Background and Context: While assessment of computational thinking concepts, practices, and perspectives is at the forefront of K-12 CS education, supporting student "communication about computation" has received relatively little attention. Objective: To examine the usability of process-based portfolios for capturing students'…

The concept of learning outside of the traditional, formal classroom setting is an important component of family and consumer sciences (FCS) educational pedagogy. Methods of learning beyond the FCS classroom include visiting museums, accessing archives--both in person and virtually--and participating in field studies (Roehl, 2013). Although many…

At Iowa State University, the introductory textile science course is a required 4-credit class for all undergraduate students enrolled in the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Program. Frustrated by a perceived gap between students who easily comprehended course material and those who complained and struggled, the instructor implemented an…

Many educators believe that student learning is enhanced when they are actively involved in classroom activities that require student inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to report on three student inquiry projects that were incorporated into a merchandising class with the focus on making students responsible for their learning, rather than the…

This guide is designed to provide an overview of the total curriculum for Level I Home Economics. Three scope and sequence options and block plans for periods that are 9, 18, and 36 weeks in length are suggested. The six subject areas (and concept areas) are child development (child as individual, babysitting, job skills), clothing and textiles…

This guide contains nine units of study for a beginning course in home economics. Units include some or all of the following components: performance objectives, lesson plans, information sheets, transparency masters, handouts, assignment sheets, job sheets, a unit test, and answers to the unit test. All units are competency based and…