Are We Preparing the Next Generation? K-12 Teacher Knowledge and Engagement in Teaching Core STEM Practices

Background: Several of the recent reform efforts in K-12 STEM education (e.g. Next Generation Science Standards [NGSS and Common Core State Standards-Mathematics [CCSS-M]) have included significant emphasis on the practices of STEM. We argue that K-12 teachers\u27 ability to effectively engage their students in these core STEM practices is fundamental to the success of potential and current engineering students and their subsequent careers as engineers. Practices such as identifying problems, modeling using mathematics, and arguing from evidence are fundamental processes in engineering. Helping students develop their capacity to engage in these practices early in their education will increase the likelihood of the students applying the practices and developing skills aligned with the work of engineers. We contend that engaging in the practices associated with engineering may increase K-12 student interest and the successful pursuit of engineering as a career because they will find relevance in what is being taught and gain knowledge of the applications of STEM content which will help them develop talents aligned with the work of engineers. Project: In recognition of the importance of being able to apply the practices of science and engineering (NGSS) and the practices of mathematics (CCSS-M) to be successful as an engineer (or a STEM professional), we emphasized the of importance and value of core STEM practices as part of i-STEM-our week-long intensive, statewide STEM professional development (PD) summer institute program for over 500 K-12 educators. During i-STEM, the K-12 educators were exposed to interactive plenary sessions in which keynote speakers walked the participants through the practices using authentic hands-on activities and materials detailing the practices, and STEM professional development providers engaged them in the practices in STEM topic specific strands (intensive 25 hour short courses based on themes such as mining, energy, computer science, robotics, transportation, and etc). To determine the impact of the summer institute, we developed and administered an instrument to assess the participants\u27 knowledge and engagement in teaching core STEM practices. Pre-Test Results: Our analysis revealed that before the teachers (N = 347) entered the i-STEM professional development offering they had very limited knowledge of core practices. When asked to list core practices some responded with answers such as, I have no knowledge of this. and Give background on rockets, watching videos, building rockets, discuss how and why they flew the farthest, redo and re-fly. and Not sure what you mean by practices. In contrast, when asked to rate their levels of knowledge of the math practices (on a scale of 1-10) the average rating was 5.67 (SD = 2.21) and knowledge of science/engineering practices was 2.62 (SD = 2.00). Responses indicated that the teachers rated their knowledge as moderate in math and low in science/engineering and yet they struggled to articulate many of the core STEM practices. Post-Test Results: The immediate post-test of the participants (n = 347) revealed increases in self-reported averaged ratings of knowledge of the CCSS-M practices (M = 6.63, SD = 1.86) and the NGSS science and engineering practices (M = 5.04, SD = 2.03). However, as with the pre-test, these ratings were misaligned with detailed articulation of the practices. Responses to the item asking the participants to list the core STEM practices included statements such as, I think there is a written explanation as to why things work and the steps broken down and explained. and Not familiar enough. Regardless many participants indicated that they had a better understanding of the practices after the i-STEM institute. å© American Society for Engineering Education, 2015

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Mata Pelajaran Sains Melalui Penggunaan Alat Peraga Di Kelas V SDN 1 Dolong A

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian tindakan kelas. Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam dua siklus dengan tujuan meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa dengan menggunakan alat peraga di kelas V SDN 1 Dolong A. Subyek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas V SDN 1 Dolong A yang berjumlah 32 orang terdiri dari 15 orang laki-laki dan 17 orang perempuan. Hasil penelitian pada siklus I menunjukkan rata-rata hasil observasi aktivitas siswa diperoleh persentase 71,87% dengan kategori baik, persentase aktivitas guru 77% kategori baik, persentase daya serap klasikal 56,63% dan tuntas klasikal sebesar 71,87%. Pada siklus II diperoleh rata-rata persentase aktivitas siswa sebesar 87,5% dengan kategori sangat baik, persentase aktivitas guru 90,38% kategori sangat baik, persentase daya serap klasikal 80% dan persentase tuntas klasikal sebesar 85%. Hal ini telah memenuhi indikator keberhasilan yang telah ditetapkan dengan nilai rata-rata hasil belajar minimal 70 dan ketuntasan klasikal sudah mencapai indikator keberhasilan minimal 80%

Investigation of Amino and Fatty Acid Characterisation of Thevetia peruviana (Milk Bush) Seed

This study examined the amino acid profile and fatty acid analysis of Milk bush (thevetia peruviana) seed. The seeds were ground into very fine powder using three processing techniques. The parameters of interest were carried out using standard methods. The results of both essential and non-essential amino acids showed that the total essential amino acid content in oven-dried seed sample (OD.S), airdried seed sample (AD.S) and sun-dried seed sample (SD.S) were within the WHO Standard. It was observed that eighteen out of the twenty amino acids content of food were present in the seed with glutamic acid having the highest value, followed by aspartate and arginine. Also the eight essential amino acid needed in the daily diet were all present in the sample (arginine, valine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylanine, threonine, tryptophan and leucine). There were reductions in the level of some amino acids as a result of the processing treatments. The fatty acid analysis also revealed that the sample contained both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids for oven-dried, sun-dried and air-dried are 60.89, 2.21 and 20.47 respectively while the saturated fatty acids for oven-dried , sun-dried and air dried 26.15, 3.29 and 35.61 respectively. The result suggested that thevetia peruviana contains high quality protein and the oil is a good source of unsaturation which increases the shelf life and edibility of the oil. Keywords: Amino acid; Fatty acid; Characterization; Processing techniques; Milk-bush see

Exploring the environment, magnetic fields, and feedback effects of massive high-redshift galaxies with [CII]

Massive galaxies are expected to grow through different transformative evolutionary phases where high-redshift starburst galaxies and quasars are examples of such phases. The physical mechanisms driving these phases include companion galaxy interactions, active galactic nuclei feedback, and magnetic fields. Our aim is to characterize the physical properties and the environment of the submillimeter galaxy AzTEC-3 at z = 5.3 and the lensed quasar BRI 0952-0115 at z = 4.4, to set a limit on the polarization properties, as well as placing both in the broader context of galaxy evolution. We used full polarization, sub-arcsecond-resolution, ALMA band-7 observations of both BRI 0952-0115 and AzTEC-3 and detect [CII] line emission towards both galaxies, along with companions in each field. We present an updated gravitational lensing model for BRI 0952-0115. We present infrared luminosities, star-formation rates, and [CII] line to infrared luminosity ratios for each source. The [CII] emission line profile for both BRI 0952-0115 and AzTEC-3 exhibit a broad, complex morphology, indicating the possible presence of outflows. We present evidence of a 'gas bridge' between AzTEC-3 and a companion source. Using a simple dynamical mass estimate for the sources, we suggest that both systems are undergoing minor or major mergers. No polarization is detected for the [CII], placing an upper limit below that of theoretical predictions. Our results show that high-velocity wings are detected, indicating possible signs of massive outflows; however, the presence of companion galaxies can affect the final interpretation. Furthermore, the results provide additional evidence in support of the hypothesis that massive galaxies form in overdense regions, growing through interactions. Finally, strong, ordered magnetic fields are unlikely to exist at the kiloparsec scale in the two studied sources

Gender Specific Disruptions in Emotion Processing in Younger Adults with Depression

Background: One of the principal theories regarding the biological basis of major depressive disorder (MDD) implicates a dysregulation of emotion-processing circuitry. Gender differences in how emotions are processed and relative experience with emotion processing might help to explain some of the disparities in the prevalence of MDD between women and men. This study sought to explore how gender and depression status relate to emotion processing. Methods: This study employed a 2 (MDD status) × 2 (gender) factorial design to explore differences in classifications of posed facial emotional expressions (N=151). Results: For errors, there was an interaction between gender and depression status. Women with MDD made more errors than did nondepressed women and men with MDD, particularly for fearful and sad stimuli (Ps Ps P=.01). Men with MDD, conversely, performed similarly to control men (P=.61). Conclusions: These results provide novel and intriguing evidence that depression in younger adults (years) differentially disrupts emotion processing in women as compared to men. This interaction could be driven by neurobiological and social learning mechanisms, or interactions between them, and may underlie differences in the prevalence of depression in women and men. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. Published 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc