Physical manipulatives enhanced knowledge acquisition by engaging learners in hands-on experiences that supported spatial reasoning. These tools allowed learners to see, touch, and manipulate objects, improving their ability to mentally rotate and visualize structures. This study challenged the assumption that most learners are purely visual by…

University faculty members, librarians, and support staff developed hands-on, consumable, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricular materials that could be inexpensively provided to large audiences. Goals included fostering STEM interest, teaching STEM principles, and encouraging continued exploration in home and school…

Virtual reality (VR) provides significant opportunities for students to experience immersive education. In VR, students can travel to the international space station, or go through a science experiment at home. However, the current tactile feedback provided by these systems do not feel real. Controllers do not provide the same tactile feedback…

Sampling distributions are fundamental to an understanding of statistical inference, yet research shows that students in introductory statistics courses tend to have multiple misconceptions of this important concept. A common instructional method used to address these misconceptions is computer simulation, often preceded by hands-on simulation…

Research reveals that many mathematics teachers find it difficult to stimulate learners' interest in learning geometry. One major reason suggested is that geometric concepts are not well conceptualised and comprehended by both learners and teachers. The study explored learners' views on how polygon pieces and dictionary mediate learning of…

Middle school mathematics teachers often do not emphasise statistics and geometry in their lesson plans for a variety of reasons. However, these are integral topics in mathematics, and using direct lecture or hands-on activities may have different effects on teacher confidence when approaching these subjects. Using qualitative and quantitative…

With the ever-diversifying digital landscape of the 21st century, terms such as 'information and communication technologies' (ICT), 'digital media' and 'technologies' are often used to refer to a broad set of digital devices and applications. However, the use of these umbrella-concepts in educational contexts has caused issues when used in…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in the educational world where schools across the nation had to shift to online learning very quickly with a lack of instructional strategies and how to differentiate instruction in an online learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the perceptions of…

We describe some classic experiments on the Möbius strip, the projective plane band, and the Klein bottle band. We present our experience with freshmen college students, college teachers, high school students, and Mathematics Education graduate students. These experiments are designed to encourage readers to learn more about the properties of the…

Despite its vital importance in our lives, chemistry is inadequately represented in most museums. Issues such as safety, replenishing and disposal of chemicals, supervision required, and cost are constraints that have limited the number and size of chemistry exhibits. Taking into account the constraints, a 21-station interactive and inexpensive…

Hands-on projects have been widely used as alternative approaches for teaching and learning of science with direct practical experience on doing to promote students' development of 21st-century skills. Here, we present an implementation of hands-on projects into teaching and learning of magnetic field topic that corresponds with indicators and…

This eight-month study, conducted in a first-grade classroom in the southwestern United States, analyzed young children's playful responses to literature. It focuses on framing a theory that underpins play as a form of reader response, which I term 'responsive play'. It further aims to answer the overarching research question and the sub-question:…

Student engagement in their own learning of mathematics, and student attitudes towards mathematics are key dimensions of learning. This mixed methods study examined the impact of a classroom intervention based on the principles of reform mathematics (i.e., active student involvement, hands-on, real-world connections, use of manipulatives and…

Statistics is enjoying some well-deserved limelight across mathematics curricula of late. Some statistical concepts, however, are not especially intuitive, and students struggle to comprehend and apply them. As an AP Statistics teacher, the author appreciates the central limit theorem as a foundational concept that plays a crucial role in…

This technology report outlines a robust and easy to assemble magnetic stirrer that is programmable. All of the parts are recycled from obsolete computer hardware except the Arduino microcontroller and motor driver, at a total cost of around $40. This multidisciplinary approach introduces microcontrollers to students and grants the opportunity to…