Creating Project-Based STEM Environments

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

   PDF

2. Key Features of a Project-Based Classroom

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. What Is a Project-Based STEM Environment?

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 3-5

   3. A Historical Perspective on Project-Based Instruction Origination, Design, and Evolution

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 7-20

   4. How Can Project-Based Units Be Designed for STEM Classrooms?

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 21-34

   5. How Can Teachers Locate and Translate Research Specific to Instructional Practice?

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 35-41

3. Example Project-Based STEM Units Designed for the Middle Level

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 43-43

      PDF

   2. Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning (REAL)

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 45-109

   3. Chemical Reactions Engineered to Address Thermal Energy Situations (CREATES)

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 111-140

4. Teacher Implementation Strategies, Obstacles to Overcome, and Student Learning Successes

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 141-141

      PDF

   2. Teacher Voices

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 143-156

   3. Teacher-Designed Project-Based Units at the Middle Level

      • Jennifer Wilhelm, Ronald Wilhelm, Merryn Cole

      Pages 157-214

5. Back Matter

   Pages 215-219

   PDF

This book models project-based environments that are intentionally designed around the United States Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) for Mathematics, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) for Science, and the National Educational Technology Standards (ISTE, 2008).  The primary purpose of this book is to reveal how middle school STEM classrooms can be purposefully designed for 21st Century learners and provide evidence regarding how situated learning experiences will result in more advanced learning. This Project-Based Instruction (PBI) resource illustrates how to design and implement interdisciplinary project-based units based on the REAL (Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning – Unit 1) and CREATES (Chemical Reactions Engineered to Address Thermal Energy Situations – Unit 2). The content of the book details these two PBI units with authentic student work, explanations and research behind each lesson (including misconceptions students might hold regarding STEM content), pre/post research results of unit implementation with over 40 teachers and thousands of students. In addition to these two units, there are chapters describing how to design one’s own research-based PBI units incorporating teacher commentaries regarding strategies, obstacles overcome, and successes as they designed and implemented their PBI units for the first time after learning how to create PBI STEM Environments the “REAL” way.

• Project-based learning
• Science education
• Mathematics education
• Spatial-scientific understanding
• Curriculum design
• STEM Education
• learning and instruction

• Department of STEM Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA

  Jennifer Wilhelm

• Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA

  Ronald Wilhelm

• Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA

  Merryn Cole

Jennifer Wilhelm is currently a Professor of STEM Education in the STEM Education Department  at the University of Kentucky. She obtained her Ph.D. in Science/Math Education from the University of Texas at Austin.


Ronald Wilhelm is currently a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kentucky. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from Michigan State University.

Merryn Cole is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She obtained her Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Kentucky.

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