You can do it! STEM in the LMC Renee Cross Taneytown Elementary Carroll County

We’ve heard the term STEM… We know it’s coming… We have a few ideas…. and that’s pretty much it…. Do you feel well informed and prepared?

Objective Today I hope to share what I have learned with the hope that it will provide you with a bit of knowledge and inspiration, so that you can dive in to STEM lessons with a small arsenal of ideas. Will this be all you need to know about STEM? No, STEM is still a work in progress but these threads may broaden your horizons and prepare you for what is to come in the future.

Why is it important? What is it?

What STEM? STEM is an acronym for… Created to keep U.S. on top.

Dealing with the facts. The U.S. government realizes that: – A quarter of the current science and engineering workforce will have retired by – 70 percent over the next seven years An example less than 20 percent of NASA’s overall workforce is under 40, and less than 10 percent of NASA’s scientists are under 40. We are educating the students that must be able to work in these important industries. Shirley Ann Jackson Waking Up to the "Quiet Crisis" in the United StatesWaking Up to the "Quiet Crisis" in the United States

“To do this we must unleash the human talent needed to achieve critical innovation.” We must ensure students have the ability and drive to problem solve real world challenges (such as energy sources, defense, and our survival in a global economy). Why is it important? Shirley Ann Jackson Waking Up to the "Quiet Crisis" in the United StatesWaking Up to the "Quiet Crisis" in the United States

Understandably Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics is becoming an emphasis in our schools. Is this bringing back memories of the Kennedy years… post Sputnik? NDEA anyone? Yes! I get it!

Educational emphasis? What does it look like?

PBL Problem Based Learning – “Problem-based learning (PBL) is focused experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems. – PBL engages students as stakeholders immersed in a messy, ill-structured, problematic situation. – PBL organizes curriculum around this holistic problem, enabling student learning in relevant and connected ways. – PBL creates a learning environment in which teachers coach student thinking and guide student inquiry, facilitating learning toward deeper levels of understanding while entering the inquiry as a co- investigator.” PBL Network-

PBL PBL Network-

What does PBL do for students? Increases Motivation PBL engages students in learning through the attraction or pull of problem dissonance or tension. They take on more and delve deeper as they make a personal investment in the outcome of their inquiry. Makes Learning Relevant to the Real World PBL offers students an obvious answer to their questions: "Why do we need to learn this information?" "What connection does school work have to the real world?" Promotes Higher Order Thinking Coupled with cognitive coaching strategies, the ill-structured problem scenario calls upon critical and creative thinking by suspending the guessing game of: “What's the answer that the teacher wants me to find?" Students gather information significant to the problem and assess its credibility and validity. In bringing the problem to acceptable closure with evidence to support decisions, students meet high benchmarks of thinking. Encourages Learning How to Learn PBL promotes metacognition and self-regulated learning as students generate strategies for defining problems, gathering information, analyzing data, building and testing hypotheses, comparing strategies with those of other students and mentors, and sharing methods and conclusions. Requires Authenticity PBL engages student learning in ways that are similar to real world situations and assesses learning in ways that demonstrate understanding and not mere replication. Reference: Torp, L. & Sage, S. (2002). Problems as Possibilities: PBL for K-16 Education. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp

STEM with the LMC? How do we fit in?

This is the stuff LMS are made of… Ideas – PBL Network – Ideas I have used Started on a small scale by pointing out problems in the Media Center – 1 st grade- The case of the Messy Books » Teach incoming K students how to keep the MC tidy based on their knowledge. – 5 th grade- Lost in Library Media Space » Flipchart – Do you have any ideas to start LM PBL projects?

Make it Mrs. “Cross” Curricular GPS units: – Science- 2 nd Insects, 3 rd Trash, 4- 5 th Invasive Plants, PD – Technology- Google Earth/ GIS – Engineering- Solutions, Creation of final product – Math- Plotting points on Google Earth measuring distance, frequency of occurrence, graphing data – Leads into research units in all of these subjects. – Have encouraged teachers to use Big 6 as a problem solving as well as research model. (A way of thinking)

The “Big” problem The Grant My STEM portfolio grant wiki:

Resources from the STEM trainings PBL Planning Edutopia Geometry PBL Video The above video describes an excellent example of a PBL classroom a Seattle teacher uses with her geometry students. A GREAT RESOURCE THAT WILL HELP WITH UNDERSTANDING WHAT PBL IS AND HOW AND WHY IT'S USEFUL. THIS IS A SLIDE SHOW SO CLICK THE NEXT BUTTON TO GET TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SOME OF THE SLIDES ARE INTERACTIVE. FOR PBL FROM THE BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION, THE GEORGE LUCAS FOUNDATION, BOISE STATE, AND OTHER CONTRIBUTORS. THIS PROVIDES DETAILED INFORMATION FOR PLANNING EACH STEP OF THE WAY AS WELL AS SERVING AS A GATEWAY TO COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES. TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIRST LINK ON THE PAGE ENTITLED "PLANNING YOUR PROJECT." EXAMPLES OF HIGH QUALITY PBL PROJECTS USED IN SCHOOLS IN THE MIDDLE GRADES. IS AN EXCELLENT SUMMARY OF A SUGGESTED SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO PLAN A MEANINGFUL PBL EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS.