STEM
LEARNING
STEM education is an
interdisciplinary approach to learning that removes traditional barriers
separating the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics and integrates them into real-world, rigorous, and relevant
learning experiences for students.
STEM Goals is to help
the students to function and thrive in our highly technological world. Based on
the National Resource Councils report called “Successful K-12 STEM Education”,
STEM Education develops understandings and capabilities that are required of
personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs and
economic productivity. Second goal is the connection between disciplines for
the students to deepened conceptual understanding and develop valuable skills
that can be applied in different context. The integration of discipline show
the students that finding solutions to ink aging and meaningful problems
require the use of knowledge and skills from different disciplines all working
together interconnected and intertwined. Think of discipline as gears all
working together for one common purpose.
The book provided some
STEM guiding principles. First, focus on integration. This will help the
student to see the connect concepts that seem disjointed. Secondly, establish
relevant. It can help when students are given real-world problem, current event
situations global issue or any appealing event third emphasize 21st
century skills. The work place our students will enter requires a workforce
that can access information solve problems creatively and collaborate with
others. Next, challenge your students. The teachers need to give the students
challenges that are not so difficult that students give, nor so easy that
students find the work boring. Finally, mix it up. Provide learning
opportunities that use problem-based approaches and project-based approaches.
Problem-based approaches, students are given a problem to design creative
solutions. For in project based approaches, students are given choice and how
to produce products or develop solutions that demonstrate their learning as
well as having a voice in the way they are evaluated.
The STEM Practice are
the science and engineering practices from the next generation science
standards asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for
engineering). Secondly, developing and using model planning. Thirdly, planning
and carrying out investigations. Next, analyzing and interpreting data. The
other practices are using mathematics and computational thinking constructing
explanations. Constructing explanations (science) and designing solutions
(engineering). Engaging in argument from evidence also are STEM Practices.
Finally, obtaining evaluating and communicating information.
STEM Practices for the mathematical
that comes from the Common Core State Standards make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them. Firstly, reason abstractly and quantitatively. Secondly,
construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Then, model
with mathematics use appropriate tools strategically. Next, attend to
precision. Also, look for and make use of structure. Finally, look for and
express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Resource Council states
that technology is any modification of the natural world made to fulfill human
needs or desires. So, a hammer or a pencil would be examples of technology. The
book categorizes technologies into six groups that helps students understand
the world they live in. they are transportation, construction, electricity,
medicine, food and water, and communication. Practice one for the technology
practices is become aware of the web of technological on which society depends.
It helps the students to think more broadly about technology and emphasize how
technologies created by human are here to serve our needs and desires practice.
Practice two, to learn how to use new technologies as they become available
helps the students learn how to use new technology, how to choose appropriate
ones for a situation and observe how others to use technology. Another practice
is recognized the role that technology plays in the advancement of science and
engineering. Then, make informed decisions about technology given its
relationship to society and the environment.
Three approaches to
STEM Integration to integrated are stem multidisciplinary integration or
thematic integration, interdisciplinary integration and trans-disciplinary
integration.
Multidisciplinary
integration or thematic integration is an approach that connects to individual
disciplines by organizing the curriculum around a common theme such as
“Oceans,” “Ecosystem,” “Flight,” or “Pirates.” It provides a coherent learning
experience and shows students that you can learn about a topic in different
ways through different disciplinary perspectives. It is recommended that you
create a theme based on each discipline standard as well as using your students
as interests the negative to this approach is that the connection is only made
through the theme and nothing else no learning goals theme and nothing else. No
learning goals are combined to create opportunities for deeper understandings.
Interdisciplinary
integration is teachers organize the curriculum around common learning across
disciplines. The learning goals from two disciplines are “fused” to form a
single key concept or skill. The book provides an interdisciplinary unit
example of science teacher who wants his students to have a better concept of
scale the range of sizes of planets and the distance between them in space. The
math teacher offers to help by having students scale a model of the solar
system by using the ratios they are learning in class. The learning goal of science
focuses on the similarities and differences between planets and the learning
goal of math focuses on the ability to apply the use of ratios.
Combining these
learning goals forms a single key skill which is to scale a model that helps
students grasp the size of planets in the solar system. This integration allows
the students to go past just learning about the surface features of planets but
instead get a deeper level of understanding of the solar system through size
and distance scale. It is important to note that this approach is not entirely
distinct from Multidisciplinary Integration. These three approaches differ in
the degree of integration. So in interdisciplinary units, the disciplines are
identifiable but become less significant than in multidisciplinary approach.
Based on the internet:
1. LEARNING
ANALYTICS
Learning analytics is
the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and
their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the
environment in which it occurs. A related field is educational data mining.
Analytics can help shed
light on questions surrounding a host of complex issues like the uncertainty of
funding the difficulty of student retention the problem of college
affordability. Analytics is the use of data statistical analysis, explanatory
and predictive models to gain insights and act on complex issues. Analytics can
provide insights to a wide variety of uncertainties for an institution for this
reason analytics must start with a question or hypothesis.
Learning analytics is
the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data about learners and
their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the
environments in which it occurs. There are three crucial elements involved in
this definition. Firstly, data is the primary analytics asset. Data is the raw
material that gets transformed into analytical insights. Secondly, analysis is
the process of adding intelligence to data using algorithms. Thirdly, action is
the most important aspect of the definition. Taking action is the ultimate goal
of any learning analytics process. The results of follow-up actions will
determine the success or failure of our analytical efforts.
Learning analytics (LA)
refers to the process of collecting, evaluating, analysing, and reporting
organizational data for decision making (Campbell and Oblinger, 2007). It
involves the use of big data analysis for understanding and improving the
performance of educational institutions in educational delivery.
Learning analytics are
web-based measurements and reporting about student learning that is intended to
help teachers improve the knowledge and skill acquisition of their students.
This maximizes student learning potential while enhancing teaching and delivery
methods. Though its application to education is relatively new, scientific
disciplines have been using it for over forty years. Expansion into scholarship
was birthed by advanced technology, and the data trails learners leave while
using the internet. The data provides several benefits to aid educators and
students.
The benefits of
learning analytics:
a.
Curriculum Mapping and Competency Determination.
In curriculum mapping, we identify what we have
already taught students and what to teach next. It is a collection process that
typically analyzes the processes and assessments employed for core and content
by subject and grade level. With learning analytics, we immediately know how
effective our instructional methods were for a particular unit before moving
on.
b.
Personalized Learning and Interventions
With the data provided, we can analyze how
particular students performed based on their own learning patterns, taking into
consideration their gifts and challenges, prior performance, and any other
factors we care to monitor. We can even use learning analytics to tailor
learning to a student’s or group of students’ particular interests. For
example, should we see that a particular class of students absorbed and
retained the content with greater mastery when other subjects were integrated,
or classes were held outdoors, or learning was inquiry-based, we may decide to
expand upon those efforts.
c.
Behavior Prediction
Leaving analytics helps educators determine how well
students have mastered content and through what means, and also can assess
student’s risk level. Identifying blocks of students who may have academic or
behavioral challenges helps educators to develop the interventions to prevent
them while predicting success can help students reach their full potential.
In
conclusion, learning analytics, most simply put, is the scientific data behind
the observations educators have done behind the observations educators have
done for centuries and begin making immediately with every new student they
encounter. While teachers can make predictions and recognize patterns, learning
analytics allow them to do a deeper dive into the data, making connections that
would be impossible for the average human brain to make. Learning analytics
aids educators in the classroom immediately by helping develop curriculum
mapping and learning interventions, while predicting behavior and determining
competencies and helping personalize learning.
2. ADAPTIVE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
Adaptive learning, also known as adaptive teaching,
is an educational method which uses computer algorithms to orchestrate the
interaction with the learner and deliver customized resources and learning
activities to address the unique needs of each learner. Adaptive learning is a
technology-based or online educational system that analyzes a student’s
performance in real time and modifies teaching methods based on that data.
a. Adaptive learning helps teachers as well as
students.
As learners use adaptive learning-based software,
teachers can analyze the data and better understand each student’s
individualized needs. Figuring out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses can take
hours of one-on-one tutoring, especially with large class sizes and shy
students reluctant to initiate private time. With adaptive learning, teachers
can immediately see where students are struggling and, more importantly, which
methods of teaching are helping them improve and master the material.
Everything adaptive learning software initiates to increase a student’s
understanding, teachers can replicate in a classroom setting.
b. Adaptive learning engages the area between a
student’s comfort zone and frustration zone
Intelligence adaptive learning technology accesses
the Zone of Proximal Development (ZDP) for optimum mastery of the material. The
Zone of Proximal Development is the area in between a student’s comfort zone
and their frustration zone. It’s the area where students are not repeating
material they’ve already mastered nor challenging themselves at a level so
challenging that they become frustrated, discouraged, and reluctant to keep
learning. This customized level of difficulty is designed to create smart
students who aren’t afraid to solve problems and creatively work out solutions,
both in the classroom and outside of it.
c. School and Universities across the country have
already adopted adaptive learning and personalization techniques
Elementary schools in Baltimore Country have
implemented Reading Counts, an adaptive learning program that suggests titles
based on areas readers can improve on. For example to improve on reading are
vocabulary, reading comprehension, and fluency. Carnegie Mellon University
created the Open Learning Initiative (OLI), a course-building software that
uses adaptive learning technology to link learning experiences with course
performance. The platform allows students to learn at an individualized pace,
receive constant feedback, and participate in virtual labs, simulations, and
other application-based educational activities.
School districts throughout the United State recently implemented
Dreambox, an adaptive math program for learners, and experienced a meaningful
increase in achievement gain.
https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/12/adaptive-learning-technologies-preparing-students-through-personalized-content
3. ONLINE LEARNING
Online learning is refers to a course, program or degree delivered completely online. There are many terms used to describe learning that is delivered online, via the internet, ranging from Distance Education, to computerized electronic learning, online learning, internet learning and many others. An online education is preferred by individuals who may not be able to make it for classes in a traditional brick and mortar kind of college due to various reasons.
Education may have several purposes, and online
courses help to fulfill it. Some even say that e-learning can revolutionize
education as it provides new opportunities for traditional learning. Taking
online classes has a lot of advantages. Online learning is certainly the more
effective option for students, but it’s also better for the environment. There
are many reasons why online learning can be more effective than enrolling in a
face to face training course.
Firstly, students learn more than they do in traditional
courses. This is because online courses give the students full control over
their own learning, students are able to work at their own speed. Generally
students work faster than they would do otherwise and take in more information.
They are able to move faster through areas of the course they feel comfortable
with, but slower through those that they need a little more time on. Secondly,
retention rates are higher with online learning. Many offline courses struggle
to retain students throughout the length of the course. It’s been suggested
that more engaging multimedia content, more control over how they take in the
material and less likelihood of classes clashing with other commitments all
contribute to this rate. Thirdly, online learning requires less of a time
investment. Many students are put off enrolling in a face to face course due to
the time investment it will require. This generally involves the time to get
back and forth to classes, plus the time spent waiting for tutors and other
students. It’s also key to note that e-Learning options generally allow
students to split the time they are investing in the course in whichever may
works for them. They don’t need to be able to dedicate large chunks of time to
the course. It’ll work just as well if they can set aside half an hour from
their lunch break each day. Fourthly, more frequent assessments can reduce
distractions. One of the great things about online courses is that assessment
can become more of an ongoing process. This is good news for students as
interspersing multimedia content and learning materials with regular short
tests can improve student engagement. It’s also worth noting that the mort
often students are assessed, the better their tutors are able to keep track of
their progress. Increased student tracking means that tutors are able to step
in earlier when assistance is needed. Lastly, e-Learning is the greener option.
Online learning is certainly the more effective option for students, but it’s
also better for the environment. This certainly make online learning and
multimedia content a more effective method of education overall. Promoting and
engaging in this kind of learning can help both individuals and corporations to
do their bit for the environment and stick to their own personal environmental
goals.
4. MOBILE LEARNING
Mobile learning is “learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices”. A form of distance education, mobile learners use mobile device educational technology at their time convenience. A theory of mobile learning is essential when thinking of the role of mobility and communication in learning environments.
A key point in mobile learning theory is that it is the learner that is mobile, not the technology. A theory of mobile learning is essential when thinking of the role of mobility and communication in learning environments. In mobile learning, students learn across both space and time and move from topic to topic. As devices are ubiquitous, learning can be interwoven with activities part of everyday life. Control of mobile learning environments can be distributed, and context is constructed by learners through their interaction with devices and with each other. Their acknowledge that mobile learning can both complement and conflict with format education, and it raises ethnical issues both of privacy and ownership.
5. VIRTUAL AND REMOTE LAB
Remote laboratories allow users to perform experiments and laboratory tasks over the Internet without being near the actual equipment. In a traditional proximal laboratory, the user interacts directly with the equipment by performing physical actions (e.g. manipulating with the hands, pressing buttons and turning knobs) and receiving sensory feedback (visual, audio and tactile). In a remote laboratory, this same interaction takes place at a distance with the assistance of the remote infrastructure. This is a new layer that sits in between the user and the laboratory equipment. It is responsible for conveying user actions and receiving sensory information from the equipment.
On the user’s side, the remote infrastructure performs the following key function:
1. Provides a user interface that allows the experiment apparatus to be monitored and operated.
2. Manages access to the laboratory, to ensure that only user can use an experiment at a time.
1. Monitors the apparatus, e.g. through the use of video cameras, microphones and other sensors.
2. Controls the apparatus, e.g. through the use of I/O interfaces, motors or other actuators
3. Ensures that the experiment is ‘cleaned up’ at the end of a user’s session by automatically resetting the apparatus or putting it into a stable state.
The important and use of Virtual and Remote Labs (VRLs) has been growing over the years as the technology has progressed and some of their major concerns has been solved. As we will see, most empirical studies have shown that VRLs and hands-on labs are equally effective. Moreover, VRLs provided additional advantages as the following ones:
- Availability: VRLs can be used from anywhere at anytime, thus they support students geographically scattered, who besides are conditioned to different time zones.
- Observability: labs sessions can be watched by watched by many people or even recorded.
- Accessibility: labs can be accessed by handicapped people.
- Safety: VRLs can be a better alternative to hands-on labs for danagerous experimentation.
