How to make your classroom more STEM friendly

Presented by:Kendra Brace

Director of EducationAerospace Museum of California

About Me

• I taught middle school science and engineering at a charter school in Elk Grove– Science 6th and 7th grades– Engineering in 7th and 8th grade– Integrated science and engineering to 5th and 6th graders– Robotics in 5th, 7th, 9th grades (VEX and LinkBots)

• Director of Education at the Aerospace Museum of California where I am in charge of education programs from preK-12 grades.

Today

• Understanding the Design Process– Process over facts

• Guiding students through the process– How I plan for open expectations

• Cross-cutting concepts• Lessons I used

UNDERSTANDING THE DESIGN PROCESS

NGSS in your class

Ask questions/define problemsDevelop and use a modelPlan and carry out an investigationUse mathematics and computational thinkingConstruct explanations/design solutionsArgument from evidenceObtain/evaluate/communicate information

Design Process

• Research• Brainstorm• Create a model(These next three circle around…)• Test • Learn• Redesign• PRESENT

Understanding the Design Process

• Design process solves either a want or a need. We call that “solving the problem.”

• To begin the process, we have to define the problem; understand it. That’s what we research.

• When we brainstorm, we hope every voice is heard; I actively taught brainstorming, what the goals were, what was acceptable. It is not an orderly process, and it’s important to teach them that while they don’t take turns or wait patiently, in the brainstorming session, that is not bad.

Understanding the Design Process

• Create a model. This is where they get in and build or change or rearrange something. They have to DO something for this part.

• Learn. As they DO, unforeseen problems will arise. Unexpected results will happen. They will naturally go to either research, redesign, etc. The process is not linear, it jumps all over the place.

• Redesign. They actually change what they did. Do over.

Understanding the Design Process• Present - Have the teams tell their classmates – what they learned, – what worked– what didn’t work, – what they want to fix – what they think the problems might be – who they think would love it.

This part of the process is where the biggest learning takes place and it’s more important than the model they made.

GUIDING STUDENTS IN A STEM CLASSROOM

If I only do FOUR things in my classroom this year…

• Give them time to build something without showing them step-by-step what to do

• Make the Design Process part of the class culture• Have them research something new and try it and

share what they learned.• Decide STEM is fun.

CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS

Encompass

• Have them consult an expert or family member.• Add history – in the penguin project we will work on, I

followed up by asking students to interview a grandparent about all the refrigerators they had ever owned in their lifetime. I had them make a “yearbook” of the refrigerators.

• Add ELA – After all that, I asked them to write what effect they thought refrigeration on the world and how their lives would be different without it.

Lessons

• Penguin homes• Dandelions/maple seeds• Build and describe• Oil spill clean up