Volume 24 Issue 3 [2024]
Editorials
Mathematics Education
Technology, the Wage Gap, Agency, and Identity
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The prevalence of data in every aspect of life in modern society makes it critical that students are given experiences investigating real issues with real data. Our research question was as follows: In what ways can mathematical action technology used with a real-world context involving the wage gap contribute to students’ sense of identity and agency, that is, student actions and utterances indicative of building identity and agency? This paper describes the use of mathematical action and conveyance technologies with an open-ended task in classroom environments that promoted reasoning and problem-solving. High school students explored median incomes in the United States broken down by race, education level, and occupation using TI NspireTM technology. By engaging students in noticing and wondering where their voices were honored and respected, this “figured world” resulted in a lesson that motivated and involved students in doing mathematics and contributed to developing their mathematical identities and agency in the process.
Science Education
Technology-Enhanced Differentiated Instruction in STEM Education: Teacher Candidates’ Development and Curation of Learning Resources
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This research explored how teacher candidates (TCs) developed and curated learning resources that are both digitally enriched and focused on differentiated instruction (DI). The authors present the analysis of a course assignment in which TCs developed multimedia curriculum resource websites suitable for use by secondary teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The research addressed the following research question: What examples of technology-enhanced DI do TCs incorporate in their curriculum resource websites? The analysis of 18 websites shows how TCs incorporated digital learning resources to promote DI principles and practices in their lesson plans. Implications for STEM education research and practice are discussed.
Social Studies Education
Liberty Bells, Flags, and Monuments, Oh My: Teaching Citizenship Through American Symbols With TeachersPayTeachers
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This article shares a critical content analysis of 36 highly rated curricular units found on the website TeachersPayTeachers.com (TpT) focused on the teaching of American symbols. Lessons and curricular resources focused on American symbols, such as the United States Flag, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell, remain prominent in the elementary curriculum. Often, these lessons ignore and further marginalize groups that have been historically excluded in the United States. Findings indicate that the symbols chosen to represent the United States fail to capture the expansive history of the nation, exclude historically marginalized groups, and promote a whitewashed, monocultural, exclusively positive vision of citizenship in the United States. Moreover, the transmission-based pedagogy embedded in the TpT resources fail to offer students opportunities to inquire about or consider points of contradiction and complexity regarding patriotism and citizenship. The article concludes with implications of findings and recommendations for research and practice.
Objects to Think With
Editorial: Facilitating Use of Open Hardware in K-12 Schools — Summary of Discussion at the 2024 National Technology Leadership Summit
General
Twenty Reasons Why: Investigating Use-Related Beliefs and Reasons of Preservice Teachers for (Not) Using an Intent-Based Chatbot During Lesson Planning
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Considering the widespread belief in the potential of mobile technology to enhance core activities of teachers, like lesson planning and preparation, limited research has been conducted on the use of mobile technology to support these activities. To address this research gap, this study delved into the acceptance of an intent-based chatbot specifically designed to aid preservice teachers (n = 92) during planning tasks. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), findings indicate that Perceived Usefulness was a significant predictor of Chatbot Use, while the role of Ease of Use was more nuanced. Qualitative data analysis provided valuable insights into the factors that influence chatbot adoption or nonadoption, allowing for a contextualized understanding within the TAM framework.
Current Practice
Preservice Special Education Teachers Using Making for Academic Interventions: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study
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Teaching through collaborative making has found its way into K12 schools and colleges of education, but minimal research exists on making for learning in special education settings. Even less research is available focusing on preservice special education teachers using making as a pedagogical tool for academic interventions. This multiple case study explored five preservice special education teachers’ perceptions, conceptions, acting knowledge, and efficacy when teaching students with disabilities through making. Results indicated that participants’ beliefs about teaching through making evolved, and they reported a deepened understanding of effective teaching methods for students with disabilities.