School makerspaces: Beyond the hype

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (8) ◽  
pp. 49-53
Author(s):  
Kurt Salisbury ◽  
T. Philip Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Middle School Math ◽  
School Based ◽  
Content Area Instruction ◽  
Math Class

Recently, makerspaces have captured the imaginations of educators as resources for transforming school-based learning. Aligning informal making practices with the formal aims of the school curriculum, however, can present challenges. In this article, Philip Nichols and Kurt Salisbury show how educators in two very different contexts — a suburban middle school math class and an urban secondary humanities class — empowered student learning by integrating making into their content-area instruction. They also highlight three takeaways for educators interested in bringing making into their own classrooms.

Effects of Playing an Educational Math Game That Incorporates Learning by Teaching

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1495-1512
Author(s):  
Logan Fiorella ◽  
Shelbi Kuhlmann ◽  
Jennifer J. Vogel-Walcutt
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Math Instruction ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Middle School Math ◽  
Learning By Teaching ◽  
Math Class

This study tested the effects of implementing a narrative computer-based educational game within a middle-school math class. Gameplay consisted of navigating through a virtual spaceship and completing missions by periodically engaging in learning-by-teaching activities that involved helping an avatar solve math problems. In a pretest/posttest matched-groups design, 58 middle-school students either played the game for 10 hours over 4 days in place of their typical math instruction (game group), or they received conventional math instruction that consisted of a matched set of practice problems (control group). Contrary to our hypotheses, results from posttest measures indicated no significant differences in learning outcomes or motivation between the two groups. Importantly, supplementary observational data indicated that students in the game group spent much of their time during gameplay engaging in activities unrelated to the educational content of the game (e.g., navigating the virtual world) and only 20% of their time engaging in learning-by-teaching activities. These results highlight the importance of designing educational games that effectively balance features intended to entertain learners and features intended to promote learning. Implications for implementing educational games into classroom instruction are discussed.

Preparing to Implement Evidence-Based Literacy Practices in the Co-taught Classroom

2020 ◽  
pp. 105345122094436
Author(s):  
Jade Wexler ◽  
Devin M. Kearns ◽  
Erin Hogan ◽  
Erin Clancy ◽  
Alexandra Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Content Area Literacy ◽  
Fidelity Of Implementation ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Instructional Framework ◽  
Content Area Instruction

It is essential that middle school content-area and special education co-teachers adopt evidence-based literacy practices that they can integrate into their content-area instruction to address the needs of all of the students in their classes. This article provides co-teachers with four planning tips to improve implementation of the practices they adopt. The planning tips are organized using the acronym FIRST: (a) monitor Fidelity of implementation of the adopted practices, (b) Integrate the practices into daily content-area instruction and across the year, (c) determine the Roles of each co-teacher when planning for and implementing instruction in the adopted practices, and (d) consider specific guidelines to Select Texts for each literacy-focused lesson. The planning tips are illustrated using examples related to the content-area literacy instruction (CALI) instructional framework, which is a set of evidence-based literacy practices and procedures designed to improve the literacy instruction middle school coteachers implement in their content-area classes.

EcoMUVE

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shari J. Metcalf ◽  
Amy M. Kamarainen ◽  
Eric Torres ◽  
Tina A. Grotzer ◽  
Chris Dede
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Classroom Strategies ◽  
Ecosystem Science ◽  
Research Findings

This chapter considers classroom strategies that have been shown to support student science learning and discusses the affordances of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) as a platform to implement those strategies. EcoMUVE, a middle school curriculum for ecosystem science education, is presented as a case study to demonstrate the design of a MUVE-based curriculum that enhances science learning and engagement. The chapter concludes with a summary of research findings on student learning and engagement, and suggestions for consideration in implementing MUVE-based curricula in classrooms.

scholarly journals Sediments and Seashores - A Case Study of Local Citizen Science Contributing to Student Learning and Environmental Citizenship

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Carson ◽  
Jenny Rock ◽  
Jeffery Smith
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
School Science ◽  
Environmental Citizenship ◽  
School Based ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Citizen science aims to bridge the gap between science and society by engaging people in understanding the process of science. This is needed to foster informed democratic involvement of critical, environmentally informed citizens. Can these aspirations be facilitated by school-based citizen science that offers opportunity to engage scientifically with environmental issues at a scale with local relevance? This is tested through application of Marine Metre Squared (Mm2), a citizen science initiative for long-term monitoring of the New Zealand intertidal zone. Through direct observation and “hands-on” engagement, participants are involved in place-based learning that connects them with nature. Strong interest from teachers and uptake into school programmes has been key to its success in collecting long term biodiversity data. Through facilitated delivery, the project also has the capacity to meet school curriculum goals and develop the environmental science citizenship capabilities of participants. Assessing the use of Mm2 as a citizen science intervention within schools, we found that it affected science learning, skill development and environmental attitudes. Our findings further demonstrate the effect of extended involvement in a citizen science project, the value of a local issue-focused project for student learning outside the classroom, and how school science education can be enriched through citizen science to also grow civic responsibility for the environment (environmental citizenship).

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