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses in relation to teachers’ and administrators’ pedagogical knowledge, CK, PCK, as well as their perceptions in connection to STEAM implementation

Leadership Perceptions of STEAM Curriculum Implementation from Educational Leaders in an Elementary Setting

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions of administrators toward the process of STEAM curriculum implementation using a curriculum change lens. The study centers on the qualitative data gathered through the views and experiences of principals who work toward addressing the needs of a future workforce through the STEAM method. Research questions included: (1) What are administrators\u27 perceptions of implementing the STEAM curriculum approach to instruction within an elementary school? (2) What are characteristics of administrators who have guided STEAM curriculum implementation? Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews with individual leaders, and artifacts. The gathering such information aided in providing a clearer illustration of the thoughts of administrators implementing STEAM curriculum