Category: STEM Models & Simulations
Climate change, and the rise of the natural hazards that climate change brings, has been at the top of news feeds every week over the past year. Extreme events such as floods, droughts, and wildfires are expected to increase in the future. What does that mean for those of us living in the path of […]
We published nine articles in researcher and teacher practitioner journals and one book chapter in 2021 that showcase innovations in STEM teaching and learning through technology. Learn how to design curricular materials that leverage digital tools for system modeling (#2), how to ensure powerful data learning experiences for all learners (#6), how to operationalize and […]
Over 100,00 miles of rivers and streams crisscross the state of Oregon, and it boasts more federally designated Wild and Scenic segments of river than anywhere else in the country. Water practically outlines the state with the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Columbia River defining much of the northern boundary with Washington, and the […]
With data all around us — from personal data about our sleep patterns, playlists, and purchases to scientific data about climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic — teachers and their students need to be able to navigate numbers and become fluent with data. Data fluency includes understanding the sources of data, structuring data for analysis, […]
The American West is burning. Wildfires rage, firefighters battle to contain fires, families are forced to evacuate their homes, and smoke chokes neighborhoods hundreds of miles away. Multiple years of drought have desiccated trees, shrubs, and grasses and transformed the western United States into a tinderbox. Air Quality Index and active fires in the western […]
New notebooks, sharpened pencils, and your tablet and iPhone batteries charged and ready to go. Check, check, and check. It’s back to school time! Whether you’re planning to be back in a real classroom for the first time in over a year or teach from your renovated basement, we’ve also been getting ready for the […]
Robert Constantinescu, a Ph.D. candidate in volcanology at the University of South Florida (USF), flew to the island of St. Vincent after the explosive activity at the La Soufrière volcano subsided. Between May 1 and 13, 2021, he worked alongside local scientists from the Seismic Research Centre of the University of West Indies to collect […]
The rock cycle, presented in nearly every Earth science curriculum and textbook, is typically taught in the same way from one classroom to the next. Students are shown an image that summarizes how all rocks are related to each other with suggested pathways by which one rock can transform into another rock. A nice, simple […]
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) describe eight science and engineering practices with the goal of having students engage in authentic science practices. Although many teachers are committed to three-dimensional NGSS teaching, doing so remotely during a pandemic was challenging, especially with 20, 30, or more students on Zoom, and without access to labs. At […]
In the past year, Karla Orosco has taught 7th grade science in person, remotely online, remotely and in person simultaneously, from home as well as from her classroom, to students locally and as far away as Italy. Needless to say, she has had logistical challenges, but mostly, she missed her students. Orosco teaches at the […]