In This Issue

Editorial: Bridging  Angela W. Webb

Guest Editorial: Developing Student Interest and Understanding in Science  Anne Petersen

• Research Article: Preservice Teacher Perspective: Lessons Learned about Planning and Facilitating an Engineering Design Challenge for Rising Sea Levels in an Early Field Experience  Meredith W. Kier and Patrick Hardner

  Abstract: The incorporation of engineering practices into science standards offers opportunities for students to apply scientific knowledge to real-world challenges. It is important for preservice teachers to gain early experiences using the engineering design process to teach science concepts while making explicit connections between the disciplines. This study was conducted within a two-week summer school STEM program for 250 middle school students in Southeastern Virginia and served as an early field experience for secondary preservice teachers and STEM undergraduate mentors. We explored the ways students explained science concepts in an engineering design notebook after participating in inquiry-based activities intended to inform design decisions for mitigating sea level rise. Our research question asks, what lessons can be learned from analyzing students’ informal writing about science activities that were intended to inform an engineering design challenge? Quantitative findings reveal that middle school students struggled to provide accurate and comprehensive explanations about how global climate change contributes to sea-level rise before working on the physical design of a coastal community to address flooding. The qualitative data offers a more detailed understanding of students’ thought processes and how they interpreted the curriculum provided to them. Findings show us that while hands-on labs and science activities can be memorable, students also need formal guidance on constructing explanations and providing accurate responses using claims, evidence, and reasoning.

• Research Article: Increasing Participation in High School Physics through Hands-on Learning  Shanan Chappell Moots, Joanna K. Garner, and Melani Loney

Abstract: Student participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career pathways requires deliberate efforts to prime the postsecondary pipeline by improving teaching and learning in K-12 settings. Access to and readiness for high quality STEM courses is especially critical for historically underrepresented students, including females and minorities. This study examines a participatory high school physics curriculum project which provided access to hard copy and digital resources, integrated laboratory equipment and comprehensive teacher professional development. Findings from two years of implementation of the Essential Physics (EP) curriculum across 42 Virginia high schools reveal positive impacts on students’ interest, enrollment and achievement in high school physics, particularly for females and minorities. Participating teachers suggested that the curriculum’s integrated nature promoted student engagement and assisted with concepts for which students have historically struggled. Notable design features of the program are situated in the broader literature on physics education, and opportunities for future research are discussed.

• Lesson Activity: Fish Census: Monitoring Finfish Populations in the Chesapeake Bay  Rachel Dixon, Sarah Nuss, and Bethany Smith

Abstract: There is a significant need in K-12 education for teaching resources that assist teachers in better demonstrating the research practices of scientists. By incorporating authentic and current research examples into science lesson plans, scientists are better able to translate their science for others, and teachers are better able to provide their students with real-world examples of the scientific process. To accomplish this, the Virginia Scientists Educators Alliance (VA SEA) program was created by educators from the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Marine Advisory Program. VA SEA is a network of graduate students, K-12 teachers, and informal educators where graduate students receive training on science communication and lesson plan development, and teachers review and implement lessons using authentic science in their classroom. In this exemplar lesson (1 of 76 created in the VA SEA lesson plan collection) written for the middle school science classroom, students utilize data collected from a scientific survey to explore where different fishes live in a coastal estuary, and how their populations change through time. The lesson most closely addresses life science and 7th grade math Standards of Learning (SOLs).

• Sharing Solutions: Macromolecular Gold: Navigating Biofuel Extractions in a High School Class  Claire Adrian-Tucci, Andrew Adrian, Sara Beam, and Demetrice Smith-Mutegi

Abstract: Extracting and creating biofuels from algae is an exciting area of development for renewable energy. There is a lack of protocols for high school students that feature lipid extraction from algae, largely due to the safety considerations and equipment used in industry. Biology standards include the chemistry and function of macromolecules, and biofuels are an engaging, authentic case study for high school students. This paper describes the development of an imperfect lipid extraction method that is safe for the high school classroom. Through the lab and related activities, students develop their understanding of the characteristics of macromolecules, practice developing their own experimental design, and make connections to how this information is tied to the creation of biofuels. This protocol is not perfect and may ultimately result in students making emulsions of nonpolar solvents and thinking they are lipids. However, we have identified and implemented a first step towards bringing biofuel extractions to the high school class. Given the solvents used and safety precautions required to implement this activity, we recommend that this be used in honors/advanced Biology or AP Biology classrooms.

Full Issue (member login)