Southeastern Regional Robert Noyce Conference 2024: Full Schedule

The Southeastern Regional Robert Noyce Conference brings together scholars, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, mentor teachers, PI’s & Co PI’s of the NSF Robert Noyce program. The conference provides educational keynotes, sessions, networking and mentoring opportunities.

8:45am CDT

Workshop: Let's DO STEM!

Wednesday June 26, 2024 8:45am - 11:45am CDT

Bon Secour Bay III

Join this engaging and interactive session as we explore cross curricula strategies to engage students in great teaching and learning. Participants will also be given our digital book Let's Do STEM and access to our accompanying digital resource library with 20 experiments and challenges.

Speakers

Ronnie Thomas

Presenter, Fun Weird Science

Ronnie Thomas applies his 20 years of STEM teaching experience to ensure that all learners are challenged. A two-time teacher of the year recipient, Ronnie has conducted research with NASA Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program. He is an enthusiastic and passionate technology-driven... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 8:45am - 11:45am CDT
Bon Secour Bay III

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

1:45pm CDT

Workshop: Building Momentum: Design Challenges as a Medium for STEM Equity

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Grand Bay Ballroom II

Integrated STEM design challenges that focus on identifying and solving real-world problems add relevance to the classroom. These challenges demonstrate science in the students' own world and help them make sense of scientific concepts. The purpose of this workshop is to enhance a teacher’s toolkit by providing a complete, classroom-tested integrated design challenge aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Participants will engage in an accessible playground design challenge and develop strategies to implement Integrated STEM in their curriculum.

Speakers

Elizabeth Andrew Thiel

Purdue University

Elizabeth Andrew Thiel is a PhD student with 20 years of various classroom teaching experience. She is a National Board-Certified Teacher and works as a research assistant for CATALYST and teaches elementary science methods and Integrated STEM courses at Purdue University. She is... Read More →

Austin Jenkins

Purdue University

Austin Jenkins is a PhD candidate in science education at Purdue University where he serves as a research assistant for Indiana GEAR UP and a teaching assistant for elementary and secondary science methods courses. Prior to starting his PhD, Austin taught secondary science in Indianapolis... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Grand Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

1:45pm CDT

Workshop: Introduction to POGIL: The Fundamentals

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Grand Bay Ballroom I

This session is designed for those with limited or no previous exposure to POGIL. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in POGIL activities, observe facilitation strategies firsthand, learn about POGIL classroom implementation, and discuss common barriers to implementation.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

list the essential elements of POGIL pedagogy and philosopp
list desirable student learning outcomes supported by POGIL pedagogy - collect strategies to begin implementing POGIL in the classroom

Speakers

Dr. Robin Lasey

University of South Alabama

Robin Lasey is the Associate Director of Curriculum Development in the Innovation in Learning Center at the University of South Alabama. She has a passion for implementing student-centered instruction in both online and in-person classes. Robin has a Ph.D. in Photochemistry from Bowling... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Grand Bay Ballroom I

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

1:45pm CDT

Workshop: Learning Weather, Teaching Weather

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Bon Secour Bay III

You are a meteorologist, on some level. You know the difference between a rain cloud and a calm cloud. Learning Weather, Teaching Weather takes this to the next level, by interactively exploring how weather cycles and patterns occur. Why do clouds float? Why do hurricanes curve to the right? How does hail form? Not only will you learn weather basics, meteorologist and educator Alan Sealls will share his experiences of which hands-on demonstrations really spark the interest of students in meteorology and STEM. You’ll also get a long list of teacher resources for weather and climate education.

Speakers

Alan Sealls

Alan Sealls recently retired from his position as Chief Meteorologist at NBC15 in Mobile, after serving as Chief Meteorologist at WKRG-TV. Alan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meteorology, respectively, from Cornell, and from FSU. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Bon Secour Bay III

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

8:45am CDT

Using Digital Tools to Improve Peer Feedback and Assessment

Friday June 28, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CDT

Grand Bay Ballroom II

Engineering uses peer feedback and design reviews to improve thinking, learning, and solution outcomes. Traditionally, engineering notebooks are used for documentation. Teachers who may desire to facilitate peer feedback or peer assessment may struggle. This workshop presents options for including peer feedback and assessment in your classroom, and maximizing efficiency, doing so using digital tools. Digital tools will be introduced and demonstrated in the workshop. Attendants will need laptops and a project or project idea to pilot.

Speakers

Dr. Tamecia Jones

Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

Dr. Tamecia Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Technology, Engineering, and Design Education (TDE) Program within the STEM Education Department at North Carolina State University College of Education. Her research involves creating innovative and unobtrusive technologies and methods... Read More →

Friday June 28, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CDT
Grand Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

8:45am CDT

Virtual Reality Applications in the Classroom

Friday June 28, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CDT

Schooner

In this session, participants will learn about different types of virtual reality applications that can be used for classroom activities and training. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to try out different applications in Meta Quest 2 headsets on subjects such as chemistry, anatomy, and soft skills.

Speakers

Sean Stalley

University of South Alabama

Sean joined the Innovation Learning Center in August 2022 after working as a graduate assistant for the ILC. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Speech Pathology and Audiology with a focus on typical and atypical child language development. Sean's interest in learning technology... Read More →

Friday June 28, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CDT
Schooner

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

11:15am CDT

Impact of STEM on Justice: Integrating the Human-ity into the Work

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Grand Bay Ballroom II

STEM has long claimed to be neutral. We teach future scientists and mathematicians without ethics or humanities who become professionals that participate in systems that prioritize profit over people. This workshop helps middle and high school teachers integrate humanity into STEM education and identify blindspots that create injustice or harm. It will also show how we can be inspired by social justice to use STEM to respond to past and/or current injustices. It will provide an example case study for teachers and help teachers find examples to use based on their content areas.

Speakers

Dr. Tamecia Jones

Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Grand Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

11:15am CDT

TIESERS: Alternative Assessments

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Schooner

Tasks Inspired and Enhanced by Science Education Research are activities that are effective at promoting the conceptual understanding that most instructors would like to accompany problem solving. Altering the format of tasks from the traditional quantitative problems that students expect can be an effective way to engage students in making sense of the material rather than just searching for an answer. Come see examples and build your own!

Speakers

Dr. S. Raj Chaudhury

Executive Director Innovation in Learning Center and USAonline Associate Professor of Physics, University of South Alabama

Dr. Chaudhury was trained as a physicist, receiving his B.A. from Vassar College and M.S. and Ph.D. from UCLA. He spent ten years as a physics faculty member at Norfolk State University. His work in STEM education has been funded by agencies such as NASA & NSF. His educational publications... Read More →

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Schooner

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

11:15am CDT

Using Guiding Questions as a Form of Formative Assessments in Science Classrooms

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Mobile Bay Ballroom II

Formative assessments are essential in supporting teachers’ monitoring of student learning and providing ongoing feedback that can be used to improve pedagogical approaches. In this session, we explore how the design and use of guiding questions can serve as an approach for identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses regarding scientific understanding. Session participants will engage in collaboratively activities that are derived from guiding questions, as well as the collective design and unpacking of guiding questions that can be used in their classroom.

Speakers

Dr. Christopher Wright

Assistant Professor of STEM Education, Drexel University

Dr. Christopher Wright is an Associate Professor of STEM Education in the School of Education at Drexel University. His research and teaching focus on designing and studying learning environments that center equity and justice-oriented approaches for engaging in science, engineering... Read More →

Friday June 28, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Mobile Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

2:15pm CDT

"I Live in The South!" A collective conversation on how to effectively teach Evolution

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Grand Bay Ballroom II

During this session we will effectively break down the NGS High School Standard on Natural History and Evolution. Studies have shown that High School Biology Educators struggle with how to teach without challenging student views on Evolution. This session we will talk and discuss ideas that we have used. Also, what worked and what did not work with this topic.

Speakers

T'Keyan Peoples-Williams

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Grand Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

2:15pm CDT

Black Fathers' Perspectives on Mathematics Socialization During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Mobile Bay Ballroom III

During the opening months of 2020, the United States government initiated a disjointed, state-by-state series of social and economic mitigation measures in response to the quickening spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus (hereafter pandemic). This study, which is part of a broader study, aimed to document and critically analyze the mathematics socialization of three black fathers to their children during the distance learning portion of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on related literature, we characterize mathematics socialization conceptually as the interaction of roles, practices, behaviors, and perspectives (see Saleem, Howard, Schmidt-Temple, Langley, & Howard, 2024). Participants engaged in 2 one-hour interviews and one focus group consisting of all participants of the larger study. From the data analysis, two large themes emerged. One theme consisted of the cross-generational gap of beliefs towards mathematics homework. The second theme compares and contrasts the mathematical experiences and interactions that these fathers have between public and charter schools.

Speakers

Dr. Gregory Larnell

University of Illinois at Chicago

Dr. Gregory Larnell specializes in the study of mathematics education as a curricular field, as an institutional-policy enterprise, and as a site for experiencing learning and teaching. He has drawn on theoretical ideas from multiple fields toward critically examining the role of... Read More →

Anthony Thames

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Mobile Bay Ballroom III

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

2:15pm CDT

Eliciting & Interpreting Students’ Science Thinking through Student-Generated Drawings

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Mobile Bay Ballroom II

Teachers that center eliciting and interpreting student thinking communicate adhering to asset-based pedagogical approaches and a belief in their students’ intellectual capabilities. In this session, we explore how student generated drawings can be sources for eliciting and interpreting students’ science thinking. Session participants will look through and analyze student drawings from a previous project, as well as producing and interpreting their own science related drawings. Additionally, this session will include a discussion and brainstorming opportunities for utilizing drawings.

Speakers

Dr. Christopher Wright

Assistant Professor of STEM Education, Drexel University

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Mobile Bay Ballroom II

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

2:15pm CDT

The ABCs of Teaching: Academics, Behavior, & Culture

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Windjammer

Participants will be guided through an intentional, reflective process that explores the ABCs of Teaching. Come join this community of learners as we inform our practices and become teachers for all students.

Speakers

Dr. Reginald Todd

Associate Professor, Math Ed, Texas Southern University

Reginald L. Todd, an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, teaches graduate and undergraduate teacher education courses at Texas Southern University. Todd completed his graduate degrees at the University of West Florida and his undergraduate degree... Read More →

Friday June 28, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Windjammer

Scholars, Teaching STEM to Diverse Populations/Culturally Relevant Pedagogy