scholarly journals Not Strictly STEAM

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Appler
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Science Content ◽  
Lifelong Learners ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Performance As Research ◽  
K 12

“That which We Call A Rose,” (“Rose”) is a multi-media performance-as-research project, with puppets and robots, that I devised with a diverse ensemble of undergraduates and professionals to explore questions about planetary nomenclature, climate change, and colonization. “Rose” explicitly challenges andro-and euro-centric hegemonies embedded in 21st century space exploration and invites its audiences to do the same. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) has become a popular pedagogy for K-12 education. Many K-12 STEAM programs claim to put art at the heart of STEM, but often prioritize science content over creative process, falling short of the potential that STEAM holds to foster lifelong learners and innovators who are curious, skilled, and literate across a variety of disciplinary and cultural boundaries. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), on the other hand, promotes a K-20 STEAM pedagogy that acknowledges the importance of facilitating young learners’ creative inquiry as well as the potential for mature artists to become equally-valued culture creators across arts, science, and social domains. In this article, I use “Rose” as a case study to query the possibilities of implementing performance-as-research as an essential component of STEAM pedagogies. I examine the ways that artists can invite audiences across multiple social identities to join in processes of performance creation as a means of critical inquiry of STEM fields. The performance-as-research process encourages participant audiences to authentically engage in arts practices as a means of actively combatting social issues such as climate change, professional gender and racial inequity, and the colonialist traditions implicit to contemporary space exploration.

scholarly journals Revisiting the Scopes Trial: Young-Earth Creationism, Creation Science, and the Evangelical Denial of Climate Change

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
K. L. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Biblical Authority ◽  
Scopes Trial ◽  
Creation Science ◽  
Imminent Threat ◽  
Young Earth Creationism ◽  
American Evangelicalism

In the century since the Scopes Trial, one of the most influential dogmas to shape American evangelicalism has been that of young-earth creationism. This article explains why, with its arm of “creation science,” young-earth creationism is a significant factor in evangelicals’ widespread denial of anthropogenic climate change. Young-earth creationism has become closely intertwined with doctrines such as the Bible’s divine authority and the Imago Dei, as well as with social issues such as abortion and euthanasia. Addressing this aspect of the environmental crisis among evangelicals will require a re-orientation of biblical authority so as to approach social issues through a hermeneutic that is able to acknowledge the reality and imminent threat of climate change.

Improving practice: Giving voice to the experiences of sexual health education teachers

2021 ◽  
pp. 001789692110296
Author(s):  
Carol A Cummings ◽  
Christine M Fisher ◽  
Rosemary Reilly-Chammat
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Sexual Health Education ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
K 12

Objective: To explore teachers’ beliefs, experiences and barriers influencing teaching related to sexual health education. Methods, Design and Setting: Descriptive, cross-sectional study design. Rhode Island certified health teachers ( n = 190) completed an online sexual health education survey. Teacher perceptions about the need and benefits of teaching this subject, coverage of essential topics, their experiences and the barriers they faced were gathered. Qualitative questions were analysed using open, axial and selective coding. Constant comparative approach was used to identify themes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative items. Results: Findings indicated that 98% of teachers felt that sexual health education should be taught. Less than 50% agreed that coverage for topics identified in the national sexuality education standards for grades K-12 should begin at each grade level. Two common themes – prevention and access to accurate information – emerged as reasons for teaching the subject. Themes generated from teacher experiences revealed the use of a risk reduction approach to sexual health education. Healthy sexual development, gender identity, inclusive education and all components of a comprehensive approach were not identified. Perceived barriers to teaching included teacher comfort, time, parents’ likely responses and lack of training. Conclusion: Findings signal the need for ongoing professional development to broaden teachers’ understanding of comprehensive sex education and address the beliefs and barriers that hinder inclusive and comprehensive teaching approaches. Good quality training in which teachers reflect on their beliefs and develop proficiency in the use of effective pedagogies can strengthen educator capacity and self-efficacy.

scholarly journals Integrated STEM for Teacher Professional Learning and Development: “I Need Time for Practice”

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Burrows ◽  
Mike Borowczak ◽  
Adam Myers ◽  
Andria C. Schwortz ◽  
Courtney McKim
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Social Constructionism ◽  
Teacher Professional Learning ◽  
Authentic Science ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
K 12

This study compares three pre-collegiate teacher professional learning and development (PLD) integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences framed in astronomy. The study is set in the western United States (USA) and involves 60 pre-collegiate teachers (in the USA these are K-12 teachers) over the course of three years (June 2014–May 2017). During the PLDs, astronomy acted as a vehicle for pre-collegiate STEM teachers to increase their STEM content knowledge as well as create and implement integrated STEM classroom lessons. The authors collected quantitative and qualitative data to address five research questions and embraced social constructionism as the theoretical framework. Findings show that STEM pre-collegiate teachers are largely engaged with integrated STEM PLD content and embrace astronomy content and authentic science. Importantly, they need time to practice, interpret, translate, and use the integrated STEM content in classroom lessons. Recommendations for PLD STEM teacher support are provided. Implications of this study are vast, as gaps in authentic science, utilizing astronomy, PLD structure, and STEM integration are ripe for exploration.

Social Comparison for Concern and Action on Climate Change, Racial Injustice, and COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Ulichney ◽  
Johanna Jarcho ◽  
Thomas Shipley ◽  
joy ham ◽  
Chelsea Helion
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Personal Concern ◽  
Racial Injustice ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Perceived Personal Control

Preventing the negative impacts of major, intersectional U.S. social issues hinges on personal concern and willingness to take action. We examined social comparison of COVID-19, racial injustice, and climate change during Fall 2020. Participants in a U.S. university sample (n = 288), reported personal levels of concern and action taken on these issues, and estimated their peers’ concern and action. Participants accurately estimated similar levels of personal and peer concern for racial injustice and climate change, but overestimated peer concern for COVID-19. At higher personal concern levels, people estimated that they took greater action than peers for all issues. Exploratory analyses found that perceived personal control over social issues increased participants’ concern and action for racial injustice and climate change, but yielded no change for COVID-19. This suggests that issue-specific features, including perceived controllability, may drive people to differently assess their experience of distinct social issues relative to peers.

scholarly journals Contextualizing technology in the classroom via remote access: Using space exploration themes and scanning electron microscopy as tools to promote engagement in multidisciplinary geology/chemistry experiments

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Rodriguez ◽  
Veronica Jaramillo ◽  
Vanessa Wolf ◽  
Esteban Bautista ◽  
Jennifer Portillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Technology In The Classroom ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Hands On ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Scanning Electron

A multidisciplinary science experiment was performed in K-12 classrooms focusing on the interconnection of technology with geology and chemistry. The engagement and passion for science of over eight hundred students across twenty-one classrooms, utilizing a combination of hands-on activities to study the relationships between Earth and space rock studies, followed by a remote access session wherein students remotely employed the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to validate their findings was investigated. Participants were from predominantly low-income minority communities, with little exposure to the themes and equipment used, despite being freely available resources.  Students indicated greatly increased interest in scientific practices and careers, as well as a better grasp of the content as a result of the lab and remote access coupling format.  

scholarly journals Students’ Length Measuring Estimation Skills Related to The Daily Life Objects

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ömer F. Çetin ◽  
◽  
Himmet Akkuşçi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Seventh Graders ◽  
Class Level ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
State Schools

This research aims to explore the secondary school sixth and seventh graders’ length measuring estimation skills developing activities related to the daily life objects. The study is in a qualitative multiple case study model. The universe of the research consisted of the sixth and seventh graders. The sample of the research consisted of 85 students, who were studying at a secondary school in sixth and seventh classes in 2 (two) state schools determined with the purposive sampling method in the 2018-2019 educational year. The maximum variety was ensured for the class level, gender, and mathematics achievement scores; voluntariness for the easily accessible situation. The data were obtained with the scales and semi-structured interview forms prepared during the research process and analyzed descriptively. The research results suggest that the length measuring estimation skills of the secondary school sixth and seventh graders relevant to the daily life objects can be developed with the activities that will develop the students’ prior knowledge and skills.

scholarly journals Getting our act together: a qualitative evaluation of the impact of a play on issues relating to women, sex work and substance use

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 234
Author(s):  
Anne Campbell ◽  
Jo Egan ◽  
Paul Murphy ◽  
Carolyn Blair
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Performing Arts ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Impact

Background: The arts have always sought to explore significant social issues through literature, performing arts and visual art. However, more recently there has been an increase in the use of theatre as a means of gauging audiences’ perception and understanding of key social issues. The primary aim of the current evaluation was to seek the views of audience members, service users of addiction services and expert commentators as regards their perception of a number of key issues related to the content of a play entitled Madame Geneva. Methods: The evaluation used an exploratory qualitative design incorporating a dualistic approach to the research process: including post show discussion with panellists and members of the audience and a focus group comprising service users who had also viewed a live performance of the play. Results: The topics elucidated by the performance of the play included women and sex work, women and substance use, and impact on policy and practice. The discussion of the issues raised reiterated that women still experience high levels of oppression and discrimination in areas of substance use, sex work and welfare ‘reform’ which are often couched within male dominated political discourses and structures in contemporary society. Conclusions: The arts and specifically dramaturgical representations of substance use and related issues is an effective method of initiating important pragmatic and policy discussion of issues, which affect women

scholarly journals How STEM Academy Teachers Conceptualize and Implement STEM Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Teruni Lamberg ◽  
Nicole Trzynadlowski
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Subject Areas ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Reading Activities ◽  
Science Activities

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education has been gaining increasing nationwide attention. While the STEM movement has ambitious goals for k-12 education, a lack of shared understanding exists of what STEM is as well as how to implement STEM in the elementary classroom. This study investigates how seven elementary teachers in three STEM academy schools conceptualize and implement STEM in their classrooms. Teacher interviews were conducted. The findings reveal that the majority of teachers believe that STEM education involves integrating STEM subject areas. STEM activities consisted of student-led research and reading activities on STEM topics. Two teachers described STEM as involving “hands-on” science activities. Teachers at each STEM academy school conceptualized and implemented STEM differently. How STEM was implemented at each school was based on how teachers interpreted STEM and the resources they had access to. The STEM coaches played a central role in supporting the elementary teachers to plan and implement lessons. Teachers relied on them for ideas to plan and teach STEM lessons. The results of this study indicate that as more schools embrace the STEM movement, a unified understanding and resources are needed to support teachers.

scholarly journals Preparing the “New” Biologist of the Future: Student Research at the Interface of Mathematics and Biology

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah I. Duncan ◽  
Pamela Bishop ◽  
Suzanne Lenhart
Keyword(s):  
Research Process ◽  
Biological Synthesis ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Veterinary Students ◽  
University Of Tennessee ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The University ◽  
Faculty Mentors

We describe a unique Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for Veterinary students summer program at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The program focused on interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology and mathematics. Participants were selected to work on projects with a biology mentor and a mathematics mentor in an environment that promoted collaboration outside of the students' respective disciplines. There were four research projects with teams of four participants and two faculty mentors. The participants consisted of a mixture of 10 undergraduates in biology- and mathematics-related disciplines, four veterinary students, and two high-school teachers. The activities included lectures on both the biological and mathematical backgrounds of the projects, tutorials for software, and sessions on ethics, graduate school, and possible career paths for individuals interested in biology and mathematics. The program was designed to give students the ability to actively participate in the scientific research process by working on a project, writing up their results in a final report, and presenting their work orally. We report on the results of our evaluation surveys of the participants.

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