Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mathematics Teachers’ Working With Cooperative Learning, Jaime Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching styles vary greatly amongst educators. One being extensively researched and highly discussed is the method of cooperative learning. Although many studies have shown the benefits of incorporating cooperative learning into classrooms, it has not been a widely used method of teaching in high school mathematics classrooms. This study explores some of the efforts that teachers, who utilize cooperative learning in their classrooms, make to implement cooperative learning lessons successfully. Furthermore, this study also explores the challenges these teachers have encountered when using cooperative learning. Data was collected qualitatively by interviews and surveys from six in-service high …

"Design For Co-Design" In A Computer Science Curriculum Research-Practice Partnership, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway, Mimi Recker

Publications

This paper reports on a study of the dynamics of a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) oriented around design, specifically the co-design model. The RPP is focused on supporting elementary school computer science (CS) instruction by involving paraprofessional educators and teachers in curricular co-design. A problem of practice addressed is that few elementary educators have backgrounds in teaching CS and have limited available instructional time and budget for CS. The co-design strategy entailed highlighting CS concepts in the mathematics curriculum during classroom instruction and designing computer lab lessons that explored related ideas through programming. Analyses focused on tensions within RPP interaction dynamics …

Invigorating Seventh-Day Adventist Science Education With Chemical Knowledge Of God's Creation, Ryan T. Hayes, D. David Nowack

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Investigating Elementary School Students’ Reasoning About Dynamic Angles, Erell Germia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Angle measurement is a significant topic in almost all areas of mathematics learning and also in many disciplines outside mathematics education, such as engineering and architecture. According to the literature, there are three common conceptions of angles – as union of rays, rotations, and wedges. Researchers argued that students must consider these three angle concepts together to construct a meaningful understanding of angles. However, the curriculum standards for mathematics often present these angle conceptions separately to students, probably resulting in a fragmented understanding of the angle concept. In addition to this problem, the research literature documents multiple alternative conceptions that …

Using Teacher Noticing And Video-Mediated Professional Learning To Develop Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge For Teaching The Derivative, Alfred M. Limbere

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study investigated how problem-solving videos can be used in video-mediated professional learning to support secondary preservice mathematics teachers (PMTs) in developing teacher knowledge for noticing student thinking in the context of the derivative concept in calculus. A model of the trajectory of PMTs’ noticing was constructed as six PMTs viewed and analyzed videos of students’ problem solving. At the same time, the nature of video-mediated interactions that were found to be productive in supporting this knowledge development was examined. A design experiment was used as the research methodology. Data was collected from video recordings of eight semi-structured teaching episodes …

Mathematics Education As Dystopia: A Future Beyond, Peter Appelbaum, Charoula Stathopoulou, Constantinos Xenofontos

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

We argue that scholars and practitioners of mathematics education need to find new directions through recognition of its dystopic characteristics, and embrace these characteristics as both the source of challenges and method of response. This contrasts with the generally utopic approach of most scholarship in the field. We offer critical ethnomathematics education as a model, since it has its own origins in lingering dystopic legacies. A perpetual hopelessness and disempowerment is one implicit curriculum of contemporary mathematics education, where the mathematics one learns might help to describe things, yet hardly assists in transforming the reification of power and agency in …

Calculus Iii: Under The Influence Of Peer Instruction, Alan Von Herrmann, L. Jeneva Clark

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In peer Instruction, students engage with core course concepts and then explain those concepts to one another in small groups. Unlike in lecture format, peer instruction involves every student in the class. In Spring 2019, the first authot began using a modified version of peer instruction in Calculus III classes. He started each class by discussing important Calculus III concepts from three standpoints (the formula, the geometry behind the formula, and the physics behind the formula). During the last 20 minutes of each 50-minute class session, he polled the students using questions in the “Goldilocks Zone” – not too hard …

Higher Meanings: A Speaker Series Connecting Mathematics And Religion, Lawrence M. Lesser, Patricia S. Barrientos, Ben Zeidman

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

An innovative grant-funded general adult audiences international speaker series on connections between mathematics and religion yielded six 2021 (now archived) presentations. We share reflections and lessons learned, informed by two sets of surveys.

Navigating Mathematics Teacher Preparation During A Time Of Crisis, Zareen G. Rahman, Rani Satyam, Younggon Bae

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we highlight the experience of a mathematics teacher educator (MTE) and their prospective teachers (PTs) in a middle school mathematics methods course during the 2020 shift to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it is valuable to report how the MTE reflected on their instructional decision-making in response to this massive transition to remote instruction. We also report that PTs needed support and guidance to employ new teaching practices they had learned in the methods course instead of reverting to familiar teaching methods.

Stewardship Of Mathematics: Essential Training For Contributors To, And Users Of, The Practice Of Mathematics, Rochelle E. Tractenberg

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A steward of the discipline was originally defined as an individual to whom “we can entrust the vigor, quality, and integrity of the field”, and more specifically, as “someone who will creatively generate new knowledge, critically conserve valuable and useful ideas, and responsibly transform those understandings through writing, teaching, and application” [8]. Originally articulated for doctoral education, in 2019 the construct of stewardship was expanded so that it can also be applied to non-academic practitioners in any field, and can be initiated earlier than doctoral education [18]. In this paper, we apply this construct to the context of mathematics, and …

Towards Pedagogy Supporting Ethics In Modelling, Marie Oldfield

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Education for concepts such as ethics and societal responsibility that are critical in building robust and applicable mathematical and statistical models do currently exist in isolation but have not been incorporated into the mainstream curricula at the school or university level. This is partially due to the split between fields (such as mathematics, statistics, and computer science) in an educational setting but also the speed with which education is able to keep up with industry and its requirements. I argue that principles and frameworks of socially responsible modelling should begin at school level and that this would mean that ethics …

Benny, Barbara, And The Ethics Of Edtech, Geillan Aly

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Erlwanger (1973) shook the mathematics education world when he introduced Benny, a student who successfully worked through a behavioristic curriculum. Erlwanger showed how far removed Benny’s understanding of mathematics was from expectations. Erlwanger’s legacy is the basis for this comparative case study which explores students’ actions in the modern, in-class computer-centered emporium classroom. Many striking similarities are found between Pearson’s MyMathLabs (MML) and Benny’s Individually Prescribed Instruction curriculum. In this case study we meet Barbara, a student who succeeds in MML but shows little understanding of mathematical concepts and demonstrates that the legacy of Benny is his continued appearance in …

Violence In Mathematics Teaching. Reflections Inspired By Levinas’ Totality And Infinity, Adriano Demattè

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In mathematics class, violence is carried out in some usually not recognized situations. In this article, I share some reflections on the topic inspired by some passages of Totality and Infinity, work of the French-Lithuanian philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995). I find violence by the teacher in not promoting students’ understanding of mathematics, in a distorted use of rhetoric, and in interrupting an ethical relation. This article analyses situations taken from class activities, focusing on the teacher’s presentation of mathematical content and students’ interventions. I also propose that the improvement of interventions in mathematics education is possible and suggest theoretical …

The Formal Presentation Language Of Mathematics And Communication Ethics, Marshall Gordon

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Mathematics employs a formal language where symbols, verbs, and nouns serve to express terms, concepts, and rules that concatenate to definitions, problem-solving procedures, and proofs. Taken together these constitute the expository language of mathematics found in journals, textbooks, and demonstrations. As a communication given to informing, there are epistemological and ethical considerations that deserve examination. For in keeping with the commitment to an aesthetic of concision promulgated by tradition, the formal presentation language and style of mathematics, while valuable in furthering the body of knowledge, provides only the conclusion of an inquiry, completely excluding the language of investigation that informed …

Attitudes Toward The Chemistry Laboratory Learning Environment Using Different Pedagogies And Assessment Protocols, Lydia Richardson, Dawn Del Carlo Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) and Argument Driven Inquiry (ADI) are evidence-based laboratory approaches that emphasize the process of scientific argumentation (Burke et al., 2006; Rudd et al., 2001; Walker et al., 2011). The University of Northern Iowa utilized the SWH approach for over 10 years until research indicated that the cognitive load associated with the pre-lab, specifically, hindered students’ ability to participate in authentic scientific inquiry for the rest of the laboratory experiment (Bonde & Del Carlo, 2018). In response to this, a hybrid model of instruction integrating elements of both the SWH and ADI laboratory approaches was created …

Propuestas Y Resultados De Investigación Transmoderna, Translocal Y Digital Desde Jóvenes Semilleristas, Xiomara Gonzalez Gaitan

Institucional

En el presente libro, titulado Propuestas y resultados de investigación transmoderna, translocal y digital desde jóvenes semilleristas, se recopilan las propuestas, avances y resultados de los proyectos en curso de los Semilleros de Investigación de la Universidad de Cundinamarca (Colombia), que se presentaron en el «II Encuentro de Semilleros de Investigación: ciencia, tecnología e innovación en la era digital» en su versión de 2020. Publicamos estos proyectos con la intención de difundir el conocimiento y como muestra del esfuerzo y del alcance de la labor investigadora de los semilleristas de la Universidad de Cundinamarca. Esperamos que los lectores encuentren en …

Bbt Acoustic Alternative Top Bracing Cadd Data Set-Norev-2022jun28, Bill Hemphill

STEM Guitar Project’s BBT Acoustic Kit

This electronic document file set consists of an overview presentation (PDF-formatted) file and companion video (MP4) and CADD files (DWG & DXF) for laser cutting the ETSU-developed alternate top bracing designs and marking templates for the STEM Guitar Project’s BBT (OM-sized) standard acoustic guitar kit. The three (3) alternative BBT top bracing designs in this release are
(a) a one-piece base for the standard kit's (Martin-style) bracing,
(b) 277 Ladder-style bracing, and
(c) an X-braced fan-style bracing similar to traditional European or so-called 'classical' acoustic guitars.

The CADD data set for each of the three (3) top bracing designs includes …

Hybrid Conferences: Opportunities, Challenges And Ways Forward, Eleonora Puccinelli, Daniela Zeppilli, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Annaig Wittische-Helou, Marjorie Kermorgant, Sandra Fuchs, Lenaick Menot, Erin E. Easton, Alexandra A-T. Weber

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hybrid conferences are in-person events that have an online component. This type of meeting format was rare before the COVID-19 pandemic, but started to become more common recently given the asynchronous global progression of the pandemic, the uneven access to vaccines and different travel regulations among countries that led to a large proportion of participants being unable to attend conferences in person. Here we report the organization of a middle-sized (581 participants: 159 onsite, 422 online) international hybrid conference that took place in France in September 2021. We highlight particular organizational challenges inherent to this relatively new type of meeting …

Finding Approximate Pythagorean Triples (And Applications To Lego Robot Building), Ronald I. Greenberg, Matthew Fahrenbacher, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This assignment combines programming and data analysis to determine good combinations of side lengths that approximately satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem for right triangles. This can be a standalone exercise using a wide variety of programming languages, but the results are useful for determining good ways to assemble LEGO pieces in robot construction, so the exercise can serve to integrate three different units of the Exploring Computer Science high school curriculum: "Programming", "Computing and Data Analysis", and "Robotics". Sample assignment handouts are provided for both Scratch and Java programmers. Ideas for several variants of the assignment are also provided.

The Impact Of Extreme Weather On Student Online Learning Participation, Ezekiel Adriel D. Lagmay, Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced over 1 billion learners to shift from face-to-face instruction to online learning. Seven months after it began, this transition became even more challenging for Filipino online learners. Eight typhoons struck the Philippines from October to November 2020. Two of these typhoons caused widespread flooding, utilities interruptions, property destruction, and loss of life. We examine how these severe weather conditions affected online learning participation of Filipino students pursuing their undergraduate and graduate studies. We used CausalImpact analysis to explore September 2020 to January 2021 data collected from the Moodle Learning Management System data of …

Cybersecurity Educational Resources For K-12, Debra Bowen, James Jaurez, Nancy Jones, William Reid, Christopher Simpson

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

There are many resources to guide successful K-12 cybersecurity education. The objective of these resources is to prepare skilled and ethical cybersecurity students at the earliest level to meet the demands of higher-level programs. The goal of this article is to provide, as a starting point, a list of as many currently popular K-12 educational resources as possible. The resources provided are broken into five categories: 1) Career Information, 2) Curriculum, 3) Competitions, 4) CyberCamps, and 5) Labs and Gaming. Each resource listed has a link, the K-12 levels that are supported, whether the resource is free or has a …

Security Simulations In Undergraduate Education: A Review, Joseph Simpson, Aaron Brantly

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Several decades of research in simulation and gamification in higher education shows that simulations are highly effective in improving a range of outcomes for students including declarative knowledge and interest in the topic being taught. While there appears to be a broad array of options to provide education in an undergraduate setting related to security, no previous reviews have explored computer-based simulations covering all facets of security. Given the increasing importance and adoption of interdisciplinary educational programs, it is important to take stock of simulations as a tool to broaden the range of problems, perspectives, and solutions presented to students. …

Assessing The Practical Cybersecurity Skills Gained Through Criminal Justice Academic Programs To Benefit Security Operations Centers (Socs), Lucy Tsado, Jung Seob "Scott" Kim

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Private-sector and public-sector organizations have increasingly built specific business units for securing company assets, reputation, and lives, known as security operations centers (SOCs). Depending on the organization, these centers may also be referred to as global security operations centers, cybersecurity operations centers, fusion centers, and corporate command centers, among many other names. The concept of centralized function within an organization to improve an organization’s security posture has attracted both the government and the private sectors to either build their own SOCs or hire third-party SOC companies.

In this article, the need for a multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity education at colleges …

The Message Design Of Raiders Of The Lost Ark On The Atari 2600 & A Fan’S Map, Quick Start, And Strategy Guide, Miguel Ramlatchan, William I. Ramlatchan

Distance Learning Faculty & Staff Books

The message design and human performance technology in video games, especially early video games have always been fascinating to me. From an instructional design perspective, the capabilities of the technology of the classic game consoles required a careful balance of achievable objectives, cognitive task analysis, guided problem solving, and message design. Raiders on the Atari is an excellent example of this balance. It is an epic adventure game, spanning 13+ distinct areas, with an inventory of items, where those hard to find items had to be used by the player to solve problems during their quest (and who would have …

Approaches To Broadening Participation With Ap Computer Science Principles, Audrey Le Meur

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

The Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course framework was created with the intention of broadening participation in computing. Research has produced mixed results on whether or not the framework succeeds in that goal. Given that teachers have significant freedom in how they choose to teach the AP CSP content, students can have a variety of experiences that may or may not impact their continued participation in CS. In this paper, I compare four different approaches to the AP CSP framework by examining their impact on AP exam scores, self-efficacy and confidence, belongingness and identity, and persistence and interest, …

Talking About Statistical Significance In Numeracy, Nathan D. Grawe, Gizem Karaali

Numeracy

In recent years, much debate has surrounded the potential for audiences to be mislead by several common practices when reporting statistical significance tests. Two editors of Numeracy share the journals perspectives on these questions. As an interdisciplinary journal, we recognize and honor the genre differences represented by our authors and audience members. As a consequence, the journal is open to many practices. Still, we acknowledge the concerns raised by the American Statistical Association and others and encourage authors to write with care and clarity, however results may be represented.

Review Of A Framework For Sustainable Thinking: Is Ql For Citizenship Even Possible?, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

Van Antwerp and Heun's A Framework for Sustainability Thinking offers an extensive collection of data related to sustainability with an emphasis on energy. Intended for a primary audience of undergraduate students, the authors set the data in the context of the IPARX identity which notes that impacts (I) are the product of population (P), affluence (A), resource intensity of economic activity (R), and impact of the resources (X). In addition to being a useful text for seminars focused on sustainability and energy use, the book provides a context for contemplating the roles of expertise vs. general quantitative literacy when addressing …

Using Magic To Teach Computer Programming, Dale F. Reed, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Magic can be used in project-based instruction to motivate students and provide a meaningful context for learning computer programming. This work describes several magic programs of the “Choose a Number” and “Pick a Card” varieties, making connections to underlying computing concepts.

Magic tricks presented as demonstrations and programming assignments elicit wonder and captivate students’ attention, so that students want to understand and replicate the work to show it to friends and family members. Capturing student interest and curiosity motivates them to learn the underlying programming concepts.

Two “Choose a Number” programs are shown where the computer is able to identify …

Understanding Compactness Through Primary Sources: Early Work Uniform Continuity To The Heine-Borel Theorem, Naveen Somasunderam

Analysis

No abstract provided.

Can You Master This? : Initial Attempts At Specifications-Based Grading In Introductory Chemistry, Laura Kopff

Faculty Publications & Research

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) requires all incoming students to complete a one-semester introductory chemistry course in their sophomore year – Scientific Inquiries in Chemistry (SI-Chem). This course has historically been taught using a traditional grading/assessment model, however, in the Spring of 2021, a switch was made to a specification-based grading system. One motivating factor in this decision is an institutional shift to an equity-focused grading approach, and an analysis of our historical assessment model indicated areas for improvement.

Our initial foray into specifications grading was during the Spring of 2021 semester, when all of our courses were …