Teaching Resources:
Project Based Instructional Units by UTEACH Students in STEM disciplines- https://sites.google.com/site/pbiuteachaustin/home
Project Based Learning Rubric Grades 1-3 on Teachers Pay Teachers (FREE) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Project-Based-Learning-Scoring-Rubric-Grades-1-3-1585597
Grading the Process, Not the Product Resource: http://www.ccsd66.org/encouraging-student-risk-taking-by-grading-the-process-not-the-product/
Making STEM meaningful checklist:
- 21st Century Skills
-Career Connections
-Global and Real World Perspectives
-Integrating Technology
-Discourse and Student Voice
-Student Choice and Autonomy
-Giving and Receiving Feedback
-Interdisciplinary Perspective
-Connecting Literacy and Authentic Sources
-Involving the Community and Stakeholders
Twenty-first century skills are needed in today's workforce and are "endorsed by Workforce development" (Talley, 2016, p.110). While working on STEM projects, students will learn how to persist through their failures, redesign their plans, become innovators while trying new approaches, experiment, build their curiosity, accept new challenges, and become technology literate (Talley, 2016). "According to the Boston Museum of Science's Engineering Is Elementary (EIE) program, 'Technology is anything made by humans to solve a problem; it can be an object, a system, or a process' (Talley, 2016, p. 111)." "Persistence and the willingness to accept a challenge even with the possibility of failure are dictated by a person's mindset" (Talley, 2016, p.111). A teacher can help build a growth mindset by using a growth rubric instead of, or in addition to an evaluation rubric (Talley, 2016). When allowing students to engage in thinking that is inventive and authentic while also communicating and carefully listening to understand another student's perspective and ideas, student participate in intelligent discourse and creates opportunities to respectfully utilize argumentation (Talley, 2016). STEM education provides students with more choice and voice in their learning (Talley, 2016).
STEM Best Practices:
Practices of Scientists and Engineers
Project Based Learning (Instruction)
Engineering Design
Differentiation for Needs of All Learners
Authentic Practices of Scientists and Engineers
Authentic practices of scientists and engineers also involve the ways of thinking and habits of those already in the field, but should be used by students during instruction and learning. Some of these include:
-Asking and defining problems
-Developing and using models
-Planning and carrying out investigations
-Analyzing and interpreting data
-Using mathematics, information, and computer technology and computational thinking
-Constructing explanations and designing solutions
-Engaging in argument from evidence
-Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
* Literacy skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking should be incorporated into all content areas (Talley, 2016). Engineering and technology also must be integrated into the thinking patterns and learning because in the real world we engage in these throughout our experiences in life (Talley, 2016) . Inquiry should also be applied where developmentally and age appropriate (Talley, 2016).
Project Based Learning
Project based learning (PBL), or sometimes referred to as project based instruction (PBI), "is an instructional strategy that offers real-world applications of problem-solving skills and 21st Century Skills" (Talley, 2016, p.113). Students engaging in PBL work in collaborative groups to try on roles of different career fields while working on solving real world problems applying content standards in a variety of disciplines. Students are allowed to share their solutions "in an array of venues and media" (Talley, 2016, p.113). Here is a quick list of what PBL entails:
-Content is not front-loaded
-Assessment is based on the presentation of the final product
-PBL takes a lot of planning time by the teachers, but once the planning is done, the teacher is just the facilitator, coach, and monitor of student progress.
-Exercise is introduced through a newspaper article or authentic source such as a media clip or something that happened, or a "contrived situation" (Talley, 2016, p.113)
-This clip usually brings a call to action which leads to teams brainstorming and designing solution that has community and/or global perspectives. For example: Problem- erosion happening in a community Solution- a sustainable way to withstand flooding
-There is an interdependence among group members because each group member brings different types of information
-Each group member has a specific set of roles and an explanation of what each group role entails
-Students are encouraged to find additional information through authentic sources
-Feedback is provided to students by rubrics: a group rubric and an individual rubric
Group rubric (completed by the group), on a scale from novice to expert, should include:
*Content Knowledge
*Use of Engineering Design
*Team Collaboration
*Quality of the Product Meeting Constraints
Individual Rubric (completed by each individual student), on a scale from novice to expert, should include:
*21st Century Skills
-Communication
-Presentation
-Innovation and Creativity
-Integration of Technology
-Team Collaboration
(Talley, 2016)
Reference:
Talley, T. (2016). The STEM coaching handbook: Working with teachers to improve instruction. Milton: Taylor and Francis.
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