The FITS model: an improved Learning by Design approach

Vries

et al. 2023

Design activities are gaining interest as rich contexts for learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. STEM teachers may find this challenging however, as designing requires support that they are not used to providing. In a subject like chemistry, teachers would have to balance creativity and responsibility for the students with concept learning and safety in the classroom. In a case study, we analyzed the verbal interactions of three teachers with their students during design activities in the classroom, with the aim of understanding what teachers and students talk about and how chemistry teachers support the students with their designs. During the lesson, students worked on the design of a self-heating or self-cooling cup, while also performing chemistry experiments to learn about the energy effects of reactions. Such a lesson reflects what design activities in the chemistry classroom could look like. We described the topics that teachers and students talk about, revealing that teachers support students through several types of feedback and questions. We also found that teachers support design tasks in a more open, constructive, and encouraging way than is used for experiments and chemistry concepts, which are supported in a closed, clarifying, and steering manner.

Section: Scaffoldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher practices of verbal support during a design project in the chemistry classroom

Sheoratan

Vries

et al. 2023

“…Seeing the link between research and design and developing a view of the professional world in STEM are key learning goals mentioned in the NRC framework (2012, p. 42): "Engaging in the practices of engineering likewise helps students understand the work of engineers, as well as the links between engineering and science." Still, the practice of connecting science and engineering, or research and design, is not self-evident in education (Kolodner et al 2003a;Van Breukelen et al 2016). This gap between policy ("students should learn that research and design are connected in reality") and educational practice ("students conduct research projects and design projects separately") is to be bridged by the teacher.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As O&O is a relatively new and innovative subject, it is important to know the perceptions of teachers of the practices related to research and design, because teachers are the biggest influence on successfully implementing a new curriculum (Van Driel et al 2001). While there are several studies trying to connect science and engineering (Apedoe et al 2008), or science content to design activities (van Breukelen et al 2016), studies on teacher knowledge about connecting research and design activities are scarce. With this study, we aimed to conduct a qualitative exploration of what teachers' personal PCK and beliefs on connecting research and design are, and how they develop over the course of a PLC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the connection between research and design: the knowledge development of STEM teachers in a professional learning community

Vossen

Vries

et al. 2019

Research and design activities are becoming more important in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and D&T (design and technology) education. Research and design are often taught separately from each other, while in professional STEM practices, many projects are neither 'research only' or 'design only'-they are both. In this study, we aimed to provide insights in teachers' personal and shared knowledge on how research and design can be connected. To this end, we examined the development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and beliefs of six teachers of the Dutch STEM subject O&O (research and design), who participated in a professional learning community (PLC) aimed at connecting research and design within this subject. Results of pre and post-PLC interviews showed that teachers' personal PCK was very diverse, probably due to their different beliefs, backgrounds and teaching contexts. Through jointly designing instructional strategies for connecting research and design, teachers contributed to a collective knowledge base. The results of this study indicate that a professional learning community in which teachers with varying backgrounds construct knowledge and instructional strategies together, can be a powerful method to enhance personal PCK and collective knowledge. These are promising outcomes in the light of shaping professional development activities for STEM and D&T teachers, which in turn aims to provide students with a holistic and realistic view on current professional STEM fields.

“…Connecting research and design activities is not yet self-evident in education (Kolodner et al 2003a;Van Breukelen et al 2016) and does not yet have a well-established epistemology (De Vries 2006;Doyle et al 2019). As the format of many modern education systems focusses on grading of 'right' or 'wrong' answers, it may be difficult for teachers and students to switch to more open and adaptive approaches of research and design, opposed to traditional, structured projects that have to fit into the requirements of assessment schemes (Bevins and Price 2016;Christensen et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student and teacher perceptions of the functions of research in the context of a design-oriented STEM module

Vossen

Tigelaar

et al. 2019

Technological design is a core activity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. During the design process, students often employ research activities to enhance the quality of their design decisions and to rise above a mere trial-and-error approach to designing. There are many functions of research within the design process, for example theoretical research, user research, or testing a prototype. In this study, we aimed to examine student and teacher perceptions of the functions of research in the context of a design-oriented STEM module in Dutch secondary education. To do so, we first examined in what ways students and teachers who conducted or respectively taught the STEM module recognized functions of research within design. We also looked at the value students attributed to these functions, and how teachers described their facilitation of the functions of research within design. During the STEM module, students conducted a design project related to an authentic problem in biomedical technology, while using research activities to support their design decisions. Results from student focus groups and teacher interviews showed that they recognized several ways in which research activities contribute to a design process. Students valued the functions of research within design as important for the end product, although some students preferred to skip research and start building their design right away. Some teachers employed strategies to ensure students learned to do research steps, for example by a reverse design exercise. The results from this study raise the question whether all students should apply research activities in the same order during a design process, since different students seem to prefer different ways of designing. A design-oriented STEM module like this one is an appropriate way to start showing students the functions of research within design, however differentiation between different students' preferences could possibly enhance this learning process.