Teachers reported the program was easy to implement and children enjoyed the activities, with modifications made for time, space, darkness, and plant-growth constraints¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 design r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Teachers reported appreciating the program resources and finding them easy to implement, and reported children enjoyed the hands-on activities across units. → teacher-exp-1 q2 i? Teachers modified activities due to constraints including classroom darkness for shadows, time and space demands, and unpredictable plant growth. → modifications-1

Evidence¶

teacher-exp-1¶

Dominguez, X., Vidiksis, R., Leones, T., Kamdar, D., Presser, A., Bueno, M., & Orr, J. (2023, April). Integrating science, mathematics, and engineering: Linking home and school learning for young learners. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/180

q2 · i? · design · r3

Teacher interviews (24 total, one per unit per teacher) and post-survey data from the eight intervention classrooms. Teachers described both hands-on and digital resources as engaging and reported children really enjoyed the hands-on activities in each unit.

"Overall teachers reported appreciating the program's resources and finding it easy to implement in their classroom."

modifications-1¶

Dominguez, X., Vidiksis, R., Leones, T., Kamdar, D., Presser, A., Bueno, M., & Orr, J. (2023, April). Integrating science, mathematics, and engineering: Linking home and school learning for young learners. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/180

q2 · i? · design · r3

Interview-reported modifications across units: shadow activities required dark areas, leading some teachers to convert small-group to whole-group formats; ramps activities were time- and space-intensive; plant growth that was slower than expected forced substitutions such as planting grass seeds.

"A few teachers needed to make activity modifications related to challenges finding and/or making dark enough areas in their classrooms to support shadow creation and exploration."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

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• Mathematics teachers appreciate ChatGPT-generated generative learning activities as hands-on, collaborative, engaging, open-ended, differentiated, and using multiple representations — related
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• Educators' adaptations of the modified Hero Elementary resources, including accommodations and modifications, provided students with greater access to the virtual learning content — related
• Digital tools complemented hands-on investigations by providing opportunities not possible in the classroom and letting children easily practice what they learned in hands-on activities. — related
• Children in intervention classrooms made significantly more improvement in science learning than children in comparison (business as usual) classrooms — related
• Teachers found the animated videos the easiest Hero Elementary component to implement virtually and fun and engaging for students, and described them as an equal, shared platform for students with IEPs and English learners — related
• Teachers found Hero Elementary playlist hands-on activities easy to implement because materials were supplied and prepped. — related