A nearly $1.7 million National Center for Education Research grant shared between Michigan State University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will integrate culturally relevant teaching and advanced technology to enhance middle school science education in underserved school districts. Spartan scholars Kui Xie, Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, and Joseph Krajcik, Lappan-Phillips Professor, are co-principal investigators on… Read More »
Why is it the law in most states to wear a seatbelt? The answer has to do with energy – how it flows, how it changes and how it impacts more things in daily life than one might imagine. And that’s the problem: Scholars argue many students don’t have a strong understanding of energy. The… Read More »
Joseph Krajcik, an internationally recognized scholar in STEM teaching and learning, was named a University Distinguished Professor by the MSU Board of Trustees in 2021. The recognition is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a Michigan State University faculty member, and is given in acknowledgment of achievements in research, the classroom… Read More »
Introducing a new curriculum can be daunting. Changing your approach to teaching is even more challenging. But for the elementary teachers who have used Michigan State University’s project-based learning model in science, that anxiety has slowly shifted to joy—a kind of satisfaction that comes from seeing their students not only learning about, but understanding, the… Read More »
Artificial intelligence is everywhere: from reading emails to referencing a search engine. It is in the classroom too, such as with personalized learning or assessment systems. In recent months, AI in the K-12 classroom became even more prevalent as learning shifted to and, in some cases, remained online due to COVID-19. But what about its… Read More »
Michigan State University researchers have developed a range of high-quality teaching materials shown to help improve science learning and engagement for K-12 students. These materials are freely available to schools across the nation, and educators can participate in virtual or in-person professional learning to help them implement the curricula in their own classrooms. The CREATE… Read More »
With growing concern about the “COVID slide” effects of distance learning, researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan have developed two project-based learning studies that seek to help teachers boost student engagement. One effort, Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning, or ML-PBL, is increasing science achievement and supporting the social and emotional development… Read More »
Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a student teacher, it is never too late or too early to develop new investigative and pedagogical skills. But if you are a potato—one of the most important and nutritious food crops in the world—timing is everything. Like the human sleep/wake cycle, potato physiology is regulated by internal… Read More »
What happens when science teachers change their teaching to focus on students exploring their world? Students in the U.S. and Finland participating in a new project-based learning model are not only learning more, but becoming more engaged in class, research from Michigan State University shows. It’s an approach schools everywhere should adopt, the researchers say,… Read More »
What controls your health? It’s a complicated question, but middle schoolers in Michigan’s Flint/Genesee area are able to answer that question, and more, with the Health In Our Hands project. Now, they will be able to inspire even more change in their community. The project is continuing thanks to a five-year, $1.2 million grant from… Read More »
