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Middle School    |    Daily Do

Why Does the Ice Melt Faster?

Why Does the Ice Melt Faster?

 

Press Release

August 12 Update: NSTA Fall 2020 Area Conferences on Science Education Cancelled

 

Elementary Informal Education    |    Daily Do

Why Are There Fish in the Desert?

Why Are There Fish in the Desert?

 

STEM Blog

Building Critical Thinkers by Showing the Societal Impact of Inventions

By Ainissa Ramirez, Ph.D.

Posted on 2020-08-10

Building Critical Thinkers by Showing the Societal Impact of Inventions

 

From the Field: Events and Opportunities, August 12, 2020

By Debra Shapiro

From the Field: Events and Opportunities, August 12, 2020

Archive: Transforming Science Learning: Teaching Students the Science of COVID-19: How Can I Protect Myself and Others?, August 26, 2020

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. At the Smithsonian, we hypothesize that students are more likely to engage in protective behaviors if they understand the science of WHY they are being asked to engage in these behaviors (e.g., wearing face masks, physical distancing, contact tracing, sorting through claims and evidence, etc).

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. At the Smithsonian, we hypothesize that students are more likely to engage in protective behaviors if they understand the science of WHY they are being asked to engage in these behaviors (e.g., wearing face masks, physical distancing, contact tracing, sorting through claims and evidence, etc).

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. At the Smithsonian, we hypothesize that students are more likely to engage in protective behaviors if they understand the science of WHY they are being asked to engage in these behaviors (e.g., wearing face masks, physical distancing, contact tracing, sorting through claims and evidence, etc).

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. At the Smithsonian, we hypothesize that students are more likely to engage in protective behaviors if they understand the science of WHY they are being asked to engage in these behaviors (e.g., wearing face masks, physical distancing, contact tracing, sorting through claims and evidence, etc).

 

Early Childhood Elementary Informal Education    |    Daily Do

How Can We Tell What Season It Is?

How Can We Tell What Season It Is?

 

Freebies for Science Teachers, Week of August 7

By Debra Shapiro

Freebies for Science Teachers, Week of August 7

 

Research and Teaching

Effect of Exam Wrappers on Student Achievement in Multiple, Large STEM Courses

Journal of College Science Teaching—September/October 2020 (Volume 50, Issue 1)

By Linda C. Hodges, Lisa C. Beall, Eric C. Anderson, Tara S. Carpenter, Lili Cui, Elizabeth Feeser, Tiffany Gierasch, Kalman M. Nanes, H. Mark Perks, and Cynthia Wagner


Metacognition, the ability to think about and regulate one’s thinking, is an important factor in effective student learning. One intervention to promote student metacognition is the exam wrapper—a reflection students complete after an exam noting how their performance related to their preparation. Results are mixed on the effect of the exam wrapper use on student achievement in single STEM courses. In this study, we implemented exam wrappers in five large science and math courses and examined their impact on students’ course outcomes, as well as students’ self-reported behaviors on the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (results for over 1,100 distinct individuals). Our data include a subset of students who completed exam wrappers in multiple courses simultaneously. We observed a modest but statistically significant positive relation between exam wrapper use and course grades in each course. The relation between exam wrapper use in multiple courses and cumulative grade point average was also statistically significant for male students. These results did not correlate with students’ metacognitive awareness, however. These findings have important implications for how instructors construct and implement wrappers to maximize their potential usefulness.

 


Metacognition, the ability to think about and regulate one’s thinking, is an important factor in effective student learning. One intervention to promote student metacognition is the exam wrapper—a reflection students complete after an exam noting how their performance related to their preparation. Results are mixed on the effect of the exam wrapper use on student achievement in single STEM courses.

Metacognition, the ability to think about and regulate one’s thinking, is an important factor in effective student learning. One intervention to promote student metacognition is the exam wrapper—a reflection students complete after an exam noting how their performance related to their preparation. Results are mixed on the effect of the exam wrapper use on student achievement in single STEM courses.
 

Research and Teaching

Less Text, More Learning

A Modest Instructional Strategy That Supports Language-Learning Science Students

Journal of College Science Teaching—September/October 2020 (Volume 50, Issue 1)

By Benjamin Wiggins, Hannah Jordt, and Kerri Wingert


English language learners are increasingly entering classrooms using student-centered instruction that places a greater emphasis on spoken language. While active learning is beneficial for a range of student outcomes, these practices force language learners to carry a heavy cognitive load in a complex and challenging environment. This experiment varied the complexity of the learning experience across a large, multi-section active classroom by presenting different versions of an in-class worksheet to each section. This experiment was controlled for instructor, topic, content, and environment, and treatment groups varied only in lexical density and amount of the language used on a worksheet. This modest variation in instruction corresponded to significantly improved learning as demonstrated on a pre- and post test for international students who represent a conservative proxy group for language learners. These data imply that the effectiveness of active learning strategies can be enriched for English language learners by designing learning materials that are simplified in language.

 


English language learners are increasingly entering classrooms using student-centered instruction that places a greater emphasis on spoken language. While active learning is beneficial for a range of student outcomes, these practices force language learners to carry a heavy cognitive load in a complex and challenging environment. This experiment varied the complexity of the learning experience across a large, multi-section active classroom by presenting different versions of an in-class worksheet to each section.

English language learners are increasingly entering classrooms using student-centered instruction that places a greater emphasis on spoken language. While active learning is beneficial for a range of student outcomes, these practices force language learners to carry a heavy cognitive load in a complex and challenging environment. This experiment varied the complexity of the learning experience across a large, multi-section active classroom by presenting different versions of an in-class worksheet to each section.
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