ERIC Number: EJ1473206
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-8756-3894
EISSN: EISSN-1559-7075
Available Date: 2025-04-10
Making Time to Grow: An Instructional Design Case from Eight In-School and Six Out-of-School Computer-Supported Plant-Growing Projects
TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, v69 n3 p656-671 2025
During young adolescence, many youth develop strong identities in relation to science, technology, engineering and mathematics with computing (STEM + C). One way to design for student engagement in STEM + C is to create project-based units that leverage students' interests. We created one such unit, called the "smart greenhouse project". Drawing upon eight in-school-time and six out-of-school-time interventions, we present an instructional design case (IDC). In describing the Context, Final Design, Critical Decisions, Design Limitations and Reflections of this IDC, we highlight design considerations and limitations that may generate new understandings for educational designers engaging with this paper. Our main contributions center on modalities of computer coding, hybridity of instructional materials, flexibility of spatial orientations in computer-supported learning environments, near-peer approaches to teaching and mentoring and dispersed models of professional development. We hope to inspire educational designers to (re-)engage young adolescents in STEM + C learning, in ways that equitably foster youths' rightful presence.
Descriptors: Instructional Design, Computer Uses in Education, STEM Education, Student Projects, Environmental Education, Computer Science Education, Coding, Instructional Materials, Mentors, Faculty Development, Adolescents, Secondary School Students
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1713460; 1759152; 1814001; 2048994
Author Affiliations: 1Waltham Public Schools, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Waltham, USA; 2University at Buffalo (SUNY), Graduate School of Education, Buffalo, USA; 3Boston College, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Chestnut Hill, USA