Using Technology to Foster Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education

Dear Colleagues,

Developments in technology have transformed the delivery of education at all levels. In this Special Issue of Education Sciences, the intent is to focus on two subject areas, mathematics education and science education, allowing authors to inform readers about how a particular technology came to be used to foster excellence in learning, describe the unique implementation of the technology, and share data indicating the learning of mathematics and/or science knowledge so concepts are achieved more efficiently or more completely. Authors are invited to extrapolate from their experience with a particular technology to provide a futurist’s view of how new technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), may continue to change the way technology is used to foster mathematics and science learning for all.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the current literature by highlighting science and mathematics teachers’ use of technology with their students in and out of the classroom. The use of technology should facilitate and elevate learning experiences and use strategies that are known to maximize student access, engagement, and student learning.

Aim and Scope

This Special Issue will contribute to the current literature by:

• Identifying and highlighting existing practices as well as recent innovations and potential uses of technology in the science and mathematics classroom.
• Describing the historical use of technology in the classroom, noting progressions, stalls, and significant leaps forward due to technological innovations and limiting factors that prevent greater technology adoption in the classroom.
• Identifying and describing examples of using technology in the classroom.

Themes

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• Data collection tools for intensive data analysis;
• Use of software for increasing individual and group student engagement;
• How technology facilitates student participation in Citizen Science experiences;
• The psychological foundations that drive the use of gaming software and best practices in the field;
• The anticipated benefits and dangers of using AI in the classroom that are related to student learning;
• Descriptions of how technology supports the self-motivated learner for explorations that go well beyond the classroom experience;
• Descriptions of how technology is used to provide quality instructions to learners with special needs. 

Prof. Dr. Michael C. Hynes
Prof. Dr. Craig Berg
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• technology
• teacher education
• mathematics education
• science education
• student access
• student success
• student learning
• internet
• gaming
• media
• devices

Title: Supporting Physics Teacher Change: Modeling Instruction with Computational Thinking

Abstract: Teaching computation in science courses can enhance science education, but doing so requires that teachers expand the vision of their discipline beyond the traditional view of science presented in most curricula. This paper describes a design-based research (DBR) program that included collaboration among high school teachers and professional development leaders in physics and computer science education. Four years of professional development and teacher-led development, field testing, and refinement of integrated curricular resources, have led to a co-created framework for the integration of computational modeling into physics that is sensitive to teachers’ interests and expressed needs in addition to learning goals. This framework merges two evidence-based approaches to teaching: Bootstrap:Algebra, a computing curriculum that emphasizes using multiple representations of functions and scaffolds that make the programming process explicit, and Modeling Instruction in physics, an approach that emphasizes the use of conceptual models, modeling practices and representational tools. In doing so, we uncover the need to balance teachers’ visions for integration opportunities with practical instructional needs and emphasize that frameworks for integration need to reflect teachers’ values and goals.