Blog

Research on system modeling for classroom use

Epidemics model in SageModeler

From local environmental justice issues to global phenomena such as climate change, complex problems often require systems thinking to address them. Since 2018, the National Science Foundation-funded Multilevel Computational Modeling project, a collaboration between the Concord Consortium and the CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University, has researched how the use of our SageModeler […]

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AI Education Across the Curriculum

AI Education Across the Curriculum

In collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University, we are designing and researching curriculum modules for secondary math, English language arts, and history to incorporate AI education across the curriculum.

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New YouthQuake project engages urban middle school students in geoscience practices

The Seismic Explorer showing the number of earthquakes that occurred in California between 1980 and the present.

With most California residents living within a 30-minute drive of one of the state’s 500 active fault zones, the threat of earthquakes looms large. Scientists are constantly monitoring seismic activity, conducting risk assessments to determine when and where earthquakes may occur, and predicting the potential impacts to surrounding communities. Our new National Science Foundation-funded YouthQuake […]

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YouthQuake

YouthQuake

In partnership with EarthScope, the University of South Florida, and the San Joaquin School District, this project fosters the development of computational geoscience identities and career awareness in urban youth using an earthquake risks and impacts curriculum.

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Under the sea: How a dive to the seafloor can help students unlock Earth’s past

Seafloor spreading modeled in TecRocks Explorer

Stephanie Seevers is an Earth science teacher in Colorado and a consultant on the TecRocks project. I was talking to my 9th grade Earth and Space Science students recently about why they think so many people lack a solid understanding of our planet and its history. We brainstormed ideas, and while several theories sounded valid, […]

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Rocks and plate tectonics reimagined

TecRocks data table

Across the Earth, rock is being created, destroyed, and transformed all the time. If you were to witness a volcanic eruption up close, you would see the birth of new rock. While such an eruption results in a dramatic display of Earth’s power, many rock-forming processes are invisible as they take place deep beneath Earth’s […]

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Computational Thinking in High School Biology

Computational Thinking graphic

In collaboration with the University of Connecticut, we’re designing activities for high school biology students that engage them in computational thinking as they learn how to use electrical signals from their brains to control virtual and real mechanical devices.

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Digital Inscriptions 2

Graphic of students working together using laptop

With Michigan State University, we are extending a collaborative digital learning environment that embeds the Connected Mathematics Project materials, and using learning analytics to study individual and collaborative problem-based mathematics engagement and learning over time.

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Linking block coding, visual representations, and science concepts

GeoCoder with block code (left) and a visual representation of two tectonic plates (right).

The everyday work of modern seismologists—the scientists who study earthquakes, hazards, and risks—exists right at the intersection of two NGSS practices: “Analyzing and Interpreting Data” and “Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking.” Seismologists collect huge amounts of data from satellites, remote sensors, and GPS networks in order to monitor Earth’s surface for signs of land movement […]

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