Using a PBL perspective in continuing education for science and mathematics lower secondary teachers

For years, the need for inquiry- and problem-based learning (PBL) in primary and lower secondary education, within science and mathematics, has been addressed worldwide and requires support from a range of pedagogical sources. One important basis for such support is continuing teacher education. Thepresent research builds upon data froma nationwide qualitative investigation (HesselholtHenneHansen et al., 2019), conducted as part of a feasibility study aimed at initiating a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) graduate teacher programme in Denmark, leading to a Master of Science (MSc)in STEM teaching. The investigation identified continuing education needs of science and mathematics teachers and student teachers. We looked into the results of the qualitative portion of the feasibility study and investigated whether and how problem-based learning was being emphasized as comprising desirablecontent areas for continuing teacher education. Data were collected from 35 group interviews with 66 respondents: teachers from public and private schools, and teacher students. The results showed that PBL stands out as a desirable focus area. Other student teachers expressed an interest in including didacticbased topics that are related to PBL, e.g. differentiated teaching, engineering design, technology, and information communication technology [ICT] within STEM education. Furthermore, respondents expressed their desire for collaboration with other subjects (e.g. Danish and social sciences) ininterdisciplinary teaching and, as well, the opportunity to immerse themselvesin academic topics such as education for sustainability, climate education, technology, and including specific experiences with applied science, mathematics and recent research. Without being able to make a quantitative statement, it must also be mentioned that some teachers expressed no need or desire for further education

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements