1. Solving Relevant Problems: Never Science Alone
KATS Kamp April 21, 2018
Dr. Ken Thompson, Professor, Department of Physical Sciences
Emporia State University

2. 1 Context: Never Science Alone STEM Related Standards
Information and Information Literacy

3. 2 Some Ways People Address Relevant Problems: Philosophy/Religion
Government
Society
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

4. 3 Challenges for the STEM Education Community (Bybee, p.34)
Economic stability, development of a 21st-century workforce
Energy efficiency, adequate responses for a carbon-constrained world
Environmental quality, need for evidence-based responses to global climate change
Resource use, need to address continuing conflicts over limited natural resources
Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
ISBN-10:  

5. Challenges for the STEM Education Community (Bybee, p.35)
Mitigation of natural hazards, preparing for severe weather, earthquakes, and fires
Health maintenance, need to reduce the spread of preventable diseases
Public understanding of the role of scientific advances and technological innovations in health and human welfare
Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
ISBN-10:  

6. The Case for STEM Education (Bybee, 2013, p. x, xi, 65)
“. . . STEM literacy which refers to an individual’s
knowledge, attitudes, and skills to identify questions and problems in life situations, to explain the natural and designed world, and to draw evidence-based conclusions about STEM-related issues.
understanding of the characteristic features of STEM disciplines as forms of human knowledge, inquiry, and design.
Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
ISBN-10:  

7. The Case for STEM Education (Bybee, 2013, p. x, xi, 65)
“. . . STEM literacy refers to an individual’s
awareness of how STEM academic disciplines shape our material, intellectual, and cultural environments.
willingness to engage in STEM-related issues and with the ideas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as a constructive, concerned, and reflective citizen” (Bybee, 2013, p. 65).
Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
ISBN-10:  

8. Common Practices

9. Science and engineering practices from Brett Moulding
Gather
Reason
Communicate
Moulding, B. (2015, December). A Vison and Plan for Science Teaching and Learning. Featured presentation at the National Science Teachers Association Area Conference, Kansas City, MO.

10. To Gather, Reason, and Communicate: A Two Phase Model
Phase 1 Preparation/Literature Context
Topic selection and problem statement – access, retrieve, evaluate, and use information
Observe relevant environments
Articulate questions
Formulate claim or hypothesis
Dow, M. J. & Thompson, K. W. (2017). Coteaching across STEM disciplines in the ESSA era of school librarians as teachers. Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, 44(4),

11. To Gather, Reason, and Communicate: A Two Phase Model
Phase 2 Experimental/Data Context
Design Study
Conduct experiment/Make observations
Analyze data
Communicate findings (presentations, publications)
Dow, M. J. & Thompson, K. W. (2017). Coteaching across STEM disciplines in the ESSA era of school librarians as teachers. Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, 44(4),

12. Use of the Two Phase Model:
Student curiosity, interests, and observations lead to more unique questions
Students develop skills to identify possible relationships or causes and effects
Students view STEM processes as skills they can use as ways to address problems

13. Use of the Two Phase Model:
Students seek out and use information
Students are involved in problems that affect society
Students use technology

14. Solving Problems, Never Science Alone, Related Standards, Information Literacy Examples
ESU student Justin Abel installing a 10 foot long gauge made of PVC to monitor water level.

15. Solving Problems, Never Science Alone, Related Standards, Information Literacy Examples
Dr. Roman Polyak
Nonlinear rescaling to solve complicated, real-world problems. Applications include improving radiation treatments for cancerous tumors, image processing, and optimal distribution of power across a grid.
Courtesy: National Science Foundation

16. Solving Problems, Never Science Alone, Related Standards, Information Literacy Examples
Contributions of drones to solving problems are many and varied.
Free image from Pixabay

17. Visual Summary Solving Problems
can include can include reflected in
Phil./Relig Govt STEM Society Standards
has need reflected aided by
Challenges STEM Literacy Info. Literacy Common Practices
i n v o l v e s
Gathering Reasoning Communicating
accomplished through
Two Phase Model
includes such as
Prep./Lit. Context Exper./Data Context Abel Polyak drones

18. Quotations
There’s nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering for a better tomorrow, for all humankind.
Bill Nye
We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.
Katherine Johnson

19. Summary
STEM working with other institutions and subjects to solve relevant problems – Never Science Alone
Gather, Reason, Communicate
Common Standards and Practices
Two Phase Model

20. Acknowledgments Emporia State University KATS and Tim Elsen
Institute of Museum and Library Services and Dr. Mirah Dow
Justin Abel
National Science Foundation
Brett Moulding