Current Perspectives on the Value, Teaching, Learning, and Assessment of Design in STEM Education


Book Description

Design is a central activity within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Within enacted practice, design can feature within intended learning outcomes, for example in learning to design, and it can feature within pedagogical methodologies, for example by learning through design. Often holding differing disciplinary interpretations such as design as cyclical problem solving, iterative design, conceptual design, or design with or without make, understanding the educational merits of the ill-defined and open nature of authentic designerly activity is paramount. This Research Topic sets out to gain a more nuanced understanding of the value and role(s) of design within STEM educational contexts. This Research Topic focuses on design within STEM educational contexts, particularly in terms of teaching, learning, and assessment. The aim is to contribute to the evidential basis which can be used to guide the incorporation of design into educational practice. The topic has two central research objectives. The first is to generate evidence regarding what design is in STEM education. For example, is the ability to design a singular or manifold construct? Is the capacity to design, or are factors of this ability, both learnable and teachable? How transferable is designerly knowledge between contexts? How do different disciplinary contexts influence the interpretation of design? The second is to further our understanding of how best to incorporate design within STEM education contexts. For example, how much emphasis should be placed on learning to or through design in school? How should design be assessed within formal education? Where and when is design best incorporated into education? In posing these questions, the goal of this research topic is to provide scholarly discourse which supports critical reflection and the challenging of assumptions regarding design in education.




Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student


Book Description

Empower tomorrow’s tech innovators Our students are avid users and consumers of technology. Isn’t it time that they see themselves as the next technological innovators, too? Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student is the beginner’s guide for K-12 educators who want to learn to integrate the basics of computer science into their curriculum. Readers will find Practical strategies for teaching computational thinking and the beginning steps to introduce coding at any grade level, across disciplines, and during out-of-school time Instruction-ready lessons and activities for every grade Specific guidance for designing a learning pathway for elementary, middle, or high school students Justification for making coding and computer science accessible to all A glossary with definitions of key computer science terms, a discussion guide with tips for making the most of the book, and companion website with videos, activities, and other resources Momentum for computer science education is growing as educators and parents realize how fundamental computing has become for the jobs of the future. This book is for educators who see all of their students as creative thinkers and active contributors to tomorrow’s innovations. "Kiki Prottsman and Jane Krauss have been at the forefront of the rising popularity of computer science and are experts in the issues that the field faces, such as equity and diversity. In this book, they’ve condensed years of research and practitioner experience into an easy to read narrative about what computer science is, why it is important, and how to teach it to a variety of audiences. Their ideas aren’t just good, they are research-based and have been in practice in thousands of classrooms...So to the hundreds and thousands of teachers who are considering, learning, or actively teaching computer science—this book is well worth your time." Pat Yongpradit Chief Academic Officer, Code.org




Teaching Computational Thinking and Coding to Young Children


Book Description

Computational thinking is a lifelong skill important for succeeding in careers and life. Students especially need to acquire this skill while in school as it can assist with solving a number of complex problems that arise later in life. Therefore, the importance of teaching computational thinking and coding in early education is paramount for fostering problem-solving and creativity. Teaching Computational Thinking and Coding to Young Children discusses the importance of teaching computational thinking and coding in early education. The book focuses on interdisciplinary connections between computational thinking and other areas of study, assessment methods for computational thinking, and different contexts in which computational thinking plays out. Covering topics such as programming, computational thinking assessment, computational expression, and coding, this book is essential for elementary and middle school teachers, early childhood educators, administrators, instructional designers, curricula developers, educational software developers, researchers, educators, academicians, and students in computer science, education, computational thinking, and early childhood education.




Research Anthology on Computational Thinking, Programming, and Robotics in the Classroom


Book Description

The education system is constantly growing and developing as more ways to teach and learn are implemented into the classroom. Recently, there has been a growing interest in teaching computational thinking with schools all over the world introducing it to the curriculum due to its ability to allow students to become proficient at problem solving using logic, an essential life skill. In order to provide the best education possible, it is imperative that computational thinking strategies, along with programming skills and the use of robotics in the classroom, be implemented in order for students to achieve maximum thought processing skills and computer competencies. The Research Anthology on Computational Thinking, Programming, and Robotics in the Classroom is an all-encompassing reference book that discusses how computational thinking, programming, and robotics can be used in education as well as the benefits and difficulties of implementing these elements into the classroom. The book includes strategies for preparing educators to teach computational thinking in the classroom as well as design techniques for incorporating these practices into various levels of school curriculum and within a variety of subjects. Covering topics ranging from decomposition to robot learning, this book is ideal for educators, computer scientists, administrators, academicians, students, and anyone interested in learning more about how computational thinking, programming, and robotics can change the current education system.




Critical, Transdisciplinary and Embodied Approaches in STEM Education


Book Description

Over the past decade, integrated STEM education research has emerged as an international concern, creating around it an imperative for technological and disciplinary innovation and a global resurgence of interest in teaching and learning to code at the K-16 levels. At the same time, issues of democratization, equity, power and access, including recent decolonizing efforts in public education, are also beginning to be acknowledged as legitimate issues in STEM education. Taking a reflexive approach to the intersection of these concerns, this book presents a collection of papers making new theoretical advances addressing two broad themes: Transdisciplinary Approaches in STEM Education and Bodies, Hegemony and Decolonization in STEM Education. Within each theme, praxis is of central concern including analyses of teaching and learning that re-imagines disciplinary boundaries and domains, the relationship between Art and STEM, and the design of learning technologies, spaces and environments. In addition to graduate research seminars at the Masters and PhD levels in Learning Sciences, Science Education, Educational Technology and STEM education, this book could also serve as a textbook for graduate and pre-service teacher education courses.




Cracking the code


Book Description

This report aims to 'crack the code' by deciphering the factors that hinder and facilitate girls' and women's participation, achievement and continuation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and, in particular, what the education sector can do to promote girls' and women's interest in and engagement with STEM education and ultimately STEM careers.




The Challenges of the Digital Transformation in Education


Book Description

This book offers the latest research and new perspectives on Interactive Collaborative Learning and Engineering Pedagogy. We are currently witnessing a significant transformation in education, and in order to face today’s real-world challenges, higher education has to find innovative ways to quickly respond to these new needs. Addressing these aspects was the chief aim of the 21st International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2018), which was held on Kos Island, Greece from September 25 to 28, 2018. Since being founded in 1998, the conference has been devoted to new approaches in learning, with a special focus on collaborative learning. Today the ICL conferences offer a forum for exchanging information on relevant trends and research results, as well as sharing practical experiences in learning and engineering pedagogy. This book includes papers in the fields of: * New Learning Models and Applications * Pilot Projects: Applications * Project-based Learning * Real-world Experiences * Remote and Virtual Laboratories * Research in Engineering Pedagogy * Technical Teacher Training It will benefit a broad readership, including policymakers, educators, researchers in pedagogy and learning theory, school teachers, the learning industry, further education lecturers, etc.




Coding as a Playground


Book Description

Coding as a Playground, Second Edition focuses on how young children (aged 7 and under) can engage in computational thinking and be taught to become computer programmers, a process that can increase both their cognitive and social-emotional skills. Learn how coding can engage children as producers—and not merely consumers—of technology in a playful way. You will come away from this groundbreaking work with an understanding of how coding promotes developmentally appropriate experiences such as problem-solving, imagination, cognitive challenges, social interactions, motor skills development, emotional exploration, and making different choices. Featuring all-new case studies, vignettes, and projects, as well as an expanded focus on teaching coding as a new literacy, this second edition helps you learn how to integrate coding into different curricular areas to promote literacy, math, science, engineering, and the arts through a project-based approach and a positive attitude to learning.




Emerging Research, Practice, and Policy on Computational Thinking


Book Description

This book reports on research and practice on computational thinking and the effect it is having on education worldwide, both inside and outside of formal schooling. With coding becoming a required skill in an increasing number of national curricula (e.g., the United Kingdom, Israel, Estonia, Finland), the ability to think computationally is quickly becoming a primary 21st century “basic” domain of knowledge. The authors of this book investigate how this skill can be taught and its resultant effects on learning throughout a student's education, from elementary school to adult learning.