Holistic STEAM Education Through Computational Thinking: A Perspective on Training Future Teachers

Pears, Arnold; Barendsen, Erik; Dagienė, Valentina; Dolgopolovas, Vladimiras; Jasutė, Eglė

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-33759-9_4

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Although an integrated STEM activity or a holistic view of education with an emphasis on a system approach is not a new direction and much work has already been done (see, e.g., [52,55,56]), we offer an original model for organizing the STEM learning environment. The novelty of the proposed model is that it (a) combines a taxonomy of design thinking and computational thinking to guide the process of integrated STEM implementation through thinking and making dimensions that enable and reference an integral view of integrated STEM activities; and (b) provides a clearly defined structure for the design and implementation of hands-on integrated STEM activities, which is important for practicing educators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Juškevičienė

Dagienė

Dolgopolovas

2020

Comp Applic In Engineering

Self Cite

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Introduction Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and STEAM (with A for Arts) have evolved to symbolize the renewal of science education. STEAM education offers a number of benefits, such as improved problem analysis and solving skills, as well as the development of creative abilities. Many researchers reiterate the importance of STEAM‐related activities and programs, especially the integration of maker education. Despite much interest in STEAM, it is often challenging for many educators to incorporate integrated activities into their teaching practice. This paper deals with the value of STEAM integration in a methodological sense, with a focus on the maker's laboratory and physical computing, as well as the application of design thinking and computational thinking approaches. Motivation and Objectives The goal of this study is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for integrated STEM curricula focusing on the following research questions: (a) how to improve daily activities of STEM education by combining the activities of different laboratories and using a design thinking approach? and (b) how to combine FabLab activities and physical computing related to teaching different aspects of computational thinking in the context of STEM? Research Methodology and Methods As a research methodology, we implement a mixed methods strategy to combine theoretical study and empirical research based on a synthesized literature survey and the process of iterative model development based on an observational case study. We conduct a detailed case study of two applications of integrated activities based on FabLab and physical computing integration, and illustrate how design thinking can guide teachers to open up for interdisciplinary, creative, and project‐based opportunities. Results and Findings The paper provides a conceptual framework for STEM integration activities and step‐by‐step guidelines on how design thinking methods could could interact in practice. The implications of the results may be useful for educators seeking recommendations for the integration process, which enable educators to design hands‐on activities and incorporate integrated aspect of students' STEAM learning into teaching practice. In conclusions, the authors suggest that as interdisciplinary crossroads, design thinking provides a natural bridge between subjects, and fits especially to integrate activities of the maker's labs and physical computing, focusing on the integration of computational thinking and computational making approaches within STEM education environment. The absence of a statistical evaluation, which is positioned as a further research step, may be mentioned as a limitation of the study.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Juškevičienė

Dagienė

Dolgopolovas

2020

Comp Applic In Engineering

Self Cite

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“…Mixing with other disciplines is important as the world becomes increasingly complex and inter-connected, requiring also pragmatist approaches that focus on the needs and expectations of communities [70]. The implementation of STEM or STEAM integration in CT depends on the demands of the context, for example, what is written in national curricula [70]. While we look at CT from the viewpoint of the three traditions of mathematical thinking (M), engineering thinking (E) and scientific thinking (S), we recognise that CT is already fundamentally built upon integration.…”

Section: Ct In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Justifications for integrated education come from the fact that focusing exclusively on specific technical knowledge in isolation no longer provides learning advantages [70]. Mixing with other disciplines is important as the world becomes increasingly complex and inter-connected, requiring also pragmatist approaches that focus on the needs and expectations of communities [70]. The implementation of STEM or STEAM integration in CT depends on the demands of the context, for example, what is written in national curricula [70].…”

Section: Ct In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The DigComp and DigCompEdu frameworks provide guidance on identification of necessary skills required from future citizens, and they are well‐aligned with CT, with a key connecting aspect in abilities to understand the opportunities and limitations, which are brought by the high speed computational capacity of modern computers [70]. Digital competencies include technological, informational, multimedia and communications skills and knowledge, including advanced knowledge in creation of materials, collaboration and innovation, and empowerment of learners in the digital world.…”

Section: Motivation and Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Design science research for learning software engineering and computational thinking: Four cases

Apiola

Sutinen

2020

Comp Applic In Engineering

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This study proposes design science research (DSR) as a relevant framework for computational thinking, software engineering, and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics integration in higher education. We present four concrete case examples, where DSR has been applied in projects that consist of interdisciplinary teams, which learn by designing solutions for pressing real‐world problems. Our results show that DSR is a potent framework for learning to tackle pressing and wicked problems, and connecting technology projects with research methodology and knowledge from other fields. Our results also show multiple learning gains, including creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration. Based on our case analysis, we recommend more extensive use of DSR in future technology curricula.

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“…Modernization of higher education is based on the use of new technologies [1]. For engineering and mathematical educations an important area is STEM technology training [2][3][4][5][6]. The problem of the parameters of a closed chain (with and without load) thrown over a horizontal cylinder, showing the application of the STEM technology in education [7][8][9][10], is considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

STEM-Technology Example of the Computational Problem of a Chain on a Cylinder

Ochkov¹,

Orlov²,

Barochkin³

et al. 2020

IJACSA

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An application of the STEM technology to the computational problem of the parameters of a closed chain (with and without load) thrown over a horizontal cylinder is considered. The numerical solution is found and its graphical interpretation is made by compiling a system of transcendental equations, as well as carrying out numerical optimization with constraints. The approximating analytical dependence is determined using the fitting functions. In the process of solving a number of concepts from mathematics, physics, computer science are examined. Some possibilities of using specialized mathematical packages (in particular, Mathcad) and of working on online platforms are shown. Additional problems options for using STEM technology are presented.

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Holistic STEAM Education Through Computational Thinking: A Perspective on Training Future Teachers

Cited by 13 publications

References 16 publications

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Design science research for learning software engineering and computational thinking: Four cases

STEM-Technology Example of the Computational Problem of a Chain on a Cylinder

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