STEM Elementary PD Feb. 2014

S T E M cience echnology ngineering ath

S cience T echnology E ngineering M ath Popular definition/simple definition This definition has gained traction with both liberal and conservative politicians. A person with knowledge and skills from these four areas is likely to be successful. A country with a sufficient number of such people will likely have a healthy economy. Leaves some things out—ELA, humanities, arts (STEAM? STEEM? ELACSTHuTEPAM?)

A brief history lesson Horrible Histories: Stone Age City

Specializing Allows for civilization to exist. Teachers have become more specialized. Creates efficiency

100 years of progress?

Some things have changed.

Research says: Many factors affect a student’s success in school. The quality of a student’s teacher is the single biggest influence. Despite our social status, teachers are powerful people!

Assembly line teaching: Sit in math class Sit in science class Sit in social studies class Sit in ELA class PE (complain about not being able to sit down) Repeat Subjects get put in silos

Result:

S TEM StrategiesThatEngageMinds™ A better definition:

ST E M E is the most important letter No learning occurs without Engagement.

Expect some pushback. “I’m not an ‘edutainer’!” Reply: If the teacher is bored with what they’re doing, their students will be bored too. “I can’t do any more than I’m already doing.” Reply: If you can engage your students more, your life will get easier. “Students won’t be coddled like this in college.” Reply: Our main goal should be teaching how to learn—how to become independent. “Students need to know what to do when they don’t know what to do.” Sam Houston

Students aren’t always thinking about the things you’d like them to. A person can: sit at a desk and not think. listen to a lecture and not think. read a text and not think.

A person must think to draw or write. Drawings and writing are evidence of what’s going on in a student’s head. Copying notes word-for- word does not count.

Copying concept maps doesn’t help much. Students must generate their own.

Concepts are what a person remembers, facts can be Googled Shoot for teaching concepts, not facts. Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University

What is a concept? Timeless Universal Transferable Abstract and broad (to various degrees) Examples share common attributes Represented by 1-2 words

Community Environment Citizenship North Carolina Computer Age Standardized Testing Blackbeard Supply and Demand Weather Migration My Neighborhood System Fractions Innovation Concept vs. Topic? Table Talk: As a group, decide whether each term is a concept or a topic.

Structure of knowledge

Two or more concepts in a relationship are a Generalization.. War Resources e.g. War may decrease the availability of resources.

Rules Community e.g. Rules allow a community to maintain order. Order Generalization

Concept 1 st Vocabulary 2 nd A new word needs something to attach to. If at all possible, give students understanding of concept before using the vocabulary.

Frayer Model for vocab.

Whiteboarding Used in small groups to encourage students to pool their individual thinking in response to a prompt.

 Each school received a set of these seven Page Keeley books last year.  DPI has produced a document that links NC Essential Standards to each probe within these books.  That PDF can be downloaded from your teacher resources page on the WCPS Science site Cl-Ev-R and Formative probes

Project Based Learning (PBL)

Is really worth the time? YES! Student must draw upon learning from other content areas…Math, Social Studies, ELA Gives the student a use for that hard earned knowledge

STEM=Subject Integration Become aware of what your students are doing in other classes. Become familiar with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) even if you don’t teach Math or ELA.

Put more pictures/fewer words in your PowerPoints