Why examining precursor non-cognitive variables is critical to improving STEM teaching and learning
Along with several of my colleagues, I have had the privilege of bringing to the forefront an exciting new study underway on gender equality in STEM education research. In short, the study examines non-cognitive variables of undergraduate freshman students majoring in STEM. While that’s not as attention grabbing or headline making as Katherine Johnson using […]
Recognizing Youths’ Social and Emotional Assets
Educators recognizing youth’s social and emotional assets is critical to youth’s learning and intellectual development. This article is to inform science and mathematics educators about the need to focus on youths’ social and emotional assets during hands-on, inquiry-based teaching and learning. The information is represented through the scientific observations of baby sea turtles erupting from […]
Social Innovation in STEM
Welcome to Social Innovation in STEMTM I introduced Social Innovation in STEM in September 2016. Gradually, STEM educators are seeing that science is social and paying closer attention to the social dimension of STEM education. People are constant across all STEM education spaces and careers. People are social. In this article, I share our concept […]
Human-Centered Data Collection; Engaging Kinesthetic Learners
Start planning to collect impact data from your STEM education programs that will engage the minds and hearts of your kinesthetic learners. The ILC Human-Centered data collection process was built to respond to ALL types of learners including visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. For instance, we collect data from focus group participants about past experiences […]
Students First STEM Content Second
Some perceive that the STEM education reform movement began a few years ago. It did not. STEM educators have been trying to improve the way STEM subjects are taught and to increase underrepresented students’ access to these disciplines for more than 40 years—to my knowledge, since Sputnik. The work is slow, considering how long it […]
Beyond Graphs to What Truly Matters: Resilience, Sense of Belonging, and STEM Success
On January 15, 2015, I had the opportunity to participate as a panelist at the Front and Center: Bringing Marginalized Girls into Focus in STEM and Career and Technical Education (CTE). The event was sponsored by the White House and Georgetown Center for Poverty and Inequality, Georgetown Law Center. See more at Front and Center: Girls of […]