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1. The information won't just sink in: Helping teachers provide technology‐assisted data literacy instruction in social studies

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13255  

   Shreiner, Tamara L. ; Guzdial, Mark ( July 2022 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   In this study, support for teaching data literacy in social studies is provided through the design of a pedagogical support system informed by participatory design sessions with both pre‐service and in‐service social studies teachers. It provides instruction on teaching and learning data literacy in social studies, examples of standards‐based lesson plans, made‐to‐purpose data visualization tools and minimal manuals that put existing online tools in a social studies context. Based on case studies of eleven practicing teachers, this study provides insight into features of technology resources that social studies teachers find usable and useful for using data visualizations as part of standards‐ and inquiry‐based social studies instruction, teaching critical analysis of data visualizations and helping students create data visualizations with online computing tools. The final result, though, is that few of our participating teachers have yet adopted the provided resources into their own classrooms, which highlights weaknesses of the technology acceptance model for describing teacher adoption.

   What is already known about this topic

   Data literacy is an important part of social studies education in the United States.

   Most teachers do not teach data literacy as a part of social studies.

   Teachers may adopt technology to help them teach data literacy if they think it is useful and usable.

   What this paper adds

   Educational technology can help teachers learn about data literacy in social studies.

   Social studies teachers want simple tools that fit with their existing curricula, give them new project ideas and help students learn difficult concepts.

   Making tools useful and usable does not predict adoption; context plays a large role in a social studies teachers' adoption.

   Implications for practice and/or policy

   Designing purpose‐built tools for social studies teachers will encourage them to teach data literacy in their classes.

   Professional learning opportunities for teachers around data literacy should include opportunities for experimentation with tools.

   Teachers are not likely to use tools if they are not accompanied by lesson and project ideas.

    

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2. Co‐designing teacher support technology for problem‐based learning in middle school science

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13363  

   Hutchins, Nicole M. ; Biswas, Gautam ( July 2023 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   This paper provides an experience report on a co‐design approach with teachers to co‐create learning analytics‐based technology to support problem‐based learning in middle school science classrooms. We have mapped out a workflow for such applications and developed design narratives to investigate the implementation, modifications and temporal roles of the participants in the design process. Our results provide precedent knowledge on co‐designing with experienced and novice teachers and co‐constructing actionable insight that can help teachers engage more effectively with their students' learning and problem‐solving processes during classroom PBL implementations.

   What is already known about this topic

   Success of educational technology depends in large part on the technology's alignment with teachers' goals for their students, teaching strategies and classroom context.

   Teacher and researcher co‐design of educational technology and supporting curricula has proven to be an effective way for integrating teacher insight and supporting their implementation needs.

   Co‐designing learning analytics and support technologies with teachers is difficult due to differences in design and development goals, workplace norms, and AI‐literacy and learning analytics background of teachers.

   What this paper adds

   We provide a co‐design workflow for middle school teachers that centres on co‐designing and developing actionable insights to support problem‐based learning (PBL) by systematic development of responsive teaching practices using AI‐generated learning analytics.

   We adapt established human‐computer interaction (HCI) methods to tackle the complex task of classroom PBL implementation, working with experienced and novice teachers to create a learning analytics dashboard for a PBL curriculum.

   We demonstrate researcher and teacher roles and needs in ensuring co‐design collaboration and the co‐construction of actionable insight to support middle school PBL.

   Implications for practice and/or policy

   Learning analytics researchers will be able to use the workflow as a tool to support their PBL co‐design processes.

   Learning analytics researchers will be able to apply adapted HCI methods for effective co‐design processes.

   Co‐design teams will be able to pre‐emptively prepare for the difficulties and needs of teachers when integrating middle school teacher feedback during the co‐design process in support of PBL technologies.

    

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3. Exploring the role of 3D printing and STEM integration levels in students' STEM career interest

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13077  

   Cheng, Li ; Antonenko, Pavlo “Pasha” ; Ritzhaupt, Albert D. ; MacFadden, Bruce ( March 2021 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   The use of 3D printing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning is a promising way for integrated STEM education. This study examined the influence of 3D printing infused STEM integration on students' interest in STEM careers, which is essential for students to participate in STEM disciplines and future STEM careers. The participants included 26 teachers across six states in the United States and their 1455 students in primary and secondary classrooms. Teachers' lesson plans were analysed to examine the level of 3D printing and STEM integration. Students' interest in STEM careers was measured using a previously validated career interest scale. Cluster analysis and multiple regression analysis indicated that girls were more interested in empathetic STEM careers, whereas boys were more interested in analytic STEM careers. While 3D printing integration level was not a significant predictor, teachers' STEM integration level positively predicted students' interest in both analytic and empathetic STEM careers.

   What is already known about this topic

   Student career interest in primary and secondary school predicts college degree and career choice.

   3D printing has the potential to improve students' interest in STEM careers.

   STEM career interest is associated with student gender.

   What this paper adds

   This study examined the role of 3D printing and STEM integration level and student gender in students' STEM career interest.

   Teachers' 3D printing integration level was not a significant predictor, but STEM integration level positively predicted students' interest in STEM careers.

   This study confirmed that boys were more interested in Analytic STEM careers, whereas girls were more interested in Empathetic STEM careers.

   Implications for practice and/or policy

   Student STEM career interest improves when teachers integrate STEM in their instruction.

   STEM instruction can be made relevant by focusing on empathetic aspects of STEM for girls, but caution should be exercised to minimise stereotyping.

    

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4. Constructionist co‐design: A dual approach to curriculum and professional development

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13084  

   Kelter, Jacob ; Peel, Amanda ; Bain, Connor ; Anton, Gabriella ; Dabholkar, Sugat ; Horn, Michael S. ; Wilensky, Uri ( May 2021 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   This paper reports on the first iteration of the Computational Thinking Summer Institute, a month‐long programme in which high school teachers co‐designed computationally enhanced mathematics and science curricula with researchers. The co‐design process itself was a constructionist learning experience for teachers resulting in constructionist curricula to be used in their own classrooms. We present three case studies to illustrate different ways teachers and researchers divided the labour of co‐design and the implications of these different co‐design styles for teacher learning and classroom enactment. Specifically, some teachers programmed their own computational tools, while others helped to conceptualise them but left the construction to their co‐design partners. Results indicate that constructionist co‐design is a promising dual approach to curriculum and professional development but that sometimes these two goals are in tension. Most teachers gained considerable confidence and skills in computational thinking, but sometimes the pressure to finish curriculum development during the institute led teachers to leave construction of computational tools to their co‐design partners, limiting their own opportunities for computational learning.

   What is already known about this topic?

   Computational tools can support constructionist science and math learning by making powerful ideas tangible.

   Supporting teachers to learn computational thinking and to use constructionist pedagogies is challenging.

   What this paper adds?

   Constructionist co‐design is a promising approach to simultaneously support curriculum development and professional development, but there are tensions to navigate in trying to accomplish both goals simultaneously.

   Implications for practice and/or policy

   Designers of professional development should consider constructionist co‐design as an approach but should be aware of potential tensions and prepare for them.

    

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5. Programming as a language for young children to express and explore mathematics in school

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13080  

   Goldenberg, E. Paul ; Carter, Cynthia J. ( May 2021 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   Natural language helps express mathematical thinking and contexts. Conventional mathematical notation (CMN) best suits expressions and equations. Each is essential; each also has limitations, especially for learners. Our research studies how programming can be a advantageous third language that can also help restore mathematical connections that are hidden by topic‐centred curricula. Restoring opportunities for surprise and delight reclaims mathematics' creative nature. Studies of children's use of language in mathematics and their programming behaviours guide our iterative design/redesign of mathematical microworlds in which students, ages 7–11, use programming in their regular school lessonsas a language for learning mathematics. Though driven by mathematics, not coding, the microworlds develop the programming over time so that it continues to support children's developing mathematical ideas. This paper briefly describes microworlds EDC has tested with well over 400 7‐to‐8‐year‐olds in school, and others tested (or about to be tested) with over 200 8‐to‐11‐year‐olds. Our challenge was to satisfy schools' topical orientation and fit easily within regular classroom study but use and foreshadow other mathematical learning to remove the siloes. The design/redesign research and evaluation is exploratory, without formal methodology. We are also more formally studying effects on children's learning. That ongoing study is not reported here.

   What is already known

   Active learning—doing—supports learning.

   Collaborative learning—doingtogether—supports learning.

   Classroom discourse—focused, relevantdiscussion, not just listening—supports learning.

   Clear articulation of one's thinking, even just to oneself, helps develop that thinking.

   What this paper adds

   The common languages we use for classroom mathematics—natural language for conveying the meaning and context of mathematical situations and for explaining our reasoning; and the formal (written) language of conventional mathematical notation, the symbols we use in mathematical expressions and equations—are both essential but each presents hurdles that necessitate the other. Yet, even together, they are insufficient especially for young learners.

   Programming, appropriately designed and used, can be the third language that both reduces barriers and provides the missing expressive and creative capabilities children need.

   Appropriate design for use in regular mathematics classrooms requires making key mathematical content obvious, strong and the ‘driver’ of the activities, and requires reducing tech ‘overhead’ to near zero.

   Continued usefulness across the grades requires developing children's sophistication and knowledge with the language; the powerful ways that children rapidly acquire facility with (natural) language provides guidance for ways they can learn a formal language as well.

   Implications for policy and/or practice

   Mathematics teaching can take advantage of the ways children learn through experimentation and attention to the results, and of the ways children use their language brain even for mathematics.

   In particular, programming—in microworlds driven by the mathematical content, designed to minimise distraction and overhead, open to exploration and discoveryen routeto focused aims, and in which childrenself‐evaluate—can allow clear articulation of thought, experimentation with immediate feedback.

   As it aids the mathematics, it also builds computational thinking and satisfies schools' increasing concerns to broaden access to ideas of computer science.

    

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