Schuylkill STEPApril 2014
Evelyn Wassel, Ed.D.
Technology Tools for STEM
Education
PLEASE DO NOW…
Look at the lesson plans on the table. Write 5 lines in response to the following questions:
At what grade level(s) do you think students should be expected to participate in this lesson?
How are science, technology, engineering and math addressed in this lesson?
Share with a partner
Lesson in Action
Source: Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
What is STEM Education?
STEM Education is an intentional, integrative approach to teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Students become adept problem solvers, innovators and inventors who are self-reliant by asking questions, investigating, making informed decisions about how they live their daily lives and engage in their vocations and communities.
STEM
ScienceTechnologyEngineeringMath
Source: Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
What is included?
Students from all cultural backgrounds Students from any gender or gender identity Native English speakers and ELLs Students with disabilities Students of any achievement level
…STEM IS FOR ALL
Source: Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
ALL means ALL!
You cannot do “school as usual” Grouping and leveling courses is not the answer. Look at your
data. Has it worked? Curriculum must be deliberately designed to meet the needs of
ALL learners. Teachers must expand repertoire of instructional practices,
strategies and techniques.
Source: Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
Goals of the Session
Why teach STEM?Free Tools to Enhance ScienceFree Tools to Enhance MathSTEM Tools
Source: Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
Why Teach STEM?
Projected job growth in STEM related jobs over next 10 years will be 17%.
Projected job growth in non-STEM related jobs over next 10 years will be 9.8%.
Educational/Societal: STEM Literacy for all students, inclusion of STEM as part of a typical liberal arts education, develop educated consumers of information and products.
United States Department of Labor
“Our nation needs to increase the supply and quality of “knowledge workers” whose specialized skills enable them to work within STEM industries and occupations. Our nation’s economic future depends upon improving the pipeline into STEM fields (2007).”
United States Military Academy: Intellectual Domain
• Think and act creatively
• Demonstrate the capability and desire to pursue progressive and continued intellectual development
• Listen, read, speak and write effectively
• Be scientifically literate and capable of applying scientific, mathematical, and computational modes of thought to the solution of complex problems.
• Understand and apply information technology concepts to acquire, manage, communicate and defend information, solve problems, and adapt to technology.
• Apply mathematics, science, technology, and the engineering design process to devise technological problem solutions that are effective and adaptable.
STEM, Literacy and PA Core
3.5 Reading Informational Text
• Students read, understand, and respond to informational text-with emphasis on comprehension making connections among
• Ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence
8.6 Writing • Students write for different purposes and audiences.
• Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content
Math Practice PA Core Standard#1
Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them
Check their answers to problems using different methods and continually ask themselves, “Does this make sense?”
Explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends.
#2Reason abstractly and
quantitatively
Reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose.
STEM, Literacy and PA Core
STEM, Literacy and PA Core
Math Practice PA Core Standard#3
Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others
Justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others.
Compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed, and—if there is a flaw in an argument—explain what it is.
Determine domains, to which an argument applies, listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or improve the arguments.
Reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose.
What’s in Your Toolbox??
Share with a partner tools that you have used to promote literacy in STEM classes.
Be prepared to share out…
Vocabulary
Students should be able to:“interpret words and phrases within a text”“write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately”
Write “discipline specific content”
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3sXseN80gSM/RzuENHFgVVI/AAAAAAAAAFw/cS92DeIbjr4/s320/standards+comic.jpg
How to Promote Vocabulary
Have students use words in sentences rather than copy definitions.
Essential vocabulary sheet
Have students demonstrate mastery in short or extended writing pieces.
Term What does it mean to you?
Picture Where can I find a definition?
What Could Students Read?
News sourcesNonfiction books
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve JobsCheryl Strayed’s WildMalcom Gladwell’s OutliersMary Roach’s Stiff
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers
Do you believe outliers are important for research? Give examples from the book to support your position.
Do you think Asians are prewired to do better in math than Americans because of their language? Cite examples from the book to support your position.
What Could Students Read?/ Write?
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/lesson-plans/?page_id=474?&passid=83
http://pbs39.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/echo07.lan.stories.lpeveryday/storytelling-tales-of-everyday-life/
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/epo/educators/ThinkScientifically_1.pdf
What Could Students Read? Write?
LDC Tasks
Topics “What to do about climate change?” “Is genetic science moral?” “Has the Internet changed society for better or worse?”
Products Brochure Poster Short story Rap Monologue Letter to editor
Reading in Math
Math textbooks contain more concepts per word, per sentence, and per paragraph
Writing style is compact, little redundancy
Textbooks are written above grade level
Reading in Math
Proficient at decoding, comprehending, words, numbers, and symbols
Examples, graphics or exercises take first priority over words
Overlap between math and everyday English vocabulary
Teachers struggle with…
What are the specific skills or knowledge that students need in order to read content material effectively?
What learning environments promote effective reading and learning?
What strategies can be used with students to help them become more effective readers and independent learners?
McREL
Students struggle with…
Organizing ideas as they read.Making meaningful connections.Persevering through reading material
Mathematics Tackling vocabularyDecoding symbolsReading at the text levelUnderstanding text organization
McREL Draft
Communication Standard
Students will acquire the ability to read, write, listen to, and speak mathematics.Page 5, Crossroads in Mathematics
26
This is why we need to talk about math.
Actual student answer to a math problem
Tying It All Together…
How can the opening lesson on Iditarod be extended to a STEM lesson?
http://padlet.com/wall/STEMIditarod
References
Information for slides 3,4,5,6,7,10 from 2013 SAS Institute – created by Joey Rider-Bertrand, IU13
STEM, Literacy and the Common Core Standards by Shannon Reed, 8/21/12
CASH In
Cognitive-Intellectual
Affect
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