Science

In this project, we investigate haptic systems that are readily available for rendering visual STEM content through sight, sound, and touch. We use combinations of visual display, text-to-speech, vibrations, and the movement of one’s hands for interacting with STEM content (such as charts and graphs in math and science-based simulations) multimodally on touchscreens. Our investigations extend into "smart" tangible manipulatives that pair with interactive PhET simulations and enable rich kinesthetic manipulation of on-screen content through touch.

The “Genes, Traits & Change over Time” middle school curriculum unit integrates core ideas in genetics, heredity, and natural selection. This 4-5 week, NGSS-friendly unit includes scaffolded practice in working with models, crafting explanations, and identifying cause and effect relationships. We will report findings from a nation-wide efficacy test of the unit as well as case studies of classroom implementation and individual students’ learning.

Building Insights through Observation is an early stage design and development project that is studying the application of arts-based approaches to support students in observing and analyzing visual information, and to improve teachers’ knowledge and practice related to teaching with scientific data. This design-based research, conducted over four years, will iteratively develop, test, and refine a cross-disciplinary instructional framework and professional development model with two cohorts of middle school science teachers.

Young children naturally engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) through play in sophisticated ways. We are developing professional learning modules for early childhood and elementary educators to recognize and deepen children's engagement with SEPs while leveraging SciEPOP, as a professional online learning tool. This poster explores the design of these modules to engage educators in recognizing when children are engaging in SEPs through play and consider approaches to deepening and extending such engagements.

Boosting Data Science Teaching and Learning in STEM (aka “Data Fluency”) is a project that seeks to improve teachers’ and students’ “data fluency,” which includes understanding sources of data, structuring data for analysis, interpreting representations of data, inferring meaning from data, and explaining data and findings to diverse audiences. We will accomplish this goal by iteratively developing research-based professional learning that prepares teachers to offer next generation data-rich learning.

Young children engaged in observation, experimentation, exploration, and conversations about their natural world can synergistically develop science and language skills (Lee, 2018). In this poster presentation we discuss the iterative development and results from the initial pilot of Bilingualtek’s instructional approach. This project integrates cultural-linguistically-responsive science-language instruction designed for classroom implementation by monolingual Head Start preschool teachers of Latino/a dual-language-learners.

We present a framework for using scenario-based assessments (SBAs) to measure middle school students' ability to formulate written arguments around socio-scientific issues. We present data showing both the current strengths and limitations of these SBAs. We also present data which shows that, through the process of writing over a 2-week time span, the students showed significant improvements in their ability to make a claim, locate evidence, use reasoning, and use scientific vocabulary in their arguments.

This conference brought experts in areas of STEM domain-specific learning, assessments and measurement, learning technologies, computer sciences, and pedagogy to discuss and address the challenges of applying AI in revolutionizing STEM assessments and identify future research directions. It generated knowledge of integrating AI-based STEM assessment practices with domain-specific learning theories, validity theories and assessment design principles, technology integration theories, and pedagogical theories focusing on assessment practices.

EarthX is a collaboration of school district teachers and administrators, scientists and education researchers helping bring Earth science and compelling environmental phenomena into high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses in Baltimore. EarthX will develop, test, and refine beginning of course, embedded and unit assessments that will provide near-real-time feedback to teachers and students, in support of 3D teaching and learning. Assessment results will be used in the project’s professional learning activities and supports.

Accessible Computational Thinking in Elementary Science Classes within and across Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Contexts (ACT) investigates best practices for helping teachers provide culturally relevant experiences for elementary children to participate in and engage with computational thinking (CT) integrated into science lessons.