Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-22dnz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T00:13:46.146Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Optimizing K-14 Instruction to Infuse 21st Century Skills

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2013

Deborah Day ,
Cindy Guo ,
Nicole Ferrari ,
Heather Edgecumbe  and
Christine Broadbridge
Deborah Day
Affiliation:
Science Research Program, Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT, United States. Dept. of Physics, Southern CT State University, New Haven, CT, United States.
Cindy Guo
Affiliation:
Science Research Program, Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT, United States.
Nicole Ferrari
Affiliation:
Office of Assessment and Planning, Southern CT State University, New Haven, CT, United States.
Heather Edgecumbe
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics, Southern CT State University, New Haven, CT, United States. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP), CRISP at Yale/SCSU, New Haven, CT, United States.
Christine Broadbridge
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics, Southern CT State University, New Haven, CT, United States. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP), CRISP at Yale/SCSU, New Haven, CT, United States.
Get access

Abstract

This multi-phased study investigates the learning outcomes of courses taught in the K-14 classroom. Specifically, the methods and practices teachers use to develop and encourage 21st Century Skills including critical thinking skills and technological fluency in all subject areas, STEM and non-STEM related, are of great interest. Currently, these skills are in high demand in fields which develop advanced materials and are the backbone of the National Academiesdeveloped Frameworks for K-12 Science Education. Phase I participants in this study included high school and college educators while Phase II of the study will involve K-14 students. In this study, educators were asked to rate their teaching self-efficacy in two primary areas: critical thinking skills and technological fluency. This included questions related to components in their current curriculum as well as methods of assessment [e.g., rubrics]. The instrument created to measure self-efficacy was based on a modified ‘Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument' (STEBI). All participants were from Connecticut. Results indicate that both STEM and non-STEM related subject areas offer an equally rich array of opportunities to effectively teach critical thinking and technological fluency at a variety of educational levels. The impact of Professional Development on teacher self-efficacy was of particular importance, especially in K-12 education.

Keywords

educationartbiological
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1583: Symposium EEE – Materials Education—Toward a Lab-to-Classroom Initiative , 2013 , mrss13-1583-eee03-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

United States Government. National Science and Technology Council. Executive Office of the President of the United States. Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness. N.p., May 2011. Web.Google Scholar
“Mission Statement.” Common Core State Standards Initiative. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.corestandards.org/>..>Google Scholar
“The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.” The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.p21.org/>..>Google Scholar
“Next Generation Science Standards.” Next Generation Science Standards. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nextgenscience.org/>..>Google Scholar
“Celebrating 30 Years —.” Critical Thinking Index Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.criticalthinking.org/>..>Google Scholar
Schön, Donald A., Sanyal, Bishwapriya, and Mitchell, William J.. High Technology and Lowincome Communities: Prospects for the Positive Use of Advanced Information Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1999. Print.Google Scholar
Bleicher, Robert E. “Revisiting the STEBI-B: Measuring Self-Efficacy in Preservice Elementary Teachers.” School Science and Mathematics 104.8 (2004): 383–91. Print.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
“Home of Connecticut's Educator Evaluation Program (SEED – System for Educator Evaluation and Development).” N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.connecticutseed.org/>..>Google Scholar