7 Steps to a World-Class K-12 STEM Program
Having worked in the technology industry and K-12 education for the past 17 years, I am in awe of the many opportunities that teachers and students have, to engage in high-quality learning experiences through STEM education. Over the years, I’ve identified a list of key components in developing a successful, sustainable, world-class STEM program.
1. Establish a Clear Vision for STEM Education
STEM is an acronym that has been around for quite some time now and represents the subjects Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The choice of these subjects is anchored in the fact that innovation in most economies are centered around these content areas. That being said, this does not mean that other subjects or disciplines aren’t important, but rather the integration of the arts and effective communication skills is vital for student and teacher success in launching highly engaging learning experiences.
In an effort to be comprehensive, you may be tempted to include more letters as part of the vision. Examples include, STEAM, STEAMER, STREAM and STEMM. Remember the old mantra about goal-setting. “A goal is a goal. Two goals are half a goal. Three goals are a third of a goal…” If implemented well, the four areas of STEM will have tremendous overlap and start to sustain other threads of literacy and the arts. In addition, many of the major organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) have established a wealth of resources in clarifying the need for the original acronym.
A quick check on wikipedia.org reveals the following variations on the STEM acronyms:
At some point, adding these additional letters should just turn into plain old “EDUCATION.” I’ll let you decide what each letter stands for.
Solution 1: Be clear on the “Why” of STEM vs. STEAM and others. Work with all levels to decide on a district-wide common definition of STEM Education and stick to it. Establish why STEM is important? How can it change the lives of students and teachers?
2. Establish a Clear Target for Implementation
Now that you have a clear definition, what will your implementation look like? Here are a few examples: SteM, Stem, STeM, and all variations. Here, the size of the letter determines the type of implementation. Most K-12 school districts have state Science and Mathematics standards that they must comply with, resulting in STEM implementations that are bland and no different from traditional education. Other district leaders believe that for STEM to be done well, it must be led through Science content and stick with ‘Stem’ as its implementation. After all, there is a scientific method that represents the ‘how’ to do science. Again, a case can be made for the comfort level of the teacher as the driving force behind the implementation. The challenge lies in the ‘T’ and the ‘E’. Most K-12 educators have little to no knowledge or formal training on technology and engineering. In most cases, technology is viewed as instructional technology in the form of document cameras, laptops, etc.
One successful implementation of STEM can be anchored in the Career and Technical Education work at the high school level. Identifying the STEM career pathways that exist at the high schools and focus on the technologies and skills needed for success in those areas. Often times, the ‘E’ in STEM follows along in the form of the Engineering Design Process (EDP). This addresses the “how” of STEM education. The EDP is a methodology for engineering solutions to problems. It is methodical and iterative in nature and promotes the notion of designing a solution, prototyping solutions, acquiring feedback through testing and improving the design of the solution.
Solution 2: Be clear on the implementation you choose. If STEM is to be implemented at all levels, be sure to establish a target that is aligned with the vision. If high school CTE programming is to drive the implementation, decide what skills and processes students and teachers will need to adopt in order to be in alignment. Be sure to anchor Math and Science implementations in the Standards for Math Practice and the Science and Engineering Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards framework. This will give you the ‘how’ of implementation and establish a trajectory for learning at all levels.
3. Impact Classroom Teaching and Learning
The teacher continues to be the most important role in having an impact on student performance and success. Thus, any STEM implementation plan should include a professional development plan for teachers to acquire knowledge, build confidence and impact student learning. This is where most of the energy and effort of the system should be placed.
The majority of Teacher-Training programs across the United States do not adequately prepare teachers for success in STEM domains. In fact, the traditional approach to teaching and learning continues to dominate the landscape. Math in particular, continues to be anchored in rote memorization, computational algorithms and worksheets. All of these approaches alienate students, lack motivation and is devoid of a real-world context. What’s needed is the antithesis of what I just described.
One of the most effective ways to impact teaching and learning strategies in STEM education is through the use of Project Based Learning (PBL). Research suggests that PBL is an instructional approach that engages students in large-scale, deep learning experiences that develop student agency and efficacy. Often times, students experience inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary learning experiences that result in alternate forms of assessments. Learning experiences should be rich and life-altering for both students and teachers. As a result, planning for PBL is not easy. Teachers will need to know what its like to work in dynamic, unstructured learning environments and develop their knowledge of current technologies being used in various disciplines.
Be mindful of the many challenges associated with student identities in STEM. Many underrepresented student populations are challenged with not seeing examples of STEM professionals in a wide variety of fields, who look like them. There is an inherent message to these students about their STEM identities. If gone unaddressed, students will develop a fixed mindset on their ability to learn and develop their STEM skills. Keep in mind that STEM education should be accessible to all students. Students who traditionally do well in “playing school”, struggle when getting an ‘A’ is no longer formulaic. What skills will these students need?
I’ve had the honor of working with researchers like Dr. Sheryl Sorby at Ohio State and Dr. Nicole Russell at Vanderbilt who have shown that spatial reasoning skills can easily be acquired by female students, and that African Americans are fully capable of achieving at the highest levels of mathematics. Having aspiring students attend STEM conferences as observers with the task of communicating what they are hearing, helps to develop their communication skills and to identify with researchers who look like them. Tapping into organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Conference for African American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences (CAARMS) will provide resources and opportunities to develop underrepresented student identities.
Solution 3: Developing professional learning cohorts for teachers that are leveled will provide traction within school districts. These cohorts should provide basic information about STEM and its various implementations and provide teachers with real-world problem solving in the context of their content areas. Curriculum, instruction and assessments should all change as a result of the professional learning experiences. PBL can provide a solid foundation for sustaining this type of approach while developing student and teacher agency. Establish a plan for district adoption and rollout. Be sure to establish a focus on inclusive excellence in STEM. Also work to develop the STEM identities of underrepresented groups of students.
4. Inspire Teachers, Students and Community Members
One of the best ways to sustain the implementation and continued improvement of a district-wide STEM program is through finding ways to tell the story in order to engage more stake-holders. There is no better way to do this than to have students be the lead voice for all-things-STEM in the district. Providing opportunities for students to showcase their works to a variety of audiences is key. Partnering with local corporations and community members of differing skill-sets does two things. First, it provides a way for community members to be engaged with their local schools and second, it provides an external audience for both teachers and students. In addition, these same community members are the voters who can continue to support these initiatives moving forward. They can partner with the district to provide internships and externships for teachers and students. Many of these relationships can be developed through the foundation for the district.
Other examples of sharing how learning is changing would be to create a TedX event for students and teachers, hold student panel discussions with district administrators and community members and to have teachers and students present at national and international conferences.
Solution 4: Establish student internships and teacher externships over the summer and during the school year. Create events that would provide opportunities for students and teachers to share the ways in which their teaching and learning has been transformed. Establish a monthly newsletter that captures current events and teaching and learning experiences from student and teacher perspectives.
5. Create Large-scale Learning Experiences (LsLE) for All Levels
This is different from PBL described above. Often times, large-scale learning experiences are shorter in duration and give students and teachers opportunities to develop their ability to work in small group settings. It is also a great opportunity for students to be exposed to various technologies in the context of real-world problem solving. Examples include:
Elementary: Junior Lego League, FIRST Lego League, Near-space Balloon Launch, Scratch Day, Hour of Code, Coding competitions, Math League, TedX, Google Science Fair, Science Olympiad, National Science Bowl, Zero Robotics
Middle School: Near-space Balloon Launch, VEX Robotics, FIRST Lego League, Scratch Day, Hour of Code, eCybermission, Coding competitions, Math League, TedX, Google Science Fair, Science Olympiad, National Science Bowl, Botball, Team America Rocketry Challenge
High School: Vex Robotics, FIRST Robotics, Near-space Balloon Launch, Cyber-Patriot, NASA HUNCH Design & Prototype, NASA HUNCH Softgoods, NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge, TedX, Botball, Team America Rocketry Challenge
Solution 6: Be selective in your choice of LsLE. Doing few well is better than doing many poorly.
6. Create an Impact Trajectory that Starts in Elementary Grades
Elementary school teachers are simply the most well-equipped for teaching all core-content areas of Literacy, Science, Social Studies and Mathematics. Elementary school classrooms are purely inter-disciplinary in nature. In addition, I would argue that they have access to the most creative minds in any school system.
There are many great resources available at the elementary level which can leverage such talent. One such resource that I favor is the Engineering is Elementary curriculum. The curriculum consists of three components: a teacher guide, storybook and a materials kit. The stories are anchored in the three areas of Life Science, Earth & Space Science and Physical Science. There are 20 units that begin with stories of children from diverse backgrounds experiencing real-world problems and seeking engineering solutions. Students learn and practice the Engineering Design Process and hone their ability to be collaborative in a small group setting. The materials require a hands-on approach to problem-solving. Once elementary students make it to middle and high school, they would have had several years of experience in practicing the EDP and team-building skills. In addition, they begin to drive change in the system based on their experiences in earlier grades.
Solution 6: Identify curricula resources that allow students to learn and practice the EDP in a real-world context.
7. Develop your Leadership Skills and Lead by Example
As a leader, you must continue to learn about how technology continues to impact this rapidly-changing world. Develop a plan for attending conferences that can provide support and insight to teachers, administrators and district leadership. Also focus on student outcomes that have an impact on their local, national and international communities. Become active in state and national STEM organizations. Conduct your own investigations in STEM and share it with your constituents. Finally, establish a plan for students to return to the district to share their post-graduate experiences and aide in the development of the next generation of STEM professionals.
