Increasing demand for curricula and programming that supports computational thinking in K-2 settings motivates our research team to investigate how computational thinking can be understood, observed, and supported for this age group. This study has two phases: 1) developing definitions of computational thinking competencies, 2) identifying educational apps that can potentially promote computational thinking. For the first phase, we reviewed literatures and models that identified, defined and/or described computational thinking competencies. Using the model and literature review, we then
For the past two decades, researchers and educators have been interested in integrating engineering into K-12 learning experiences. More recently, computational thinking (CT) has gained increased attention in K-12 engineering education. Computational thinking is broader than programming and coding. Some describe computational thinking as crucial to engineering problem solving and critical to engineering habits of mind like systems thinking. However, few studies have explored how computational thinking is exhibited by children, and CT competencies for children have not been consistently defined
We report on an ongoing collaboration that uses puppetry as a shared cultural expression in educational workshop that inform intercultural exchange. Collaborators in Atlanta, USA and Medellín, Colombia work in tandem on the design and implementation of puppet-building workshops. These workshops use narrative framing, craft-based prototyping, and performance-based validation to teach students basic prototyping skills. They specifically encourage them to relate to their local culture and to inform an ongoing dialogue between the two cultural spheres.
Based on preliminary findings from two puppet making and prototyping workshops, an emergent importance of ownership is identified among participants. The workshops center around puppet construction and performance but differed in population and design. We identify key mechanisms of the observed feeling of owernership in the different populations and lay out directed design choices to further support such ownership effects.
This project asks the question: are there duties and tasks consistent across job descriptions of those who work in informal science learning institutions, and do those duties and tasks change over the course of a career? This is being done to critically look at professional development for science and technology centers and think critically about the career path needs of people, rather than focusing on job specific skills. Using literature and experience, the project team had in the proposal identified the stages as early career (0-3 years as a science-related museum professional), mid-career
This project promises to help professionalize the field of informal science learning. In general, professional fields that developed guidance for growth and excellence tend to attract and retain professionals more successfully than those who do not, in part because expectations are transparent. Our analyses thus far included a variety of potential target audiences who engaged with the Framework at differing depths. In addition to testing the potential efficacy of the Preliminary Framework as a guide for professionalizing ISL, reviewers helped to build the case for the value of professional
This research paper critically explores the common definitions and perceptions of Making that may potentially disenfranchise traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering. Given the aspects of engineering design that are commonly integrated into Making activities, the Maker movement is increasingly recognized as a potentially transformative pathway for young people to developing early interest and understanding in engineering. However, “what counts” as Making can often be focused heavily on electronic-based and computational forms of Making, such as activities that involve 3D printers
This paper explores the construction of hybrid spaces through the observation of middle school children engaged in short science projects in an informal science learning programme. Hybrid spaces are not just physical structures, but refer to contexts, relationships and knowledges developed by children as their social worlds and identities merge with the normative expectations of school science. Hybrid spaces have been characterised in three different ways: as a convergent space between academic and traditionally marginalised knowledges and discourses; as a navigational space, or a way of
This poster, which was presented at the Visitor Studies Association Conference in 2017, shares methods, working definitions and frameworks, and lessons-learned from Developing Guidelines for Designing Challenging and Rewarding Interactive Science Exhibits (DRL-1612577). Through design-based research, this project is investigating the emotional state of “productive struggle,” an intensive, fruitful state of exhilaration and challenge characterized by high levels of physiological arousal along with the experience of negative emotions. The project pushes beyond the positive range of emotional
This is the Advisors' Report for 2017 for the iSWOOP (Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks) project. It discusses broad issues across project sites, provides park by park overviews, and highlights results of the research.
In this literature review, we seek to understand in what ways aspects of computer science education and making and makerspaces may support the ambitious vision for science education put forth in A Framework for K-12 Science as carried forward in the Next Generation Science Standards. Specifically, we examine how computer science and making and makerspace approaches may inform a project-based learning approach for supporting three-dimensional science learning at the elementary level. We reviewed the methods and findings of both recently published articles by influential scholars in computer
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Samuel SeveranceSusan CodereEmily MillerDeborah Peek-BrownJoseph Krajcik
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This is a report from Workshop II: Overview of Organizational Support for Public Engagement among Scientific Societies, part of the Support Systems for Scientists' Communication and Engagement workshop series. Workshop II was held Feb. 28 - Mar. 1, 2018 at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD. The report provides an overview of a project aiming to help reveal how societies view the concept of “public engagement” and to provide an empirical understanding of the availability and prevalence of tools that societies currently use to support engagement efforts.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Shupei YuanAnthony DudoJohn BesleyBrooke Smith