A Strategic Perspective on Using Symbolic Transformation in STEM Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack M. Rappaport ◽  
Stephen B. Richter ◽  
Dennis T. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Strategic Perspective ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes and implements an innovative model for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that enhances the decision making process of students considering a major or a career in STEM fields. The model can also be used as a decision making tool for educators interested in stressing the importance of STEM for career enhancement and for society as a whole. The model creates analogies and metaphors for various STEM topics using the contents of popular music videos. Theories of neuroscience, the interdisciplinary study of the nervous system, are used to describe and validate our decision making model. Concepts such as, embodied cognition, mirror neurons and the connection between emotion and cognition, are used to explain how the brain processes the information and multi-modal stimuli generated by our model. The model was implemented using the topic of automated decision processes in robotics and automation with a group of university and high school students and teachers. The impact of the model was evaluated using the National Science Foundation (NSF) frameworks for evaluating informal science projects. The results indicate that the model using symbolic transformation to teach STEM can have a significant impact on students' attitude towards STEM and the decision making process about their careers.

A Strategic Perspective on Using Symbolic Transformation in STEM Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 242-284
Author(s):  
Jack M. Rappaport ◽  
Stephen B. Richter ◽  
Dennis T. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Strategic Perspective ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes and implements an innovative model for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that enhances the decision making process of students considering a major or a career in STEM fields. The model can also be used as a decision making tool for educators interested in stressing the importance of STEM for career enhancement and for society as a whole. The model creates analogies and metaphors for various STEM topics using the contents of popular music videos. Theories of neuroscience, the interdisciplinary study of the nervous system, are used to describe and validate our decision making model. Concepts such as, embodied cognition, mirror neurons and the connection between emotion and cognition, are used to explain how the brain processes the information and multi-modal stimuli generated by our model. The model was implemented using the topic of automated decision processes in robotics and automation with a group of university and high school students and teachers. The impact of the model was evaluated using the National Science Foundation (NSF) frameworks for evaluating informal science projects. The results indicate that the model using symbolic transformation to teach STEM can have a significant impact on students' attitude towards STEM and the decision making process about their careers.

scholarly journals The Self-Determination Theory and Mathematics Motivation: Grade Levels and Gender Differences among United Arab Emirates Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Jalal Haj Hussien
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Mathematics Motivation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of students’ grade levels, gender, and interaction between the two on mathematics motivation. In addition, the relationship between students’ various types of mathematics motivation and achievement were examined. Four hundred twenty four elementary school students (186 boys and 238 girls), 588 middle school students (296 boys and 292 girls), and 276 high school students (154 boys and 122 girls) completed the MMS. The findings of this study showed that all types of motivation in mathematics steadily decreased with grade advancement (elementary through high school) with the exception of introjected regulation. Moreover, results indicated a significant gender difference in each type of mathematics motivation, exception regarding intrinsic motivation, where the difference was not significant. In addition, the interaction between grade levels and gender was significant only in students’ introjected regulation; the differences in intrinsic, external regulation, and amotivation were consistent between males and females in different grade levels. Finally, the results revealed a significant relationship between all types of motivation and mathematics achievement as well as overall academic achievement. 

The Power of Computational Modeling and Simulation for Learning STEM Content in Middle and High Schools

2018 ◽  
pp. 916-950
Author(s):  
Mahnaz Moallem ◽  
Shelby P. Morge ◽  
Sridhar Narayan ◽  
Gene A. Tagliarini
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Simulation And Modeling ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Computational Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Using Squeak Etoys to Infuse Information Technology (USeIT) was designed to offer expanded information technology experiences to 155 middle and high school students over a three-year period by exploiting the Squeak Etoys media authoring tool as a simulation and modeling environment. Through problem-solving activities and development of Squeak Etoys modeling projects, USeIT investigated the impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and utilization of Squeak Etoys on student understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts. A design-based research method was used to collect data. The results revealed that when simulation and modeling are used under specific learning conditions, a deeper level of understanding of key science and mathematics concepts is observed. In addition, problem-based simulation tasks cognitively engaged students, particularly those who otherwise did not see the relevancy of STEM content in their lives. Less motivated students developed interests in STEM content and showed confidence in their abilities to learn mathematics and science.

The effects of direct voting and deliberation on legitimacy beliefs: an experimental study of small group decision-making

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Persson ◽  
Peter Esaiasson ◽  
Mikael Gilljam
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Democratic Theory ◽  
Group Decision ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Primary Finding ◽  
Legitimacy Beliefs

In democratic theory, two frequently occurring ideas are that deliberation and direct voting in referendums can increase perceived legitimacy of democratic procedures. To evaluate this claim, we conducted a controlled field experiment in which 215 high school students participated by being subject to a decision on a collective issue. The decision was made either by direct voting or as a non-voting procedure (decision made by the teacher). Additionally, we manipulated the opportunities for deliberation prior to the decision. Our primary finding is that both voting and deliberation significantly increase perceived legitimacy compared with a procedure in which these components are absent. However, applying both voting and deliberation does not yield significantly higher perceived legitimacy than applying voting without deliberation. We also found that perceived influence in the decision-making process mediates the effect of both voting and deliberation, whereas the epistemic quality of the decision, which is heavily emphasized in deliberative democratic theory, gained no support as a mediator.

scholarly journals Apoyo educativo y de pares en las disciplinas en ciencia, tecnología, informática y matemáticas

2019 ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Jiménez-León ◽  
Deneb Elí Magaña-Medina ◽  
Edith Cisneros-Cohernour ◽  
Silvia Patricia Aquino-Zúñiga
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Students ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Individual

Objectives: There are few studies, which identify the support received by high school students in the decision making process for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The objective of the present study is to know the narratives of the students according to their interactions within their social and school environment, understanding the individual interest of the student in terms of mastery, tastes, participation, curiosity and attachment to the areas. Methodology: A focus group session was held with students of the mathematics career. From three trigger questions that assessed a total of 10 dimensions in the group, which allowed adjusting and enriching the theoretical structure through the synthetic analytical method to discover relationships and general characteristics. Contribution: The areas of interaction between friends within social roles and tutoring by teachers in the school context, are activities that strengthened decision making for people who participated in the focus group. Specific dimensions are defined for the intervention for the benefit of social inclusion in disadvantaged communities within the disciplines C.T.I.M. should be taken into account, especially by specialists in these areas.

scholarly journals THE DEEP RIVER SCIENCE ACADEMY: A UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAM FOR ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl W. Turner ◽  
Rick Didsbury ◽  
Margo Ingram
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Camp ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
Science Academy ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Canada Limited

For 28 years, the Deep River Science Academy (DRSA) has been offering high school students the opportunity to engage in the excitement and challenge of professional scientific research to help nurture their passion for science and to provide them with the experience and the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding possible future careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The venue for the DRSA program has been a six-week summer science camp where students, working in pairs under the guidance of a university undergraduate tutor, contribute directly to an on-going research program under the supervision of a professional scientist or engineer. This concept has been expanded in recent years to reach students in classrooms year round by engaging students via the internet over a 12-week term in a series of interactive teaching sessions based on an on-going research project. Although the research projects for the summer program are offered primarily from the laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited at its Chalk River Laboratories site, projects for the year-round program can be based, in principle, in laboratories at universities and other research institutes located anywhere in Canada. This paper will describe the program in more detail using examples illustrating how the students become engaged in the research and the sorts of contributions they have been able to make over the years. The impact of the program on the students and the degree to which the DRSA has been able to meet its objective of encouraging students to choose careers in the fields of STEM and equipping them with the skills and experience to be successful will be assessed based on feedback from the students themselves. Finally, we will examine the program in the context of how well it helps to address the challenges faced by educators today in meeting the demands of students in a world where the internet provides instant access to information.

The Power of Computational Modeling and Simulation for Learning STEM Content in Middle and High Schools

2015 ◽  
pp. 135-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnaz Moallem ◽  
Shelby P. Morge ◽  
Sridhar Narayan ◽  
Gene A. Tagliarini
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Simulation And Modeling ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Computational Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Using Squeak Etoys to Infuse Information Technology (USeIT) was designed to offer expanded information technology experiences to 155 middle and high school students over a three-year period by exploiting the Squeak Etoys media authoring tool as a simulation and modeling environment. Through problem-solving activities and development of Squeak Etoys modeling projects, USeIT investigated the impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and utilization of Squeak Etoys on student understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts. A design-based research method was used to collect data. The results revealed that when simulation and modeling are used under specific learning conditions, a deeper level of understanding of key science and mathematics concepts is observed. In addition, problem-based simulation tasks cognitively engaged students, particularly those who otherwise did not see the relevancy of STEM content in their lives. Less motivated students developed interests in STEM content and showed confidence in their abilities to learn mathematics and science.

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