Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Data Science

The Park City Math Institute (PCMI) 2016 Summer Undergraduate Faculty Program met for the purpose of composing guidelines for undergraduate programs in Data Science. The group consisted of 25 undergraduate faculty from a variety of institutions in the U.S., primarily from the disciplines of mathematics, statistics and computer science. These guidelines are meant to provide some structure for institutions planning for or revising a major in Data Science

Assessments as Teaching and Research Tools in an Environmental Problem-Solving Program for In-Service Teachers

This article discusses the use of a scenario-based assessment tool in two environmental geoscience in-service programs for middle school and high school teachers. This tool served both to guide instructional techniques and as a method to evaluate the success of the instructional approach. In each case, participants were assessed before the workshops to reveal misconceptions that could be addressed in program activities and afterwards to reveal shifts in their understanding of concepts and approaches. The researchers noted that this scenario-based assessment was effective in providing guidance in refining instructional techniques and as a method to evaluate the effectiveness of an instructional program. In addition, participating teachers reported significant changes in their teaching as a result of the program. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Graduate or professional

Understanding the Potential of Anticipation, Teaching, and Response to Struggle in the Learning of Mathematics

This qualitative semi-structured interview study investigated how the opportunity to learn with productive struggle emerges in a teacher’s beliefs, anticipation, planning, teaching, and response to struggle in learning mathematics. In this study, the experiences of student struggle in the teaching and learning of fractions was investigated through the experiences of three fifth grade and one sixth grade teacher. The purpose was to understand how the phenomenon of productive struggle in learning mathematics was impacted by teachers anticipation, planning, teaching, and response to struggle. The central research question asked: What role does productive struggle play in the design and implementation of mathematics lessons? Three interviews provided a progressive focus on the phenomenon as each participant’s experience with productive struggle was illuminated. Attendant questions guided the interviews: How do teachers perceive their role and the role of students as it relates to learning with productive struggle? How do teachers prepare for anticipated struggle when planning for mathematics instruction? How do teachers respond to evidence of struggle in student learning? and Do the responses have the potential to invoke a productive struggle for students? The findings provide compelling evidence that the phenomenon of productive struggle in learning mathematics is directly impacted by a teacher’s beliefs about the role of struggle in learning mathematics. Seven findings emerged: (1) Teachers describing a student-centered and constructivist learning environment were more likely to indicate an opportunity for learning that fostered productive struggle, (2) Teachers describing a teacher-centered and transmissionist learning environment were more likely to indicate a diminished opportunity for learning with productive struggle, (3) Teacher descriptions of students’ mathematical understanding indicated a relationship to their teaching philosophy, (4) Teachers’ beliefs provide a strong indication of an opportunity or lack of opportunity for their students to learn with productive struggle, (5) Teachers who believe that struggle is a benefit to student learning create this opportunity, while teachers who believe that struggle is a barrier remove or diminish this opportunity, (6) Teacher inability to recognize productive struggle among students in their classrooms impacted their responses to evidence of student struggle, and (7) Teachers removed the opportunity for learning with productive struggle when students demonstrated a prolonged struggle following probing. Expanding upon important research on productive struggle, the findings of this study suggest that understanding the relationship between our beliefs, practices, and ability to identify productive struggle has a direct impact on students’ opportunity to learn with productive struggle

Methods of Smile: A Science Seminar Course in Deliberate Education

Oregon State University’s Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program is an enrichment program for minority and underrepresented K-12 students. Through an eight-year iterative process, SMILE has developed and refined a science seminar course that allows undergraduate and master’s degree students to explore science enrichment for youth. Students enrolled in the course are engaged in teaching and learning as a community of learners with a focus on service learning. The intended audience for the course is those students who are interested in working in educational settings with youth—as classroom teachers, science/mathematics professionals engaged in precollege outreach, and the like. The actual audience, though quite broad, represents those students who want to be better prepared as effective science educators in their various career roles. This article provides the context for the course, defines and examines deliberate education as illustrated by the structure and activities of the Methods of SMILE seminar course, highlights the elements of an effective community of learners as demonstrated through it, details the specific strategies and activities of it, and summarizes the next steps in identifying its impact in transforming the participants’ college experiences

Toward future 'mixed reality' learning spaces for STEAM education

Digital technology is becoming more integrated and part of modern society. As this begins to happen, technologies including augmented reality, virtual reality, 3d printing and user supplied mobile devices (collectively referred to as mixed reality) are often being touted as likely to become more a part of the classroom and learning environment. In the discipline areas of STEAM education, experts are expected to be at the forefront of technology and how it might fit into their classroom. This is especially important because increasingly, educators are finding themselves surrounded by new learners that expect to be engaged with participatory, interactive, sensory-rich, experimental activities with greater opportunities for student input and creativity. This paper will explore learner and academic perspectives on mixed reality case studies in 3d spatial design (multimedia and architecture), paramedic science and information technology, through the use of existing data as well as additional one-on-one interviews around the use of mixed reality in the classroom. Results show that mixed reality can provide engagement, critical thinking and problem solving benefits for students in line with this new generation of learners, but also demonstrates that more work needs to be done to refine mixed reality solutions for the classroom

Students’ Computational Thinking Skills In Physics Learning: A Case study of Kinematic Concepts

Physics learning provides a context for future careers in fostering ability in high-end logic with the 21st learning goals. Applying computational thinking in schools is challenging and requires systemic transformation and teacher attention. This study aims to investigate the computational thinking of students in physics learning. This study used exploratory qualitative research. Data were gathered through observation, interviews, and portfolio documents. The data are analyzed through six stages: preparing and organizing, exploring, building descriptions, representing the findings, interpreting the results, and validating the accuracy. The result indicated four primary computational thinking skills: decomposition, abstraction, simulation, and evaluation. The computational thinking skills in physics learning can develop students’ understanding and implementation of physics concepts based on data, not just mathematical formulas. Computational thinking in physics learning gives students the opportunity and space to explore and develop their ideas and logical reasoning more deeply in problem-defining, solutions, and evaluation. Students use their logical reasoning to solve the problem precisely. This study is expected to be used as a basis and support for physics teachers to integrate computational thinking into their learning classroom

Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Data Science

The Park City Math Institute 2016 Summer Undergraduate Faculty Program met for the purpose of composing guidelines for undergraduate programs in data science. The group consisted of 25 undergraduate faculty from a variety of institutions in the United States, primarily from the disciplines of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. These guidelines are meant to provide some structure for institutions planning for or revising a major in data science

Responsible research and innovation in science education: insights from evaluating the impact of using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values

The European Commission policy approach of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is gaining momentum in European research planning and development as a strategy to align scientific and technological progress with socially desirable and acceptable ends. One of the RRI agendas is science education, aiming to foster future generations' acquisition of skills and values needed to engage in society responsibly. To this end, it is argued that RRI-based science education can benefit from more interdisciplinary methods such as those based on arts and digital technologies. However, the evidence existing on the impact of science education activities using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values remains underexplored. This article comparatively reviews previous evidence on the evaluation of these activities, from primary to higher education, to examine whether and how RRI-related learning outcomes are evaluated and how these activities impact on students' learning. Forty academic publications were selected and its content analysed according to five RRI values: creative and critical thinking, engagement, inclusiveness, gender equality and integration of ethical issues. When evaluating the impact of digital and arts-based methods in science education activities, creative and critical thinking, engagement and partly inclusiveness are the RRI values mainly addressed. In contrast, gender equality and ethics integration are neglected. Digital-based methods seem to be more focused on students' questioning and inquiry skills, whereas those using arts often examine imagination, curiosity and autonomy. Differences in the evaluation focus between studies on digital media and those on arts partly explain differences in their impact on RRI values, but also result in non-documented outcomes and undermine their potential. Further developments in interdisciplinary approaches to science education following the RRI policy agenda should reinforce the design of the activities as well as procedural aspects of the evaluation research