Publications & Presentations

Abstract

While the literature cites a number of examples for why STEM teachers leave high-need school (HNS) contexts, there are fewer studies that address why teachers stay. Through the examination of STEM teacher participants who accepted a scholarship to teach in HNSs, we sought to understand the aspects of their identities and social experiences that supported their commitment. Using a qualitative methodology and thematic analysis, we found teachers to enact researcher and social justice advocate identities that were supported by familial relationships with administrators, colleagues, and students. These factors support teachers not just to remain but to flourish amid highly demanding contexts.

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract

Drawing by learners can be an effective way to develop memory and generate visual models for higher-order skills in biology, but students are often reluctant to adopt drawing as a study method. We designed a nonclassroom intervention that instructed introductory biology college students in a drawing method, minute sketches in folded lists (MSFL), and allowed them to self-assess their recall and problem solving, first in a simple recall task involving non-European alphabets and later using unfamiliar biology content. In two preliminary ex situ experiments, students had greater recall on the simple learning task, non-European alphabets with associated phonetic sounds, using MSFL in comparison with a preferred method, visual review (VR). In the intervention, students studying using MSFL and VR had ∼50–80% greater recall of content studied with MSFL and, in a subset of trials, better performance on problem-solving tasks on biology content. Eight months after beginning the intervention, participants had shifted self-reported use of drawing from 2% to 20% of study time. For a small subset of participants, MSFL had become a preferred study method, and 70% of participants reported continued use of MSFL. This brief, low-cost intervention resulted in enduring changes in study behavior.

Posters

Paul D. Heideman, Grillo, M., Kier, M., Mcdonald, H., Mason, M., Jackson, J., and Porter, M. Why They Stay: Factors associated with Noyce alumni retention in High Need Schools. Poster presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Noyce Summit, 5 August 2020, Virtual. https://www.noycevirtualsummit.com/poster-sessions/pheideman 

Paul D. Heideman, Wilkin, L*. Enduring Use of Learner-Generated Drawing to Learn Biology: Brief Intervention versus Extended Practice. Poster presented at the 2019 ASCB / EMBO Meeting, 7-11 December 2019, Washington, D.C.

Paul D. Heideman, Wilkin, L*. Enduring Use of Learner-Generated Drawing to Learn Biology: Brief Intervention versus Extended Practice. Poster presented at the 2019 American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators, 1-4 August 2019, Tysons, VA.

Paul D. Heideman, Grillo, M., Kier, M., Mcdonald, H., Mason, M., McDonnell, M. and Porter, M. Preparing Equity‐Minded Mathematics and Science Teachers to Work with Diverse Communities of Learners. Poster presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Noyce Summit, 10-12 July 2019, Washington D.C.

Presentations

Kier, M.W. (2021). STEM Mentoring Practices: Sparking Curiosity & Social Agency of Children through the Application of STEM. The Office of Community Engagement in collaboration with the W&M School of Education. Williamsburg, VA.

Mason, Marguerite, & Monica Grillo.  "Cell Phones in a Math Class: A Distraction or a Tool?"  Conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics on February 5, 2021. Virtual.

Paul D. Heideman. Model-Based Reasoning and Recall using Sketching to Learn and Eyes-Closed Exercises. Workshop presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Noyce Summit, 10-12 July 2019, Washington D.C.