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.

This video adapted from the Valdez Museum & Historical Archive, explores what happened during the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 through original footage, first-person accounts, and animations illustrating plate tectonics.

This is a problem-based learning (PBL) group jigsaw activity. The scenario is:
Students are employees of a unit of the United Nations responsible for coordinating disaster relief after a major disaster (the 2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami) occurs. The agency needs to understand the situation in each country so that it can coordinate the work of various governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in the affected area.

Students are divided into Expert Groups (related to academic specialties such as Economics, Medicine, Political Science, Earth Science, etc.) and spend several days researching their topics. Students are then reassigned to one of seven or eight Country Groups, based on the countries most affected by the disaster. Each country group needs someone representing each expert group. In the scenario, these groups correspond to task forces that must determine what the situation is in each country and try to assess the current need for international assistance.

Students research their country, using internet resources, especially the CIA World Factbook and ReliefWeb, the information coordination website of the United Nations. At a large-group roundtable discussion, each group presents what it has found about its assigned country. As a final product, each student writes an individual report summarizing findings and making recommendations for disaster assistance.

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This resource provides students with the opportunity to base arithmetic explanations/reasoning on concrete referents such as diagrams, connecting diagrams to a written method. Students will express a fraction with a denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 100 and use that information to solve a problem.

Oh, no! I’ve dropped my phone! Most of us have experienced the panic of watching our phones slip out of our hands and fall to the floor. We’ve experienced the relief of picking up an undamaged phone and the frustration of the shattered screen. This common experience anchors learning in the Contact Forces unit as students explore a variety of phenomena to figure out, “Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?”

Student questions about the factors that result in a shattered cell phone screen lead them to investigate what is really happening to any object during a collision. They make their thinking visible with free-body diagrams, mathematical models, and system models to explain the effects of relative forces, mass, speed, and energy in collisions. Students then use what they have learned about collisions to engineer something that will protect a fragile object from damage in a collision. They investigate which materials to use, gather design input from stakeholders to refine the criteria and constraints, develop micro and macro models of how their solution is working, and optimize their solution based on data from investigations. Finally, students apply what they have learned from the investigation and design to a related design problem.

This AP Environmental Science class is intended to meet the same objectives as a first-year college-based course.
However, the method of instruction for this course is unique compared to similar courses because we have adopted
a project-based learning (PBL) approach. Although PBL may take many forms, our approach involves student
investigations and simulations that require students to think like scientists, policymakers, farmers, and other adults
in real-world settings. Teachers engage students in collaborative problem solving, argumentation, and deep
exploration of the concepts and principles of the discipline. The goal for student learning is understanding rather
than relying on rote memory to create meaningful learning and knowledge that is actionable, adaptive, and
transferable.

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.

A Study of correlation of Social Media Addiction and Self Esteem
among Secondary School Students

Introduction

Origin of the research problem:

The use of social media users are growing exponentially. According to social statistics one third of the world’s population is already engaged with social media and on an average 10% of the population, to use social media sites, is increasing every year.

There is no clear definition of social media addiction but it is obvious that it indicates over usage of internet facility to be a part of virtual groups or person. It is addictive and has resulted in lot of psychological problems like anxiety, depression etc. Immediate response syndrome is clearly visible among users which are the state of checking our social media sites again and again which may lead to psychological imbalance.

Adolescents are the most affected group of this usage. This is the time where they should be career oriented, exploring newer avenues in their life, but very surprisingly most of the constructive time is simply wasted in uploading and maintaining relationship which may not have any significant impact in their development. So the researcher was keen to understand the psyche behind these activities, does it have any relationship with their respective self esteem?

According to Oxford’s university, Self-esteem reflects an individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is the decision made by an individual as an attitude towards the self. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself, (for example, "I am competent", "I am worthy"), as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame.

Students self esteem may play a dual role in addiction towards social media. High Self esteem may result to more interaction and showcasing oneself in social platforms. On the other hand sometimes low self esteem may also lead to better participation in virtual world because they hesitate to be a part of the real world. The researcher is keen to know whether there is positive/ negative or no relationship between social addiction and self esteem of students.

Need of the Study:
Internet de-addiction has become the need of the hour because the negative impact of internet addiction is superseding the positive impact. Following are the few cons which the researcher was able to identify:
Phubbing: Phubbing is the practice of ignoring one's companion or companions in order to pay attention to one's phone or other mobile device. This is a new word added to the dictionary because of the traits seen in people who overuses mobile devices. So the use of technology instead of making our life easier has in fact created a barrier between humans only.
Breakdown of real communication: If the addiction of internet is very large then the person tries to spend most of their time in virtual communication. This breaks the interest of having real communication.
Immediate response syndrome/ instant need of immediate gratification: Once a message is sent or picture is posted, have you realized how many times you look back into your mobile to check the trailing messages or how many likes you have got or even how many social friends have even gone through it?
Inability to focus on the present: Adolescents are so busy sharing whatever they do that they have lost to live in the moment for the sake of sharing the moment.
Sleep deprivation: Internet has opened up such vast avenues for the young generation that they are totally absorbed in variety of internet related activities. It is to such an extent that they cannot balance their life compromising upon their sleep habits. Sleep deprivation is further leading to restlessness, anxiety and other health related issues.
Lack of hobby: Gone are the days when young generation would collect rare historical objects as their hobby, go out for nature trails, distress them by engaging in games and sports
Attention span / Memory loss: We have become slaves in the hand of technology. It has overpowered our capabilities to such an extent that we have lost believing in our memory. We have become so dependent on technology that for every small thing instead of using our brains we click to find out information.
Lack of language comprehension: Too many short forms used in messages have resulted in lack of incorrect usage of language.
Health related issues: It has resulted in the rise of 'neurasthenia' ('tired nerves') because of overuse of mobile devices.

Review of related literature:
Kanoh, Hiroko (2016) analyzed trends of social media and self-esteem by the Rosenberg Scale. The spread of SNS has changed communications between people to a great extent. For them it is a place their hearts can rely on and where they can hang out, a place for self-approval, for self-expression and a place where the other person listens to their dissatisfaction and discontent. At the beginning people are interested in knowing what everyone is doing, so they check SNS every day. However, they feel gradually tired. Immediate response syndrome refers to the feeling of having to check SNS sites and being is a state of psychological imbalance. Some have a loss of self-esteem in the SNS communication. So the researcher analyzed the relationship of social media use and the self-esteem. As results, the high self-efficacy group prefers both Facebook and LINE while the low self-efficacy group tends to use Twitter.

Kircaburun, Kagan (2016) studied Self-Esteem, Daily Internet Use and Social Media Addiction as Predictors of Depression among Turkish Adolescents. In this study, direct and indirect effects of self-esteem, daily internet use and social media addiction to depression levels of adolescents have been investigated by testing a model. This descriptive study was conducted with 1130 students aged between 12 and 18 who are enrolled at different schools in southern region of Aegean. In order to collect data, "Children's Depression Inventory", "Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale" and "Social Media Addiction Scale" have been used. In order to test the hypotheses Pearson's correlation and structural equation modeling were performed. The findings revealed that self-esteem and social media addiction predict 20% of the daily internet use. Furthermore, while depression was associated with self-esteem and daily internet use directly, social media addiction was affecting depression indirectly. Tested model was able to predict 28% of the depression among adolescents.

Tas, Ibrahim (2017) examined the relationship of Internet addiction and gaming addiction with school engagement and effects of Internet addiction and gaming addiction on school engagement. The research was conducted with 365 students (140, 38.4%, males; 225, 61.6%, females) studying at an Anatolian high school in Gaziantep province. Personal Information Form, Scale of Internet Usage Addiction, Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents and School Engagement Scale for Children and Adolescents (High School Form) were utilized as data collection tools. The data obtained were analyzed with correlation and multiple regression analysis. A weak negative relationship was found between Internet addiction and school engagement. No relationship was found between gaming addiction and school engagement. It was also concluded that Internet addiction is a significant predictor of school engagement and gaming addiction does not predict school engagement significantly.

Title of the study: A Study of correlation of Social Media Addiction and Self Esteem
among Secondary School Students

Objectives:
To find out correlation between social media addiction and self esteem among secondary school students

Hypothesis:
There is no relationship between social media addiction and self esteem among secondary school students

Methodology & Plan of Work:
The present study is descriptive survey method which deals with description, analysis and interpretation of existing phenomenon.
The sample for the study is 100 secondary school students of greater Mumbai.
Tools:
Rosenberg Social Media Addiction Scale
Self esteem Scale
Findings:
TABLE 1
Relevant Statistics of the Relationship of Social Media Addiction and Self esteem
Variables Pearson Correlation Significant
Social media addiction -0.1 Not significant
Self Esteem

Interpretation and Discussion:
The correlation value is -0.1 which is not significant. This indicates that self esteem does not play a significant role in social media addiction.
Students with high self esteem wants to be connected with the world because they want to share their confidence, happiness with the outer world. High self esteem students loves experimenting which may increase the use of social media because they want to explore new things every day. So this enhanced initiative may be a cause of getting addicted to social media more and more.
On the other hand even if the students have low self esteem, they hesitate to communicate in real world. They may lack self confidence, be in their own shell, and do not confront with real people and real incidences. These are the set of students who then want to go to their comfort zone and engage themselves in virtual media.
Significance of the study:
The study will be significant for the following members of the society:

Students: It will be an eye opener to those students who just waste their time, energy and resources to such a virtual world which does not have any significant impact in their future. Getting addicted to social media have negative impact on health and wellbeing.

Teacher: Teacher will realize that their roles are now not limited to only teaching learning process; they are guide and counselors to students. They need to engage in more and more constructive activities which will make the students realize the importance of living life with a purpose instead of just getting carried away with addiction.

Parents: Social media addiction leads to many psychological problems too like anxiety, depression, loneliness, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and addiction. It has also led to phubbing i.e. snub contact with social life. So as parents it’s important to first identify whether the child is addicted, and if so how to help the child to come out of this.

Curriculum Framers: Textbooks should include theme based lessons on negative impact of addiction of social media sites, how to balance our self esteem with our day to day dealings etc

Conclusion:

The social media sites is highlighting only the best day, the best vacation the best party, the best dress and so on and so forth. The real life has lot more than this but feeds from peers and other social friends reflects only the good part of it. If the child/ student are not matured it may cause distress because they will be unable to relate it with their practical life.

So we conclude that students, whether they have high self esteem or low self esteem, are simply getting dragged to a darker world. The idea is not abstinence but have better control. In the connected world we live in, it is simply not feasible to prohibit someone from accessing all smart devices. But it has become a necessity to have proper check points to monitor their internet usage.

Baby steps to a digital detox:
We have to accept the fact that internet addiction has become a menace in today’s generation millennial. The reason we keep checking our social media is to keep up with everyone and pace with the ongoing trends. We tend to compare our real lives with others social media life. We need to realize that the entire feed portrayed by a person is a mere highlight of their lives and not their lives as a whole. It is filtered. It is unfair for our own selves to have this habit, we realize that the feeling of missing out (FOMO) while we see others pictures is just an illusion it will help us to get over constantly checking our social media pages. So to combat all these problems, following are few baby steps to a digital detox :

1) Turn off notifications: The continuous pings in the mobile distract us to do any productive work. It is really hard to resist the siren as we always think it is always important. Therefore turn off notifications of some apps which are not very useful.

2) Assign time limits for social media sites: It is tough to completely delete social media at once, it is better to have specific time allotted. This means you can keep track of the hours you spent on social media, this also means you wouldn’t constantly be checking your phones.

3) Choose your friends and followers: Although socializing is good, sometimes it gets out of hand with more friends and followers and it can be pretty time consuming.

4) Replace social media time with outdoor activities: You can take your mind off social media by substituting that time by pursuing your hobbies or developing new ones.

5) Do not take your electronics to bed: Your bedroom should be a place of peace and tranquility. Reflect the activities which you have witnessed throughout the day and plan for tomorrow instead of hanging on social media sites or other electronics. The continuous signals sent by Wi-Fi disturb our mental being too.

6) Uninstall Social Media: This will eliminate the chance of getting distracted completely.

7) Look at the positive benefits of social media detox: Our brain is inclined to do activities which have reasoned to it. If you look at the benefits of the detox , we can have more focused life, better mental health, strong relationships and so on and so forth.

References
Kircaburun, Kagan(2016) Self-Esteem, Daily Internet Use and Social Media Addiction as Predictors of Depression among Turkish Adolescents. Retrieved on 14/07/2018 from https://www.eric.ed.gov/?q=social+media+self+esteem&id=EJ1112856

Kanoh, Hiroko (2016). Analysis of Usage Trends of Social Media and Self-Esteem by the Rosenberg Scale. Retrieved on 14/07/2018 from https://www.eric.ed.gov/?q=social+media+self+esteem&id=ED571615

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press.

Tas, Ibrahim (2017) Relationship between Internet Addiction, Gaming Addiction and School Engagement among Adolescents. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=internet+addiction&id=EJ1170124 on 30/08/2018

http://netaddiction.com/ebay-addiction/
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-networking-addiction-2655246

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/04/25/social-media-addiction/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.362576c693e9

https://www.more-selfesteem.com/whatisselfesteem.htm

It is important to understand polynomials and to be able to classify them based on the number of terms, as well as recognize the coefficients, and degrees. You must also understand how to perform mathematical operations on them. This seminar will focus on combining polynomials using addition and subtraction. It will be important to understand the rules to make sure you are combining only like terms. You will apply techniques you have learned involving exponents and general addition and subtraction rules. You will use the techniques learned in this seminar to verify solutions to various other types of polynomial problems as you move forward. When adding and subtracting polynomials, you will first identify the like terms to combine polynomials to their simplest form.StandardsCC.2.2.HS.D.3Extend the knowledge of arithmetic operations and apply to polynomials.

It is important to understand polynomials and to be able to classify them based on the number of terms, as well as recognize the coefficients, and degrees. You must also understand how to perform mathematical operations on them. This seminar will focus on combining polynomials using addition and subtraction. It will be important to understand the rules to make sure you are combining only like terms. You will apply techniques you have learned involving exponents and general addition and subtraction rules. You will use the techniques learned in this seminar to verify solutions to various other types of polynomial problems as you move forward. When adding and subtracting polynomials, you will first identify the like terms to combine polynomials to their simplest form.StandardsCC.2.2.HS.D.3Extend the knowledge of arithmetic operations and apply to polynomials.

Intermediate Algebra is the second part of a two-part course in Algebra. Written in a clear and concise manner, it carefully builds on the basics learned in Elementary Algebra and introduces the more advanced topics required for further study of applications found in most disciplines. Used as a standalone textbook, it offers plenty of review as well as something new to engage the student in each chapter. Written as a blend of the traditional and graphical approaches to the subject, this textbook introduces functions early and stresses the geometry behind the algebra. While CAS independent, a standard scientific calculator will be required and further research using technology is encouraged.

Intermediate Algebra clearly lays out the steps required to build the skills needed to solve a variety of equations and interpret the results. With robust and diverse exercise sets, students have the opportunity to solve plenty of practice problems. In addition to embedded video examples and other online learning resources, the importance of practice with pencil and paper is stressed. This text respects the traditional approaches to algebra pedagogy while enhancing it with the technology available today. In addition, Intermediate Algebra was written from the ground up in an open and modular format, allowing the instructor to modify it and leverage their individual expertise as a means to maximize the student experience and success.

The importance of Algebra cannot be overstated; it is the basis for all mathematical modeling used in all disciplines. After completing a course sequence based on Elementary and Intermediate Algebra, students will be on firm footing for success in higher-level studies at the college level.

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.

Building on Complex Adaptive Systems theory and basic Agent Based Modeling knowledge presented in SPM4530, the Advanced course will focus on the model development process. The students are expected to conceptualize, develop and verify a model during the course, individually or in a group. The modeling tasks will be, as much as possible, based on real life research problems, formulated by various research groups from within and outside the faculty.
Study Goals The main goal of the course is to learn how to form a modeling question, perform a system decomposition, conceptualize and formalize the system elements, implement and verify the simulation and validate an Agent Based Model of a socio-technical system.

This assignment was designed for students in the pathways introductory chemistry class and the first year seminar and aligns with the Inquiry and Problem Solving core competency. In this context, there is a focus on framing the issues (identifies and/or addresses questions and problems), evidence gathering (assembles, reviews and synthesizes evidence from several diverse sources), evidence (analyze the data to address the questions posed) and conclusions (critical thinking, reflect on the outcomes, draw conclusions and generate new knowledge). There is also a Global Learning component based on comparing data collected locally with corresponding data from other locations or countries. The assignment includes the written communication ability with a focus on "Content Development and Organization," as well as the clarity of the communication and its purpose. The overall aim of this assignment is to enhance students' conceptual learning and understanding of key issues related to society as well as their course. This assignment was developed as part of a LaGuardia Global Learning mini-grant and CUNY Experiential Learning and Research in the Classroom mini-grants.
The assignment will be scaffolded over about 3 weeks and is worth about 10% of the final grade.
To further increase the success of this assignment, instructors might want to consider the following: Use class discussions to focus on the relevance and importance of conceptual learning. In order to improve the data analysis aspect, incorporating class demonstrations of how to conduct the analysis and guide discussions about what the data means. Giving students more detailed rubrics with formal expectations of the requirements of the assignments, particularly in the written format Find ways to increase student participation in class discussions.
When this assignment has been utilized in previous semesters, students clearly displayed the capability to relate the co-curricular experiences in the data collection and its analysis to concepts and ideas covered during class. Evidence for this came from very dynamic and interactive class discussions based on air pollution as well as from the output of the written assignment, in which students were able to relate the nature, sources and chemical properties of the pollutants to their impact on the environment, health and society in general.
LaGuardia's Core Competencies and Communication Abilities
List the Program Goal(s) that this assignment targets
Global Learning based on comparing pollutant levels around the LaGuardia campus with those in other locations or countries. It is also an IPS assignment, incorporating scientific literacy and thinking, as students need to analyze the data, interpret it and reflect on the outcomes.
List the Student Learning Objective(s) that this assignment targets
Identify and apply fundamental chemical concepts and methods. Gather, analyze, and interpret data.
List the Course Objectives(s) that this assignment targets
Explore the complex connections between chemistry and society. Apply chemical principles to real world issues, including ethical aspects. Gather, analyze, and interpret data.
Write a short description of the pedagogy involved in executing this assignment
Students collect and analyze the data, interpret the results in terms of pollution levels, safety and ethics and compare with EPA standard levels and with levels in other countries.
Outside the classroom events will be organized for data collection. There will be class and group-based discussions focused on the data, its analysis and the connections to society.

This case study describes the educational use of an open dataset collected as part of a thousand mile research walk. The content connects to many hot topics including quantified self, privacy, biosensing, mobility and the digital divide, so has an immediate interest to students. It includes inter-linkable qualitative and quantitative data, in a variety of specialist and general formats, so offers a variety of technical challenges including visualisation and data mining as well. Finally, it is raw data with all the glitches, gaps and problems attached to this.

The case study draws on experience in two educational settings: the first with a group of computer science and interaction design masters students in class-based discussions run by the first author; the second a computer science bachelor's project supervised by the second author.

Project Based Learning for Algebra 1 Students. Students must collect, analyze, and graph date.

"In this module, students synthesize and generalize what they have learned about a variety of function families.  They extend the domain of exponential functions to the entire real line (N-RN.A.1) and then extend their work with these functions to include solving exponential equations with logarithms (F-LE.A.4).  They explore (with appropriate tools) the effects of transformations on graphs of exponential and logarithmic functions.  They notice that the transformations on a graph of a logarithmic function relate to the logarithmic properties (F-BF.B.3).  Students identify appropriate types of functions to model a situation.  They adjust parameters to improve the model, and they compare models by analyzing appropriateness of fit and making judgments about the domain over which a model is a good fit.  The description of modeling as, “the process of choosing and using mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations, to understand them better, and to make decisions,” is at the heart of this module.  In particular, through repeated opportunities in working through the modeling cycle (see page 61 of the CCLS), students acquire the insight that the same mathematical or statistical structure can sometimes model seemingly different situations.

Find the rest of the EngageNY Mathematics resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-mathematics."

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.

 American Government is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the single-semester American government course. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including Insider Perspective features and a Get Connected Module that shows students how they can get engaged in the political process. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of American government and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. American Government includes updated information on the 2016 presidential election.Senior Contributing AuthorsGlen Krutz (Content Lead), University of OklahomaSylvie Waskiewicz, PhD (Lead Editor)

This is a problem-based learning activity that guides students through a process whereby the class as a whole investigates various stakeholder perspectives on the global climate change controversy. Individual students then reflect on their own perspectives in light of what they have learned.