WELCOME TO BARBARA MORGAN S.T.E.M. ACADEMY AN OVERVIEW OF WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT MR. RYAN WILHITE - PRINCIPAL

WHAT IS A S.T.E.M. ACADEMY? DEVELOPED OUT OF A NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO INCREASE LITERACY IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH. THE GOAL OF A S.T.E.M. EDUCATION IS TO DEVELOP STUDENTS WITH THE ABILITIES TO THINK CRITICALLY, PROBLEM SOLVE, INNOVATE AND CONTRIBUTE IN S.T.E.M. FIELDS AND IN SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. THIS SCHOOL WAS REPURPOSED IN 2013 TO MEET THESE OBJECTIVES. SOME CHANGES INCLUDE: BLDG. REMODELED, NEW PRINCIPAL, ADDITIONAL STAFF, & NEW CURRICULAR PROGRAM AND FOCUS.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF BMSA: THE 3 I’S AND 3 R’S The 3 “I’s” I NQUIRY I NTEGRATED INSTRUCTION I NSTRUCTIONAL ALIGNMENT The 3 “R’s” R ELATIONSHIPS R ELEVANCE R IGOR

WHAT IS INQUIRY? FUELING A CHILD’S NATURAL CURIOSITY BY ENCOURAGING THEM TO WONDER, INVESTIGATE, SHARE, AND EXTEND AT BMSA WE EXPLORE OUR WORLD THE W.I.S.E Way! LEARNING THROUGH DISCOVERY. TEACHERS ANSWER QUESTIONS WITH GUIDING QUESTIONS. DEVELOPING A CHILD’S ABILITY TO THINK CRITICALLY, PROBLEM SOLVE, PERSERVERE, COMMUNICATE, COLLABORATE, AND CREATE.

WHAT IS INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION? INTEGRATING ALL CONTENT AREAS IN THE PURSUIT OF LEARNING. OUR SCIENCE CURRICULUM IS OUR FOCUS. WE READ ABOUT IT, WRITE ABOUT IT, APPLY MATHEMATICS TO IT, STUDY THE HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF IT, ETC. RELEVANT, CONTEXTUAL & REAL-WORLD.

WHAT IS INSTRUCTIONAL ALIGNMENT? DOING THINGS THE SAME WAY SCHOOL-WIDE. DEVELOPING COMMON TARGETS FOR A 5 TH GRADER AND SCAFFOLDING THOSE GOALS DOWN TO EVERY GRADE. EXAMPLES: TEACH MATH THE SAME, WRITING THE SAME, SPELLING THE SAME, TEACH THE SAME SCIENCE UNIT AT THE SAME TIME SCHOOL WIDE, EVERY CHILD HAS A “S.T.E.M.” JOURNAL, WE USE THE SAME VOCABULARY FOR KEY CONCEPTS IN CORE CONTENT AREAS, ETC. EVERY YEAR BUILDS ON THE FOUNDATION BUILT THE YEAR PRIOR, ALLOWING OUR STUDENTS TO EMBRACE LEARNING AT A DEEPER AND MORE ADVANCED LEVEL OVER TIME.

RELATIONSHIPS: CHILDREN DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

RELEVANCE: “WHY SHOULD I LEARN THIS?” IS A VALID QUESTION AND DESERVES AN ANSWER. WHAT WE LEARN SHOULD APPLY TO OUR WORLD.

RIGOR: RESEARCH SHOWS THAT WE LEARN BEST WHEN WE ARE APPROPRIATELY CHALLENGED. VIDEO GAME DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?