The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers at a southwestern secondary private charter school utilize the on-campus fabrication lab to promote the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL). Guided by the theory of constructivism, I qualitatively explored the processes teachers engage in when implementing a PBL lesson using a…

"Introducing Engineering to K-8 Students" will provide you with the tools you need to incorporate engineering design into your classroom. Rather than prescribing a specific curriculum to follow, this book will help you engage your students with hands-on, open-ended engineering design problems that can be easily integrated into your…

Bridging theoretical learning with practical applications is crucial in biology education, where the relevance of concepts directly influences learners' adaptability across educational contexts. This study assessed how Design-Based Biology Instruction (DBBI) impacts students' cognitive flexibility. Employing a three-group pretest-posttest…

In this design case, we describe our experience of designing and creating a teacher's dashboard as an accompanying tool to support sixth-grade teachers who implement a technology-supported problem-based learning program on sixth-grade space science in their classrooms. We describe in detail the background of this design case, our motivation to…

Background: Implementing maker education in schools is on the rise, fuelled by its potential to move formal education towards a creative, technology-driven 21st century learning culture. In maker education, collaborative learning takes place through and around various digital and traditional technologies, which provide the means for students'…

In most middle schools, learning is segregated by discipline. Yet interdisciplinary approaches have been shown to cultivate creative thinking, support problem solving, and develop interest while supporting knowledge gains (NAE & NRC in STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research. National Academies Press,…

Design-based learning (DBL) is gaining increasing acceptance as a motivating and practical approach that can be used to prepare young people for the challenges of the twenty-first century. Emotions are known to influence a student's academic performance in traditional learning, which raises the question as to what role emotions can play in DBL.…

Teaching STEM concepts to today's high school students has been challenging. Span of attention is short. Students are glued to their electronic devices. They cannot appreciate the abstract method of teaching, meaning covering concepts followed by solving problems from a textbook. Research has shown that students become excited and motivated to…

Using engineering design practices, student groups reverse engineer their own oil cleanup techniques and processes.

Among educators there is no clear definition for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This complicates its conception and application in schools. Thus, it is critical when working with students that we develop a common understanding of STEM, or at least understand and value the different perspectives that others may have. This…

The purpose of this study is to design a digital game design-based STEM activity for fifth-grade students learning about endangered organisms and significance of biodiversity for living. This activity was carried out with twenty students in a public school in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey during academic year of 2018-2019 spring term. This…

The NGSS MS-ETS1 Engineering Design (1-4) is the focus of the article. Development of a challenging problem-based activity that is an improvement over the traditional egg drop competition is emphasized. Quantification of data collected and real-world relevance are two activity components that are viewed as improvements over the egg drop. The…

The shortage of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has led to numerous attempts to increase students' interest in STEM. One emerging approach that has the potential to improve students' motivation for STEM is integrated STEM education. Nonetheless, the implementation of this new instructional strategy is not…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of maker-centred learning methodology on the motivation of secondary school students towards science learning using a quasi-experimental design pretest-posttest. For this purpose, a sample of 200 students in eighth grade (110 boys and 90 girls) was selected from two different schools in Madrid…

With the inclusion of engineering disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) position engineering as a new priority in K-12 science classrooms. This paper reports findings from the implementation of SLIDER, a problem-based learning 8th grade physical science curriculum that integrates engineering and physical…