Thematic learning is considered as efficient as the students taught learn in coherent context and holistic way, as well as associate the concepts they learnt with their surrounding and real-life examples. The aim of the study was to identify the effectiveness of the problem-based thematic learning module prototype to improve students' critical…

Previously developed K12 Engineering Activity Modules were modified to include a literacy component and facilitated 2 days a week as part of an afterschool Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program. The afterschool program started in October and ended in April, with a winter and aspring break. In this pilot, 2 K12 teachers…

The purpose of this article is to address a major gap in the instructional sensitivity literature on how to develop instructionally sensitive assessments. We propose an approach to developing and evaluating instructionally sensitive assessments in science and test this approach with one elementary life-science module. The assessment we developed…

In the quest to improve public schools, an education in basic technological concepts and systems, or "technological literacy," has been viewed as an important part of a school curriculum (Dugger & Yung, 1995, pp. 7-8). Proponents of technology education have claimed that technological knowledge may be critical to the future needs of…