Stephanie Rivale

This project has two overall goals. The first goal is to create a new instructional approach that middle school science teachers can use to teach the engineering design process. The second goal is to learn more about how middle school students propose, support, critique and revise design solutions. This project will result in new findings about how middle school students learn about the engineering design process, how they propose, support, critique and revise engineering designs; and how… Show more

This project has two overall goals. The first goal is to create a new instructional approach that middle school science teachers can use to teach the engineering design process. The second goal is to learn more about how middle school students propose, support, critique and revise design solutions. This project will result in new findings about how middle school students learn about the engineering design process, how they propose, support, critique and revise engineering designs; and how different aspects of instruction support or constrain middle school student use of disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts while engaging in the engineering design process. This project will directly impact four teachers and a diverse group of approximately 1000 students. Once the instructional model is developed, it has the potential to be adopted by teachers throughout the United States. This new approach to instruction will enable science teachers to integrate engineering concepts and practices into any middle school science course as prescribed by the Next Generation Science Standards - without needing to adopt or purchase an entirely new curriculum. In addition, the project has the potential to enhance interest in the field of engineering and to broaden the participation of women and minorities in engineering. (NSF #1607916) Show less

This project seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the integration of computing in STEM teaching and learning. Computational Thinking (CT) is an intellectual skill rooted in the ability to conceive of meaningful, information-based representations that can be effectively manipulated by a computer. Integrating CT into core science instruction addresses practical constraints in K-12 education, in that there is no room in the curriculum to teach it directly to… Show more

This project seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the integration of computing in STEM teaching and learning. Computational Thinking (CT) is an intellectual skill rooted in the ability to conceive of meaningful, information-based representations that can be effectively manipulated by a computer. Integrating CT into core science instruction addresses practical constraints in K-12 education, in that there is no room in the curriculum to teach it directly to everyone. But, more importantly, integrating CT into core science provides a synergistic opportunity to deepen instruction in both. STEM education programs that effectively foster development of CT skills as an essential competency are among the most successful in preparing a future STEM workforce that can leverage computational methods to advance basic science and engineering research and design innovative approaches for using data-rich resources to solve complex, societally-relevant problems. Similarly, a science-literate society increasingly needs to appreciate how advances in scientific knowledge are inter-woven with the use of big data, modeling, and simulations, if they are to make informed, evidence-based decisions. This project will explore the integration of core chemistry topics and computational thinking through student interaction with and manipulation of models that visually represent chemical systems, such as the carbon cycle. When a student examines a visual, runnable model, makes a prediction, changes the programming code, and then runs the model again, the computer provides feedback to the student that demands explanation. The process of anticipating, interpreting, and testing the computer's feedback, when coupled with a structured argumentation process, supports a student's abilities to think and act like a scientist as they explore and learn about both the computational and physical world.
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