Implementing Integrated STEM Activities into Elementary Classrooms: Best Practices (or at this point, is it lessons learned?) Steve Shumway: BYU Technology and Engineering Education Steve_Shumway @byu.edu Brigham Young University Technology and Engineering Education
Best Practice #1: STEM for All Students: Part of the regular classroom experience
Best Practice #2: Integrated STEM Activities vs One More Subject to Teach Syndrome Is this another content area I am expected to teach vs Is this an approach that will allow me to integrate science and math content through hands-on engineering design activities
Best Practice #3: What are some of the most effective methods for implementing teacher in-service activities?
The National Center for Engineering and Technology Education is a collaborative network of scholars with backgrounds in technology education, engineering, and related fields. Our mission is to build capacity in technology education and to improve the understanding of the learning and teaching of high school students and teachers as they apply engineering design processes to technological problems. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Nine Institutions Teacher Education Institutions: Cal State LA, Univ. of Wisconsin- Stout, Brigham Young University, Illinois State University, North Carolina A&T State University Research Institutions: Univ. Of Georgia, Univ. of Illinois, Univ. of Minnesota, Utah State University
http://www.eie.org
Elementary Level Engineering Curriculum Engineering is Elementary (BMOS): http://www.eie.org Engineering by Design(ITEEA): http://www.iteea.org/ebd/ebd.htm Children s Engineering Educators: http://www.childrensengineering.com Family Engineering (NSF, ASEE): http://www.familyengineering.org Project Lead the Way - Launch: https://www.pltw.org/our-programs/launch
Children are born engineers they are fascinated with designing their own creations, with taking things apart, and figuring out how things work: Christine Cunningham - EiE http://www.eie.org/eie-curriculum/curriculum-units
Grade Science ContentEngineering Design Activity 3 rd Simple Machines Industrial Factory System 4 th Water Cycle Environmental Water Filter 4 th Weather Mechanical Windmill 4 th Landforms/soil Geo-Technical TarPul 5 th Magnetism Transportation Maglev 5 th Electricity Electrical Alarm System 6 th Energy Green Solar Oven 6 th Sound Acoustical Dampen Sound Amplify Sound
Engineering Design Process The Problem Engineering is Elementary: Boston Museum of Science http://www.eie.org
Engineering Design Process: Electronic Circuits - Alarm Lab ASK: What is the problem? What can I do to sense when the water is low? What type of circuit will I need for the alarm to be activated? What makes a circuit complete? Should I use series or parallel or both? What other types of alarms am I familiar with? Do we want to use both a light and a buzzer? What type of switch can I use? What are the constraints? What materials do I have? What is the cost? Is my circuit safe? Is there a size limitation? IMAGINE: What are some possible solutions? Brainstorm ideas. Choose the one you think is best. PLAN: Draw a schematic diagram, Make lists of materials you will need. CREATE: Follow your plan and create it, Test it out! IMPROVE: Talk about what works, what doesn't, and what could work better, Modify your design to make it better, test it out!
Design Notebooks
Initial Designs for Maglev Vehicle: 5 th Grade Students
Engineering is the integrator: using engineering design to pull STEM together Math Science Engineering Technology engineer: New way to emphasize Engineer as a VERB
Engineering Concepts COPA Constraints Materials, costs, safety, Optimization Efficiency, speed, distance, maximum operating point Predictive Analysis Collecting & Analyzing Data (developmentally appropriate) Modeling Trade-offs Ethical Considerations Environmental Impacts Ergonomics Models and Prototypes Troubleshooting Experimentation Innovation Collect Data Documentation Communication of ideas (verbal, sketching, formal presentations)
Format for Lessons: Presenting the content and the activity to the students. Lesson 1 Story (contextual) Culture Introduce problem Types of engineers Impacts Terminology Identify Science Concepts Materials Model the participant in the story participating in the Engineering Design Process Lesson 2 Science Lesson Guided Inquiry Becomes a major component of the Ask phase of the EDP Students learn science content and conduct a science experiment. Examples: Thermal Properties of materials Series and Parallel Circuits Magnetism Concepts Types of soil, soil compaction
Format for Lessons (continued) Lesson 3 Supplemental Lesson Another science lesson? Types of engineers? Acoustical Electrical Mechanical Environmental Transportation Civil Etc. Lesson 4 Review of Engineering Design Process Revisit problem Students work through the EDP to create their own solutions related to the problem in the story Trade-Offs Optimization Constraints Predictive Analysis
Formats for In-service Model #1 Single School / All teachers each grade Year #1: Fourth Grade Year #2: Fifth Grade Year #3: Sixth Grade Week Long / Summer Content determined by USOE Science Standards Four Days (Content) One Day (Make and Take) Short Activities Longer Thematic Activities (EiE) Periodic consultation during school year
Formats for In-service Model #2 Multiple Schools / One teacher per school Year #1: Fourth Grade Year #2: Fifth Grade Year #3: Sixth Grade Week Long / Summer Content determined by USOE Science Standards Four Days (Content) One Day (Make and Take) Short Activities Longer Thematic Activities (EiE) Consultation during school year by district curriculum experts
Formats for In-service Model #3 Single School ALL GRADES! Introduction Activity: Single Day (During School Year) Additional Selected Activities: Grade Clusters (During School Year) Content determined by USOE Science Standards Short Activities Longer Thematic Activities (EiE) Lesson Study Approach (During School Year) Grade by Grade Content determine by state standards
Preliminary Conclusions Best Practice #1: STEM for All Students: Part of the regular classroom experience. Best Practice #2: Integrated STEM Activities vs One More Subject to Teach Syndrome. Is possible: students love to design and create! Varying levels of success / Test Scores Reactions from students teachers and parents is positive. Teachers continue to implement activities (duration of three years in at least one school). Some science content is more difficult that other science content when implementing engineering design activities.
Preliminary Conclusions Best Practice #3: What are some of the most effective methods for implementing teacher in-service activities? Teaching engineering teacher self efficacy Collaboration with good curriculum resource. Focus on USOE Science Standards Extended in-service is imperative (not a one shot activity) Make and take is essential!!!!! Collaboration: School, Community, Higher Education Sustainability: Unity and expectation within the school
Note: To see a sample activity in a local district go to: http://www.schoolimprovement.com/strategy-ofthe-week/stem-lesson-engineering-designprocess/