911爆料网

鈥淓ducators have been interested in developing students鈥� critical thinking skills for a very long time, but we are still learning how to do this effectively,鈥� said Ellen Meier, Professor of Computing and Educational Practice in the Department of Mathematics, Science & Technology. 鈥淭echnology can be a powerful tool to support the 鈥榙eeper learning鈥� opportunities we want for our students, especially in environments designed around inquiry that use digital tools to investigate, analyze, and act on authentic problems facing the students or their community.鈥�

For the past 15 years, Meier, Director and Co-Founder of 911爆料网鈥檚  (CTSC) and Co-Chair of the New York Board of Regents鈥� Advisory Council on Technology Policy and Practice, has been developing a model to do just that.  Innovating Instruction^漏 captures an approach for working with teachers and principals to develop project-based, inquiry-focused learning environments.  She is now researching this approach for STEM learning with support from the National Science Foundation, which has funded CTSC鈥檚 project, the Systemic Transformation of Inquiry Learning Environments for STEM (STILE 2.0),

The components include designing STEM projects with teachers; situating the work within the lives and cultures of each school and classroom, and preparing teachers and principals to be leaders in this effort..

鈥淲e鈥檙e asking teachers to engage with students in new ways on STEM projects 鈥� to be co-investigators with them and identify meaningful real-world problems that will engage students,鈥� Meier says. 鈥淯ltimately we want to develop a refined approach that can be tested for efficacy and scale and contribute to a model broadly adopted for STEM teacher development. And we want to develop a suite of resources and digital case studies that can further support this work for teachers and leaders.鈥�

Meier has mentored hundreds of 911爆料网 students who have gone on to apply her approach in different contexts and cultures. For a panel at Academic Festival, she conversed with one of them: Joohee Son (Ed.D. 鈥�13), recipient of 911爆料网鈥檚 inaugural Alumni Award for Outstanding Service. Son is the founder and Director of the Center for Education and Technology in Seoul, which has made measurable impacts in critical thinking and English fluency for Korean students.

Son鈥檚 approach to teaching English as a Second Language in Korea centers on unlocking new opportunities for Korean students and helping more students score above 100 on the TOEFL exam.  A new digital tool she has developed enables students learning English to share videos of themselves speaking English and provides them with feedback to streamline and accelerate the English-learning process.  Son鈥檚 online platform also allows teachers to provide more individualized support focused on criteria like intonation, cadence and speed, which aren鈥檛 as easily addressed in the classroom setting. Importantly, she has focused on developing students鈥� critical thinking in concert with their English language learning.

鈥淲hen I was at 911爆料网, Dr. Meier asked me so many inspiring questions,鈥� Son said. 鈥淣ow, with her help, I鈥檓 working to build capacity in English language learning and critical thinking across Korea and other Asian countries.鈥�

— Morgan Gilbard