Problem-Based Learning

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12 Ways to bring STEM to Your Classroom
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12 Ways to bring STEM to Your Classroom
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From Getting Smart, here are 12 ways to start teaching STEM

Want more STEM experiences for your students but don’t know where to start? Want to infuse art into science and boost STEAM experiences?
Before exploring how to do STEM, let’s define what it is. Everybody teaches science and math—STEM adds technology and engineering to the equation; STEAM adds art. Common elements of quality STEM learning include:
• Design-focus: using design tools and techniques to attack big problems or opportunity (challenge-based, problem-based learning).
• Active application: applying knowledge and skills to real-world situations and constructing or prototyping solutions to challenges (maker, project-based learning).
• Integration: real world problems aren’t limited to a discipline—solutions almost always draw from many fields.

Subject:
Education
Material Type:
Teaching/Learning Strategy
Author:
Greg Young
Date Added:
10/11/2018
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Above-Ground Storage Tank Design Project
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Above-Ground Storage Tank Design Project
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At this point in the unit, students have learned about Pascal's law, Archimedes' principle, Bernoulli's principle, and why above-ground storage tanks are of major concern in the Houston Ship Channel and other coastal areas. In this culminating activity, student groups act as engineering design teams to derive equations to determine the stability of specific above-ground storage tank scenarios with given tank specifications and liquid contents. With their floatation analyses completed and the stability determined, students analyze the tank stability in specific storm conditions. Then, teams are challenged to come up with improved storage tank designs to make them less vulnerable to uplift, displacement and buckling in storm conditions. Teams present their analyses and design ideas in short class presentations.

Subject:
Engineering
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Emily Sappington
Mila Taylor
Date Added:
09/18/2014
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Advancing Change through Public Awareness
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Advancing Change through Public Awareness
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As diseases become stronger in nature, currently available antibiotics are no longer strong enough to suppress and cure said diseases. Therefore, what factors contribute to diseases becoming resistant to drugs and what public policies should be developed around them?  In this problem-based learning module, students will work with partners or in groups to first assess the increasing problem of drug-resistant diseases and the toll they are taking on the American public. Additionally, students will work to investigate what hospitals and lawmakers are doing to address this problem. Once students understand and are familiar with the current state of affairs, they will then work to further understand and research exactly why this issue needs to be brought to the attention of the general public, in order to promote change to current hospital procedures and policies. Further, students will determine the current political climate and support (or lack thereof) for policy, and will analyze the interest in keeping, changing or removing said policies altogether. Once the group has a full understanding, students will then work to determine their position on the issues surrounding antibiotic resistant diseases and the policies associated with these diseases. As soon as the group reaches a consensus, students will work to research and determine a professional way in which to present their goals and objectives for curbing the issue of drug-resistant diseases.

Subject:
English Language Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
11/21/2017
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All about Linear Programming
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All about Linear Programming
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Students learn about linear programming (also called linear optimization) to solve engineering design problems. As they work through a word problem as a class, they learn about the ideas of constraints, feasibility and optimization related to graphing linear equalities. Then they apply this information to solve two practice engineering design problems related to optimizing materials and cost by graphing inequalities, determining coordinates and equations from their graphs, and solving their equations. It is suggested that students conduct the associated activity, Optimizing Pencils in a Tray, before this lesson, although either order is acceptable.

Subject:
Mathematics
Algebra
Geometry
Material Type:
Lesson
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Andi Vicksman
Maia Vadeen
Malinda Zarske
Nathan Coyle
Russell Anderson
Ryan Sullivan
Date Added:
12/16/2016
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Antibiotic Resistance
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Antibiotic Resistance
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Antibiotics save people’s lives...and make bacteria stronger and more likely to kill us.  What is the best practice to balance these conflicting issues? In this problem-based learning module, the students will be evaluating real-life medical situations in conjunction with actual staff at those institutions and offering action plans to be ‘implemented’ there.  In order to accomplish this, the science unit will be interlocking with social studies and a language arts unit that will have them identifying target audiences and sculpting a way to present their findings.  This unit has the potential to be a full problem-based unit as well as highly interdisciplinary--it’s connected to full units in social studies and language arts which stand alone but can be fully integrated if desired.

Subject:
Life Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
11/21/2017
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Are we causing the earth to be so unhealthy that not even we can survive on it?
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Are we causing the earth to be so unhealthy that not even we can survive on it?
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In this problem-based learning module, students will ‘dig’ for fossils in a digital environment, using the advanced graphing techniques of line-of-best-fit and piecewise functions to look for different kinds of trends in the health of the history of the earth.  They will apply this information to their knowledge of the laws of superposition and index fossils to form a complete analysis in the historical health as well as to predict where we are going in the future.

Subject:
Life Science
Mathematics
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
07/23/2018
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Are we consuming more calories than we are putting out? How is our calorie intake affecting obesity and how do you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle?
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Are we consuming more calories than we are putting out? How is our calorie intake affecting obesity and how do you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle?
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In this problem-based learning module, students will be asked to brainstorm ideas and think innovatively both independently and collaboratively in addressing a real-world problem that is relevant to their daily lives and  health.  Are students aware of their calorie intake and how it affects their overall health? Students will investigate the calories consumed in a typical day and how much physical activity is needed to stay healthy and fit.  Students/teams will be encouraged to use the internet for research purposes in their design phase. Students will utilize various online platforms to design an infographic that can be shared with relevant individuals in the community and others in the school building

Subject:
Health, Medicine and Nursing
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
07/27/2018
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The Artificial Bicep
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The Artificial Bicep
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Students learn more about how muscles work and how biomedical engineers can help keep the muscular system healthy. Following the engineering design process, they create their own biomedical device to aid in the recovery of a strained bicep. They discover the importance of rest to muscle recovery and that muscles (just like engineers!) work together to achieve a common goal.

Subject:
Engineering
Health, Medicine and Nursing
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise W. Carlson
Jaime Morales
Jonathan MacNeil
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:
10/14/2015
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At-Home Activities
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At-Home Activities
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These resources are driven by the Next Generation Science Standards. In particular these activities allow students to practice various Science & Engineering Practices, such as “Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering).” Considering these resources are available for a K-5 audience, we’ve only included the standards for grades 3-5. These activities are great for at-home learning and engaging students with their surroundings. 

Subject:
Environmental Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Author:
Shannon Brennan
Becky Bronstein
Date Added:
06/30/2020
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Authentic Problem-based Collaborative Learning Practices for Professional Development in Teacher Education
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Authentic Problem-based Collaborative Learning Practices for Professional Development in Teacher Education
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Higher learning organizations frequently offer courses isolated from other disciplines or areas of concentration. The intent of this study was to explore collaboration practices on authentic based projects involving two distinct courses from differing programs: Instructional Technology and Educational Leadership. This paper describes the strategies of designing effective learning environments for multidisciplinary collaboration and problem-based learning and reports the effectiveness of those strategies. The result of the collaboration was the production of various multimedia interactive professional development training materials developed by the technology students on various topics proposed by the school administrators. The collaborative learning practices provided the opportunity to not only give and receive knowledge among the participants but also view this exchange as a responsibility to create a collaborative culture within the university.

Subject:
Higher Education
Material Type:
Reading
Provider:
Rice University
Provider Set:
Connexions
Author:
Carol Schultz
Seung Kim
Date Added:
02/16/2011
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Biosensors for Food Safety
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Biosensors for Food Safety
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How can you tell if harmful bacteria are in your food or water that might make you sick? What you eat or drink can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins—pathogens that can be harmful or even fatal. Students learn which contaminants have the greatest health risks and how they enter the food supply. While food supply contaminants can be identified from cultures grown in labs, bioengineers are creating technologies to make the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective.

Subject:
Career and Technical Education
Life Science
Material Type:
Lesson
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Evangelyn Alocilja
Hannah Miller
Lisa Wininger
Date Added:
02/17/2017
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Blended Learning Professional Development Online Course
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Blended Learning Professional Development Online Course
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In this online learning module, you will: 1: Understand blended learning models2: Learn to design blended learning experiences

Subject:
Career and Technical Education
Education
Educational Technology
Elementary Education
Higher Education
Language Education (ESL)
Special Education
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
03/27/2018
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Bone Fractures and Engineering
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Bone Fractures and Engineering
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Students learn about the role engineers and engineering play in repairing severe bone fractures. They acquire knowledge about the design and development of implant rods, pins, plates, screws and bone grafts. They learn about materials science, biocompatibility and minimally-invasive surgery.

Subject:
Engineering
Anatomy/Physiology
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise W. Carlson
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Todd Curtis
Date Added:
09/18/2014
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Bridges
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Bridges
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In this unit of study students learn about different types of bridges and how to design and build their own bridge. This unit integrates nine STEM attributes and was developed as part of the South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership's Teacher Leadership Team. Any instructional materials are included within this unit of study.

Subject:
Mathematics
Physical Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Provider:
South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership
Author:
Terry Evers
Date Added:
05/25/2015
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Building a Bungee Jump
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Building a Bungee Jump
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A bungee jump involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. Design a bungee jump that is "safe" for a hard-boiled egg. Create a safety egg harness and connect it to a rubber band, which is your the "bungee cord." Finally, attach your bungee cord to a force sensor to measures the forces that push or pull your egg.

Subject:
Engineering
Education
Life Science
Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Diagram/Illustration
Lecture Notes
Provider:
Concord Consortium
Provider Set:
Concord Consortium Collection
Author:
The Concord Consortium
Date Added:
05/21/2012
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Build me a Skyscrapper
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Build me a Skyscrapper
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This lesson is a pre-lesson to 'Human Skeleton'. The lesson is interactive and uses PowerPoint and other embedded links to evoke students' (Teacher-Education) prior- knowledge. It uses Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as a methodology.
This lesson is expected to bring out the tenets of Constructivism, such as students working: collaboratively; as active agents; owning the learning; being interactive; exploiting their prior knowledge and their lecturer functioning as a facilitator (teacher autonomy).
This is expected to be an approach that the teachers to be may try with their pupils.

Subject:
Life Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Author:
Moomba Pisani Flint
Date Added:
06/28/2019
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Buoyancy & Boats (4th - 5th Grade) Five Lesson Unit
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Buoyancy & Boats (4th - 5th Grade) Five Lesson Unit
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This unit consists of five lessons covering buoyancy and engineering boats. Each lesson includes goals, anticipatory set, learner objectives, guided practice, procedure instructions, closing activities, and extensions. Student handouts and worksheets are also included.

Lesson 1: Intro to Buoyancy
Lesson 2: Engineer a Barge
Lesson 3: Intro to Sails & Motion
Lesson 4: Engineer a Sailboat
Lesson 5: Final Vessel

NGSS: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3

Lesson 1 materials: empty 2-liter bottles with tops cut off, pennies or other coins, marble, modeling clay, crap wood, rocks, pingpong ball, golf ball, popsicle stick, paper clip, scale, other object for floating or sinking
Lesson 2 materials: for each student - 12" x 12" piece of aluminum foil, 4 popsicle sticks, 2 straws, 12" masking tape; teacher pre-setup - enough pennies for testing (500 pennies per group), pool filled 2/3 with water
Lesson 3 materials: string/yarn, 1/2 straw for each student, 2 different types of paper (tissue & white copy paper), tape, scissors, fan, wooden skewers, 2 popsicle sticks per student, rulers, protractors, stencils.
Lesson 4 materials: 8 popsicle sticks, 1 wooden skewer, 1 straw, masking tape or duct tape, tissue paper or copy paper
Lesson 5 materials: same as Lesson 2

Subject:
Engineering
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Author:
Columbia Gorge STEM Hub
Date Added:
08/13/2020
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Buoy is it getting warmer?
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Buoy is it getting warmer?
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This problem-based learning module is designed to master the Ohio Learning standard of Science in Earth and Space Science number 2, Cycles and Patterns of Earth and the Moon. Thermal-energy transfers in the ocean and the atmosphere contribute to the formation of currents, which influence global climate patterns. Students will be exploring the various factors affecting the climate patterns we experience due to thermal energy. Students will work independently as well as with a partner. The final product is expected to be presented to their peers and teachers. This blended module includes teacher-led instruction, student-led stations, real world data analysis and technology integrated investigations.

Subject:
Environmental Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network
Date Added:
07/27/2018
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COVID-19 & Health Equity, Grades 3-5
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COVID-19 & Health Equity, Grades 3-5
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The COVID-19 Pandemic is a clear example of how science and society are connected. This unit explores how different communities are differentially impacted by the virus through the lens of historical inequities in society. In the context of decisions their families make, students explore the basics of how the virus affects people, and design investigations to explore how it spreads from person to person, and what we can do to prevent that spread.

Subject:
Environmental Science
Health, Medicine and Nursing
Life Science
Social Science
Material Type:
Lesson
Lesson Plan
Module
Teaching/Learning Strategy
Unit of Study
Provider:
OpenSciEd
Author:
Learning in Places
NextGen Science Storylines
OpenSciEd
Date Added:
09/16/2020
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