We are all hardwired to belong.
Belonging is key to understanding cognitive development and academic success—particularly in STEM. Belongingness is a fundamental human need. Take Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory—it’s third, right after physiological and safety needs. To feel secure, we need to all feel connected with peers, family, and a larger community. Belongingness helps us feel that connection. This is […]
Inspiration Behind Innovative Learning Center, LLC
Last year, we used the oculus image illustrated to re-conceptualize the ILC logo. I found the colors warm and vibrant. I selected the oculus as our logo concept because it reminds me to look up towards my personal mission, which is: “To ensure that all children in the world have access to high quality formal […]
Sift and See: Why Examining Precursor Non-Cognitive Variables is Critical to Improving STEM Teaching and Learning
Back in 2018, at the Gender Summit 15-Europe (GS15) in London, several of my colleagues and I had the privilege of foregrounding an exciting new study on gender equality in STEM education research (Monrose-Mill et al., 2020). In short, the study examines non-cognitive variables of undergraduate freshman students majoring in STEM. While this may not […]
Young People at S.E.A: Recognizing Children’s Social and Emotional Assets Through the Plight of Baby Sea Turtles
Deeper insights are everywhere, you just have to open your eyes. I had no way of knowing as I moaned about having to wait on the beach at night with irksome mosquitos, but I was at the precipice of an epiphany. My time with the birth of baby leatherback sea turtles, albeit involuntary, led me […]
Eye-Tracking for Diverse and Advanced Learning Techniques in Chemistry Education
Eye-tracking technology can objectively measure students’ cognitive engagement in culturally responsive learning environments. However, this technology still has not been fully used to improve the learning chances for educationally low-performing students who have been subjected to deficit-based descriptions to characterize their learning. Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), not deficit-based descriptors, is essential to preparing students for […]
Eye-tracking: Striking the Balance of Insight and Intervention
As a STEM education researcher, I’m interested in understanding and studying the physiological responses of students to pedagogical interventions. To gain deeper insight into learning, education researchers need to open up to nuanced research designs that use objective assessment technologies and instruments, other than standardized tests, to measure cognition and cognitive processes. And to gain […]