Matching Items (364)
College Students’ and Inservice Teachers’ Evoked Concept Images and Ways of Understanding Congruence
Description
Eleven years after being put into practice, the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics still take a back seat as traditional approaches drive many secondary geometry classrooms, specifically in regard to congruence. This thesis explores how university students reason about congruence based on their high school learning experience, as well as how in-service geometry teachers reason about and teach congruence. During the Summer of 2020, two distinct surveys were distributed to 33 undergraduate students at Arizona State University and two in-service geometry teachers in Arizona to characterize the ways they understand congruence and reflect on their experiences in secondary geometry classrooms. The results of the survey indicate that students who understood congruence either in terms of corresponding measurements or transformations were successful in identifying congruent shapes, while only students who understood congruence in terms of transformations were successful in constructing congruent shapes. Transformational reasoning was both the most productive and the least prominent way of understanding congruence among students. Their responses to activities and reflections on their experiences also suggested that deductive reasoning is not practiced or prioritized in many secondary geometry classrooms. Teacher understandings of congruence varied, and reflections suggested that development of materials and training that are aligned with the goals of CCSSM for both pre-service and in-service teachers would help teachers create an environment conducive to a transformational understanding of congruence and that promotes deductive reasoning.
ContributorsGeotas, Anastasia Melina (Author) / Roh, Kyeong Hah (Thesis director) / O'Bryan, Alan (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The creative project, First-Year Teachers Manual, is specifically designed to be a resource for beginning teachers, along with returning educators, who are seeking tips about the profession and day-to-day duties of teaching. The manual is research-based and is a toolbox of tips, suggestions, and additional resources that every teacher should know before walking into their first classroom. The information presented can be adapted for various grade levels and types of classroom settings.
ContributorsHuston, Kayla N (Author) / Walters, Molina (Thesis director) / Palichuk, Katie (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
This project was focused on creating a trade book that could be used in Kindergarten through first-grade classrooms for science lessons. I have analyzed and researched the benefits of using trade books in the classroom. Along with those benefits, best practices were also looked at. I then applied those key questions, ideas, and concepts that are used to determine the use of a trade in the classroom, and created my own trade book. The trade book was centered around a standard from Next Generation Science Standards for Kindergarten through first-grade. The focus of this book was to inform children, in an age appropriate, yet scientifically accurate and engaging format, what living organisms need in order to survive and grow. The trade book brings all the research and creativity together in order to inform and benefit students in their learning process. This creative project has allowed me to broaden my literary skills, as well as my creativity for teaching in the classroom.
ContributorsMercado, Catherine Louise (Author) / Pfister-Angulo, Mark (Thesis director) / McKee, Dianne (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that requires extensive knowledge of STEM topics. The ability to apply mathematical concepts in engineering applications is no exception. Some undergraduate engineering students struggle with early course work typically entrenched in learning underlying mathematics. Students are often able to understand engineering principles, but are unable to understand the mathematics behind the principles. This is due to students finding it difficult to make connections and apply mathematics outside of routine computational calculations.
Traditional instruction of mathematics has relied predominantly on teacher-centered pedagogies or passive learning (e.g lecture). Active learning differs in that it includes student-centered approaches and has been shown to increase student understanding in STEM courses.
The purpose of this study is to explore and discover what elements lead to good problem-solving tasks in an active learning mathematics focused classroom. Elements were determined using interviews with mathematics instructors that currently use active learning techniques and problem-solving tasks in their classrooms. Instructors were asked to describe the process they use for creating tasks. An instructor’s guidebook will be created and made available based on the findings and discoveries of this study on how to create problem-solving tasks.
The three main categories of emergent themes were task structure, task development, and problem-solving environment. The emergent themes in task structure are useful for understanding what elements make a good problem-solving task. Knowing the particular challenges previous instructors faced in creating an active-learning environment will help instructors avoid common pitfalls. These elements of creating a problem-solving environment will also be included in the guidebook as a class cannot have good problem-solving tasks without an environment conducive to active learning.
Traditional instruction of mathematics has relied predominantly on teacher-centered pedagogies or passive learning (e.g lecture). Active learning differs in that it includes student-centered approaches and has been shown to increase student understanding in STEM courses.
The purpose of this study is to explore and discover what elements lead to good problem-solving tasks in an active learning mathematics focused classroom. Elements were determined using interviews with mathematics instructors that currently use active learning techniques and problem-solving tasks in their classrooms. Instructors were asked to describe the process they use for creating tasks. An instructor’s guidebook will be created and made available based on the findings and discoveries of this study on how to create problem-solving tasks.
The three main categories of emergent themes were task structure, task development, and problem-solving environment. The emergent themes in task structure are useful for understanding what elements make a good problem-solving task. Knowing the particular challenges previous instructors faced in creating an active-learning environment will help instructors avoid common pitfalls. These elements of creating a problem-solving environment will also be included in the guidebook as a class cannot have good problem-solving tasks without an environment conducive to active learning.
ContributorsRossi, Nathaniel (Author) / Carberry, Adam (Thesis director) / Adamson, Scott (Committee member) / Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The purpose of this project was prove that animated characters have a unique appeal to the empathy of viewers, and to then create assets that could be used in an effective way to spread awareness about endangered species. I sought to explore in what ways animation connects to individuals, and how those connections can be used to create empathy towards endangered animal species. I created two surveys as a way of measuring the connections between participants and the elements of two videos about wildlife conservation; one animated and one live-action. After surveying over 130 people, I found that the video with animated animal characters evoked strong emotions from 82.5% of participants. This, combined with participant interest in other elements such as color and animated style, prompted me to create two animal characters that could be used for educational animated short films. I created character designs for a Galapagos penguin and a black-horned rhinoceros, 3D modeled environments, a storyboard and script for a short video featuring the rhinoceros, and a 3D model and animated walk-cycle for the penguin. These elements were created with the idea that they could be used in order to create educational animated videos about endangered species. The biggest takeaway from this project is that while the aesthetics and characters of animation are important to viewers, it is also important that they are able to learn not only about the endangered species, but how they can contribute to wildlife conservation.
ContributorsOlson, Grace Hannah (Author) / Button, Melissa M (Thesis director) / Cala, Coats (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Analysis into the political career of Texas state senator George Ruby provides invaluable insight to the African American experience during Reconstruction in Texas as a whole. Juxtaposing the needs vocalized by African American communities and the actions taken by Ruby, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and other Texas politicians, helps identify how racial politics dictated the lives of Texas African Americans. Ruby’s rise to power can also be utilized as a historical blueprint for how leaders in marginalized communities can become impactful and obtain power within a racially-biased societal structure. Ruby’s rise and fall in Texas politics is tragic as he finds himself forced to separate from his loyal African American support base—deciding to cater to the needs of elite white Texans to help ensure political favor on both sides of the political and racial spectrum. However, Ruby’s legacy remains one of great success as he managed to break the mold forced upon so many African Americans during Reconstruction and enact lasting change in the marginalized Texas African American communities.
ContributorsCourson, Shawn Thomas (Author) / Schermerhorn, J. (Thesis director) / Delmont, Matthew (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Current funding for education is largely dependent on property taxes and as a result, there is an inequitable access to resources from school district to school district. This paper addresses this inequity by providing an analysis on the consolidation of school districts. The analysis includes case studies from multiple states, a literature study on existing research on consolidation, and a proposal for the state of Arizona, the state where this paper originates. Overall, this paper acknowledges that consolidation is not a universal solution to educational inequity and the successful implementation of this process. Rather, it is a way to reduce the gap.
ContributorsFu, Angela (Author) / Ludlow, Carlyn (Thesis director) / Clausen, Jennifer (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
DescriptionCreated a healthy and affordable snack option for ASU students that would contribute to everyday student activities.
ContributorsRicks, Wyatte (Author) / Cuesta, Carlos (Co-author) / Cuesta, Miguel (Co-author) / Bastuba, Ryan (Co-author) / Szczesniak, Jonathan (Co-author) / Brannan, Colin (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Griffin, Joy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Engineering Programs (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
The Phoenician language was an ancient language spoken by the Phoenicians in modern day Lebanon. The goal of this project is to research the language, looking at the alphabet, inspecting sounds of how the language was spoken (phonology/morphology), as well as the languages structure (grammar, word order, syntax). As well as adding onto the history of the language, the people, culture, and what made the language ultimately die out.
ContributorsHaddad, Yasmine (Author) / Lopez-Villegas, Cristian (Thesis director) / Pruitt, Kathryn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This thesis paper outlines Nova-six company, an honors thesis project conducted through the Founder’s Lab program at Arizona State University. Nova-six is a multimedia company centered around the space industry. Nova-six’s mission is to ignite Generation Z’s passion for space by reimagining it through the lens of contemporary culture. To this end, Nova-six has developed its brand to be a space-themed streetwear, pop art, and entertainment venture. Through its innovative approach, Nova-six aims to transform the space industry's narrative, making it a central part of today's cultural conversations and inspiring a new generation to explore the final frontier.
ContributorsKovalcik, Richard (Author) / Guttilla, Joshua (Co-author) / Everett, Ryan (Co-author) / Renolds, TJ (Co-author) / Gomez, Dominic (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Engineering Programs (Contributor)
Created2024-05