The ACMES project
Assimilating Computational and Mathematical thinking into Earth and Environmental Science
This project designs, develops, and studies the effects of instructional modules that integrate computational and mathematical thinking with the Earth and environmental sciences in grades 5-7.
Project participants will include 25 teachers and approximately 2,820 students from low-performing schools, and the project will pursue the following objectives:
(1) Design and implement instructional modules that integrate computational and mathematical thinking into the Earth and environmental sciences in Grades 5, 6 and 7;
(2) Study and refine the instructional modules to monitor effects on student learning;
(3) Develop and conduct teacher professional development activities that support the integration of computational and mathematical thinking into the Earth and environmental sciences;
(4) Investigate teacher experiences and perceptions of integrating computational thinking into instruction for the purpose of learning how to support teachers in implementing these instructional practices; and
(5) Build a digital support platform to facilitate the development and use of the instructional modules and professional development and the proposed research.
Publications from this work
Provost, A. & Panorkou, N. (2025). Developing Students' Systems Thinking about the Rock Cycle Through Interactive Simulations. Science Scope, 48(1), 28–35.
Provost, A. & Panorkou, N. (2024). Exploring Lunar Phases with the Moon Pie Simulation. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PreK-12 MTLT, 117(5), 336-345.
Panorkou, N., York, A. & Germia, E. (2024). Using Debugging As A Platform For Transdisciplinary Learning, Cognition and Instruction, 42(1), 124-158.
Panorkou, N. & Germia, E. (2023). Young students' forms of reasoning about multiple quantities. For the Learning of Mathematics, 43(1), 19-23.
Panorkou, N., York, T., & Germia, E. (2022). Examining the “messiness” of transitions between related artifacts. Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education, 9, 131-162.
Prasad, A., Lal, P., Wolde, B., Zhu, M., Samanthula, B.K., Panorkou, N. (2022), Exploring Impacts of a STEM Day Camp on Adolescent Desire to Pursue STEM in College, Journal of STEM Outreach, 21(1), 87-101.
Singh, JP., Lal, P., Prasad, A., Bernabas, W., Iranah, P., Zhu, M., Samanthula, BK., Panorkou, N. (2021) Student attitude towards environmental issues following extracurricular science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities: Evidence from a student survey, Middle States Geographer, 54, 57-66.
Prasad, A., Lal, P., Wolde, B., Smith, M., Zhu, M., Samanthula, B.K., Panorkou, N. (2021), Exploring the human-nature connection and the perceived risk of nature in children, Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 21(1), 87-101.
Panorkou, N. & Germia, E. (2020). Integrating math and science content through covariational reasoning: The case of gravity. Mathematical Thinking and Learning. 23(4), 318-343.
Germia, E. & Panorkou, N. (2020). Using Scratch programming to explore coordinates. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PreK-12 MTLT, 113(4), pp. 293-300.
Basu, D., Panorkou, N., Zhu, M., Lal, P., & Samanthula, B. K. (2020). Exploring the Mathematics of Gravity, Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 MTLT, 113(1), 39-46.
Basu, D. & Panorkou, N. (2019). Integrating covariational reasoning and technology into the teaching and learning of the greenhouse effect. Journal of Mathematics Education, 12(1), pp.6-23.