COE-PPI-PPHS Collaborative Grants Awarded

August 5, 2021

Congratulations to the following interdisciplinary teams, recently awarded $20K under the College of Education (COE) – Purdue Polytechnic Institute (PPI) – Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) Collaborative Grant Program.

Integrating STEM Through Food Systems Incubation Design Challenges

CO-PIs:

  • Hui Hui Wang (Curriculum & Instruction and Agricultural Sciences Education)
  • Lisa Bowman (Technology Leadership & Innovation)
  • Neil Knobloch (Agricultural Sciences Education & Communication)

The project combines developing problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial thinking through Incubation Design Challenges (IDCs), which will contribute to the “gap” in the knowledge base of teacher and student development. Project activities supporting the researchers’ main goal includes a two-day professional development program (per semester), four six-weeks IDCs a year, and career coaching that involves interdisciplinary collaboration among PPHS teachers, scientists, and industry partners. The four six-weeks IDCs that represent the food system will be: 1) Designing a hydroponics system, 2) Scientific experiment with the hydroponics system using sensors, 3) Sustainability challenge–food waste study with the PPHS cafeteria, and 4) Sustainability challenge–design sustainable and safe food.

Foregrounding High School Mathematics in Project-Based Learning

CO-PIs:

  • Rachael Kenney (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Signe Kastberg (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Elizabeth Suazo-Flores (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Sarah Leach (Purdue Polytechnic Institute, South Bend)
  • Fay Barber-Dansby (Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue, Anderson)
  • Jeff de Varona (Purdue Polytechnic High School, South Bend)

This 3-phase study explores the overarching research question: What practices for engaging students in and facilitating mathematical discussions with model-eliciting activities (MEAs) do teachers consider effective and useful with high school learners? The researchers will work within the framework of a community of practice and use an integrative approach to position Purdue researchers and PPHS coaches as partners in the research.

Phase 1 – Examine student engagement in and teacher facilitation of MEAs

Phase 2 – Examine case studies with a community of coaches and scholars to unpack mathematical processes and teaching practices.

Phase 3 – Examine the ways in which coaches take up teaching practices and facilitate mathematical discussions with a MEA