Biography
In 2015, Mishael started his Ph.D. in Learning Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Kylie Peppler at Indiana University (IU). With Dr. Peppler’s transfer to UC Irvine, he and his family decided to move to California the summer of 2019 to continue his research affiliation with Dr. Peppler’s research group, the Creativity Labs. With the support of Dr. Peppler, he has utilized his undergraduate education in Mechanical Engineering to focus his research on STEM learning and the intersection with Arts and Design.
At this stage of his academic path towards the milestones of dissertation proposal and advancement to Ph.D. candidacy, Mishael is preparing his study on existing “frugal or informal” engineering design-based practices (e.g., making, upcycling, repairing, hacking) that can foster and enhance “formal” Engineering+Art learning for the empowerment of disadvantaged populations. His educational background and professional experience has led him to his personal and professional goal of making STEM + Art education more accessible, diverse, and inclusive; especially for minoritized and underrepresented populations both in the United States and throughout the world. He is particularly interested in the learning present in the home and supported by non-profit organizations, such as youth clubs, libraries, museums, and science centers. In addition, Mishael has studied human-computer interaction design theories and methodologies that can empower educators (including families) to become co-designers of educational programs and effectively contribute to the design literacy of their learners.
Sociocultural theories of learning, such as Constructionism from Seymour Papert, the three generations of Activity Theory from Vygotsky, Leont'ev, Luria and Engeström, and the more recent Connected Learning (Ito et al., 2020) have guided his research work to explain learning in social contexts that involve artifacts, materials, tools, and hands-on activities. His minor in Human-Computer Interaction design (HCI/d) introduced him to design theories and methodologies where Mishael saw their potential to guide the creative process of new and innovative learning activities, particularly of always-changing STEM content in dynamic and uncertain contexts.
Mishael attended Brigham Young University (BYU) for his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering (BS) and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) with an emphasis on nonprofit and international development management. For almost nine years, Mishael worked for the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF), an international nonprofit organization that helps over 75,000 individuals in more than 65 countries to become self-reliant by providing education loans with support to find employment and/or open their own business. Mishael also received his Master in Education (M.S.Ed) in Learning and Developmental Sciences from Indiana University.
Current Research Work & Forthcoming Publications
Sedas, R. M. & Peppler, K. (Submitted to Journal).
Bodies, Tools, and Yurts in Middle-School Math: A Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis of Project Size and its Implications for Syntonic Learning.
This study attempts to identify and analyze the impact of size and scale to the learning of geometry and measurement, specifically the impact to the role of the body, materials, and tools when the artifacts to be built are not just smaller but also larger than the students.
Peppler, K., Sedas, R. M., Thompson, N. (In preparation).
How Tools and Materials Shape Learning of Foundational Concepts and Design Practices of Electronic Circuitry.
This study aims to make explicit how the materials of particular educational toolkits impact the understanding of basic circuitry concepts and design principles and also the study encourages careful consideration of the chosen toolkit for learning purposes.
Publications & Presentations
Mejias, S., Thompson, N., Sedas, R. M., Rosin, M., Soep, E., Peppler, K., Roche, J., Wong, J., Hurley, M., Bell, P., & Bevan, B. (2021). The trouble with STEAM and why we use it anyway. Science Education, 105(2), 209–231.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21605
Saxena, P., Sedas, R. M., & Peppler, K. A. (2021). Design Thinking and the Learning Sciences: Theoretical, Practical, and Empirical Perspectives. In Oxford Bibliographies. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0267
Peppler, K., Sedas, R. M., Dahn, M. (2020). Making at Home: Interest-Driven Practices and Supportive Relationships in Minoritized Homes. Education Sciences 10 (5), 143. [Open access https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/5/143]
Ito, M., Arum, R., Conley, D., Guttiérez, K., Kirshner, B., Livingstone, S., Michalchik, V., Penuel, W., Peppler, K., Pinkard, N., Rhodes, J., Tekinbaş, K., Schor, J., Sefton-Green, J., Watkins, S. C. (2020). The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship. With contributions from Blum-Ross, A., Carfagna, L., Martin, C., Sedas, R. M., Soti, N. Published by the Connected Learning Alliance. Irvine, CA. February 2020. ISBN-13: 978-0-9887255-6-0.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M., Keune, A, Uttamchandani, S. (June 2019). Balancing the Scales: Implications of Model Size for Mathematical Engagement. Poster presented at the 13th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), June 2019, Lyon, France.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M. (2019). Urban Children Crafting (Making) At Home: Overlooked Intergenerational Funds of Knowledge. Division C, Section 3a: Learning Environments; Paper to present at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), April 2019, Toronto, Canada.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M., Banks, T., Searcy, J. & Wallace, S. (2018). Design math: Middle-school youth making math by building yurts. Paper presented at the 13th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS). In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), Rethinking learning in the digital age: Making the Learning Sciences count. London, UK: International Society of the Learning Sciences. ISBN: 978-1-7324672-2-4
Wallace, S., Banks, T., Sedas, M., Glazewski, K., Brush, T. A., & McKay, C. (2017). What Will Keep the Fish Alive? Exploring Intersections of Designing, Making, and Inquiry Among Middle School Learners. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 8(1), 11-21.
Banks, T., Wallace, S., Searcy, J., Sedas, M., Peppler, K. (2017). Design Math: A Design and Project-based Effort to Learn Geometry in Middle School through Fabric-Based Yurts. Paper presented at the 7th annual FabLearn 2017 Conference: Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
Thompson, N., Bender, S., Keune, A., Peppler, K., Samson, K., Saxena, P., Sedas, M., Uttamchandani, S. (2017, April). “Good for you math”: Exploring women crafters’ comparisons of “craft math” to “school math”. Poster at the ADVANCE/GSE Program Workshop Broadening Participation: Intersectionality. October 8-10, 2017, Washington D.C.
Keune, A., Bender, S., & Sedas, M. (2017). Knitting, sewing, crocheting: Craft endeavors around ratio and proportion. Workshop facilitated at the Digital Media and Learning Conference 2017 (DML), October 4-6, 2017, Irvine, CA.
Thompson, N., Bender, S., Keune, A., Peppler, K., Samson, K., Saxena, P., Sedas, M., & Uttamchandani, S. (2017, April). “Good for you math”: Exploring women crafters’ comparisons of “craft math” to “school math.” Division C– Learning and Instructions; Poster presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Banks, T., Wallace, S., Glazewski, K., Sedas, M., & McKay, C. (2016). What a Middle School learned about Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Arduino, and Aquaponic Farming. Paper presented at the 6th Annual FabLearn 2016 Conference on Creativity and Making in Education. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
March 2021
In 2015, Mishael started his Ph.D. in Learning Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Kylie Peppler at Indiana University (IU). With Dr. Peppler’s transfer to UC Irvine, he and his family decided to move to California the summer of 2019 to continue his research affiliation with Dr. Peppler’s research group, the Creativity Labs. With the support of Dr. Peppler, he has utilized his undergraduate education in Mechanical Engineering to focus his research on STEM learning and the intersection with Arts and Design.
At this stage of his academic path towards the milestones of dissertation proposal and advancement to Ph.D. candidacy, Mishael is preparing his study on existing “frugal or informal” engineering design-based practices (e.g., making, upcycling, repairing, hacking) that can foster and enhance “formal” Engineering+Art learning for the empowerment of disadvantaged populations. His educational background and professional experience has led him to his personal and professional goal of making STEM + Art education more accessible, diverse, and inclusive; especially for minoritized and underrepresented populations both in the United States and throughout the world. He is particularly interested in the learning present in the home and supported by non-profit organizations, such as youth clubs, libraries, museums, and science centers. In addition, Mishael has studied human-computer interaction design theories and methodologies that can empower educators (including families) to become co-designers of educational programs and effectively contribute to the design literacy of their learners.
Sociocultural theories of learning, such as Constructionism from Seymour Papert, the three generations of Activity Theory from Vygotsky, Leont'ev, Luria and Engeström, and the more recent Connected Learning (Ito et al., 2020) have guided his research work to explain learning in social contexts that involve artifacts, materials, tools, and hands-on activities. His minor in Human-Computer Interaction design (HCI/d) introduced him to design theories and methodologies where Mishael saw their potential to guide the creative process of new and innovative learning activities, particularly of always-changing STEM content in dynamic and uncertain contexts.
Mishael attended Brigham Young University (BYU) for his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering (BS) and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) with an emphasis on nonprofit and international development management. For almost nine years, Mishael worked for the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF), an international nonprofit organization that helps over 75,000 individuals in more than 65 countries to become self-reliant by providing education loans with support to find employment and/or open their own business. Mishael also received his Master in Education (M.S.Ed) in Learning and Developmental Sciences from Indiana University.
Current Research Work & Forthcoming Publications
Sedas, R. M. & Peppler, K. (Submitted to Journal).
Bodies, Tools, and Yurts in Middle-School Math: A Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis of Project Size and its Implications for Syntonic Learning.
This study attempts to identify and analyze the impact of size and scale to the learning of geometry and measurement, specifically the impact to the role of the body, materials, and tools when the artifacts to be built are not just smaller but also larger than the students.
Peppler, K., Sedas, R. M., Thompson, N. (In preparation).
How Tools and Materials Shape Learning of Foundational Concepts and Design Practices of Electronic Circuitry.
This study aims to make explicit how the materials of particular educational toolkits impact the understanding of basic circuitry concepts and design principles and also the study encourages careful consideration of the chosen toolkit for learning purposes.
Publications & Presentations
Mejias, S., Thompson, N., Sedas, R. M., Rosin, M., Soep, E., Peppler, K., Roche, J., Wong, J., Hurley, M., Bell, P., & Bevan, B. (2021). The trouble with STEAM and why we use it anyway. Science Education, 105(2), 209–231.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21605
Saxena, P., Sedas, R. M., & Peppler, K. A. (2021). Design Thinking and the Learning Sciences: Theoretical, Practical, and Empirical Perspectives. In Oxford Bibliographies. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0267
Peppler, K., Sedas, R. M., Dahn, M. (2020). Making at Home: Interest-Driven Practices and Supportive Relationships in Minoritized Homes. Education Sciences 10 (5), 143. [Open access https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/5/143]
Ito, M., Arum, R., Conley, D., Guttiérez, K., Kirshner, B., Livingstone, S., Michalchik, V., Penuel, W., Peppler, K., Pinkard, N., Rhodes, J., Tekinbaş, K., Schor, J., Sefton-Green, J., Watkins, S. C. (2020). The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship. With contributions from Blum-Ross, A., Carfagna, L., Martin, C., Sedas, R. M., Soti, N. Published by the Connected Learning Alliance. Irvine, CA. February 2020. ISBN-13: 978-0-9887255-6-0.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M., Keune, A, Uttamchandani, S. (June 2019). Balancing the Scales: Implications of Model Size for Mathematical Engagement. Poster presented at the 13th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), June 2019, Lyon, France.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M. (2019). Urban Children Crafting (Making) At Home: Overlooked Intergenerational Funds of Knowledge. Division C, Section 3a: Learning Environments; Paper to present at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), April 2019, Toronto, Canada.
Peppler, K., Sedas, M., Banks, T., Searcy, J. & Wallace, S. (2018). Design math: Middle-school youth making math by building yurts. Paper presented at the 13th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS). In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), Rethinking learning in the digital age: Making the Learning Sciences count. London, UK: International Society of the Learning Sciences. ISBN: 978-1-7324672-2-4
Wallace, S., Banks, T., Sedas, M., Glazewski, K., Brush, T. A., & McKay, C. (2017). What Will Keep the Fish Alive? Exploring Intersections of Designing, Making, and Inquiry Among Middle School Learners. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 8(1), 11-21.
Banks, T., Wallace, S., Searcy, J., Sedas, M., Peppler, K. (2017). Design Math: A Design and Project-based Effort to Learn Geometry in Middle School through Fabric-Based Yurts. Paper presented at the 7th annual FabLearn 2017 Conference: Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
Thompson, N., Bender, S., Keune, A., Peppler, K., Samson, K., Saxena, P., Sedas, M., Uttamchandani, S. (2017, April). “Good for you math”: Exploring women crafters’ comparisons of “craft math” to “school math”. Poster at the ADVANCE/GSE Program Workshop Broadening Participation: Intersectionality. October 8-10, 2017, Washington D.C.
Keune, A., Bender, S., & Sedas, M. (2017). Knitting, sewing, crocheting: Craft endeavors around ratio and proportion. Workshop facilitated at the Digital Media and Learning Conference 2017 (DML), October 4-6, 2017, Irvine, CA.
Thompson, N., Bender, S., Keune, A., Peppler, K., Samson, K., Saxena, P., Sedas, M., & Uttamchandani, S. (2017, April). “Good for you math”: Exploring women crafters’ comparisons of “craft math” to “school math.” Division C– Learning and Instructions; Poster presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Banks, T., Wallace, S., Glazewski, K., Sedas, M., & McKay, C. (2016). What a Middle School learned about Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Arduino, and Aquaponic Farming. Paper presented at the 6th Annual FabLearn 2016 Conference on Creativity and Making in Education. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
March 2021
