scholarly journals Impact of an Informal Science Program: Middle School Gifted Science Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-650
Author(s):  
Dr. Abha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Accelerated Learning ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Science Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Gifted Middle School Students

This research explores an informal science program (ISP) in fulfilling the needs of talented and gifted middle school students. Specifically, it discusses the need of teachers’ continued professional development and the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in instructing gifted middle school students. It further focuses on characteristics of successful teaching strategies and methods for identifying and training teachers. The study uses a constructivist framework to examine teaching methods and suggests that constructivism is an appropriate method for instructing gifted middle school students.The research reflects the results of an embedded descriptive multiple case study of six teachers in the informal science program, an initiative to provide middle school students in rural midwestern states with opportunities for accelerated learning in science.

scholarly journals Digital storytelling as a tool for reflection in virtual reality projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-121
Author(s):  
Deoksoon Kim ◽  
Merijke Coenraad ◽  
Ho Ryong Park
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
School Students ◽  
Digital Stories ◽  
Multiple Case

Reflection is essential for learning and development, especially among middle school students. In this paper, we describe how middle school students can engage in reflective learning by composing digital stories in a project-based learning environment employing virtual reality. Adopting multiple case study methods, we examined the digital stories of five students, together with classroom observations and interviews about their experiences, in order to explore how digital storytelling can allowed students to reflect upon their experiences in a year-end capstone program. Creating digital stories allowed students to 1) reflect on their learning experiences teaching younger students with virtual reality, 2) present their reflections in multiple modalities, and 3) make connections between their present experiences and the past and future. This study demonstrates how digital storytelling can enable multimodal reflection for middle school students, particularly within technology-focused project-based learning environments. Keywords: digital storytelling; project-based learning; reflection; middle school learners

scholarly journals Students’ Levels of Recognition of Parallelogram and of Establishment of Connections

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Abdullah Çağrı Biber ◽  
Abdulkadir Tuna ◽  
İbrahim Kepceoğlu ◽  
İbrahim Kepceoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
School Students ◽  
Class Level

In this research, it is aimed to explore how students are able to define parallelogram and to establish relations withother quadrilaterals at each class level comparatively. Case study is chosen as the methodology of this study and theparticipants of the study are 120 middle school students from a state middle school in Turkey. Two open-endedquestions are used to gather data and the descriptive analysis is used. The results of the study show that the studentsdetermine parallelogram based on its typical image. Furthermore, students have not fully grasp the hierarchicalrelation between these special quadrilaterals in their minds.

Drawing out understanding

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-209
Author(s):  
Jennifer Eiserman ◽  
Heather Lai ◽  
Chelsea Rushton
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
School Context ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Positive Disintegration ◽  
Gifted Middle School Students

Dabrowski recognized that the creative process is important in the personality development of the gifted and talented. Given the intrinsically creative nature of learning in an arts- infused context, we hypothesize that interdisciplinary approaches to curriculum address the unique needs of the gifted. First, we will summarize Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration, providing a theoretical context to discuss an ongoing research project that engages gifted students in arts-based learning. We then briefly describe the implications of positive disintegration in the middle school context, and how art education can support this process. Finally, we describe how two arts integrated projects addressed the process of positive disintegration. In 2013, University of Calgary students in ART 307, “Applied concepts in art with children ages 6-12,” worked with gifted middle school students on an integrated art–social studies–science project called “When Fisher went to Skyland.” In this project, one class of Grade 6 students explored Iroquois culture and sky science through printmaking. In 2014, four classes of Grade 5 students worked with ART 307 students to enhance their understanding of electricity and magnetism through explorations using theatre games, creative movement and animation. We suggest that engaging gifted middle school students in the arts can be a means to facilitate alternative learning methodologies in all subject areas, and provide necessary support in personality development.

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