program innovation: stem

1.Hydro Train Commercial (123hydro, 2007)

It is a goal of the United States to maintain a global leadership status.

President Obama announced the launch ofChange the Equation , a CEO-led effort to dramatically improve education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), as part of his Educate to Innovate campaign. (Office of the Press Secretary, 2010)

National Science Foundation Arobust U.S. science and engineering research enterprise is necessary to maintain a global edge in the competition for new ideas.(Dr. Subra Sures, 2011)

The United States is falling behind countries such as China and India.

When compared to other nations, the math and science achievement of U.S. pupils and the rate of STEM degree attainment appear inconsistent with a nation considered the world leader in scientific innovation.(Kuenzi, 2008)

An emphasis on building science and math curriculum has been around for over 60 years

National Science Foundation was established in 1950

Its stated mission is "To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense. (Mazuzan, 1994)

A Nation at Risk, 1983

Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. This report is concerned with only one of the many causes and dimensions of the problem, but it is the one that undergirds American prosperity, security, and civility. We report to the American people that while we can take justifiable pride in what our schools and colleges have historically accomplished and contributed to the United States and the well-being of its people, the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people. What was unimaginable a generation ago has begun to occur--others are matching and surpassing our educational attainments. (Bell, 1983)

Since then, the world has changed

The World is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman (Thomas Friedman, 2005)

Synopsis: The author analyzes globalization, primarily in the early 21st century. The title is a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in terms of commerce, where all competitors have an equal opportunity. As the first edition cover illustration indicates, the title also alludes to the perceptual shift required for countries, companies and individuals to remain competitive in a global market where historical and geographical divisions are becoming increasingly irrelevant. (2011)

General Overview:It will change all of our theories of economies, politics and jobs. It will increase competition and require not only an emphasis on new skills sets, but a much more self reliant, creative and innovative mindset. (CapitolReader.com, 2005)

Causing people to rethink education

Sir Ken Robinson:Changing Education Paradigms(Ken Robinson, 2010)

Improving education is still a hot government topic:What does the White House, County Music, President Obama, Fine Arts, Steam, Arne Duncan, STEM, and Daniel Pink have to do with 21st Century Education? Welcome to theFuture!(Gorman, 2009)

Traditional STEM programming is not enough to adequately prepare our children for the global market.

What is the best way to teach math and science to prepare our children for a highly technical world that requires critical thinking, problem solving, innovation and creativity?

STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

STE+aMD: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Design

Business Leaders

Government Leaders

Teachers from all levels

Scientists

Mathematicians

Students

Educational Organizations

Can the best and brightest from America's creative industries help solve the creativity crisis currently facing our schools?That's the hope of No Right Brain Left Behind, a "speed innovation challenge" designed to help schools make theleap from an outmoded 19th century education model that's focused solely on teaching students to know and apply information, to a "conceptual-era" 21st century approach grounded in creative, big-picture thinking.(Dwyer, 2011)

Why does our education system need to make the shift? According to an IBM poll of1,500 CEOs, creativity was identified "as the number one competitive edge"of the future, meaning the "soft skills" of the right brain need to be nurtured more than ever. (Dwyer, 2011)

As our Nation recovers from economic recession, investments in science and engineering research and education are ever morecritical to laying the long-term foundation for S&T-based innovation that drives the creation of new jobs and industries.(Bowen, 2011)

As other countries now actively seek to emulate our success by building their own innovation infrastructures, we must be evervigilant to enhance our own innovative capacity.(Bowen, 2011)

Now here is the kicker. To a person, when asked at the conference what does a college professor want from an incoming freshman, every professor in attendance I spoke with and who participated in table discussions as well as the eight featured speakers to the whole group, not a single one mentioned content! They did not care about how much content, beyond the basics that is, a student had in their STEM area. They can teach the content, they all said. But what IS needed, and what IS presently lacking from a majority of incoming college freshman, are skills. For STEM areas, students need to be able to do 2 things according to every professor: be able to read technical literature for understanding, and have the ability to think about and find information to reach logical conclusions, i.e. problem solving (this includes being able to identify how to know what you dont know, and then be able to go figure out the answer).Skills matter as much and more than specific content for college. The underlying reason for this, by the way, is that many believe we are in a paradigm shift of ages we are moving from the Information Age into the Age of Conceptualization.(Vondracek, 2010)

This is why higher-level thinking and problem solving and creative skills come in, forSTEM fields have progressed from single disciplinary to multi-disciplinary.We have moved beyond knowing what is in the textbook, and into an age where textbooks in some fields are changing every few months with new discovery students must be trained to think on the fly and how to synthesize large volumes of information and find the connections between topics from different fields.(Vondracek, 2010)

Math Curriculum Makeover, Dan Meyer

I'm here to tell you that the way our textbooks, particularly, mass-adopted textbooks, teach math reasoning and patient problem solving, it's functionally equivalent to turning on "Two and a Half Men" and calling it a day.(Meyer, 2010)

And why this is an amazing time to be a math teacher right now is because we have the tools to create this high-quality curriculum in our front pocket. It's ubiquitous and fairly cheap. (Meyer, 2010)

Newsweeks July 2010issue highlighted another dimension. We are in a creativity crisis, not simply an engineering one. The European Union declared 2009 as the Year of Creativity and Chinese faculty actually laughed when they found out the US education trends were in standardized curriculum, rote memorization and nationalized testing. Youre racing toward our old model. But were racing to yours as fast as we can.

My disillusionment with STEM developed when I saw their roster of possible careers. Heavy on typical math, chemistry, engineering and some computer science, you see no mention of, say, architecture ( someone will need to move our country toward sustainable design ), communication ( whos designing the future social networks other than Facebook? ), visual and interaction designers ( whats beyond the tablet? ) and product designers (they will betasked with designing mass-scale temporary shelter for the increasing number of natural disasters .) As a matter of fact, you dont really see design mentioned at all. Its rather clear that Sir Ken Robinson wasnt asked for his advice by the STEM coalition, nor was Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind.STEMs biggest flaw, and one we keep enduring, is casting a shining light on all things engineering, and relegating art and design to a dusty corner.

Historys unique benefit is hindsight and I look to what we learned from New Math to rethink how we might approach STEM. Fifty years ago Ralph Raimi suggested that the first purpose of educational reform was to change the climate in the hierarchy of education so that our descendents would be able to advance the true cause. Each generation will have its own true cause, of course, to be heavily debated. However, Im hoping we can all agree on one thing that the future is unknown, the rate of change is increasing and we need to train our brains for a flexibility that can only be achieved by playing with our potential. The right way is never one way and our challenges are not one-dimensional.So why are we approaching the future that way?(Richardson, 2011)

The need to improve STEM education in the United States is no recent revelation.Over the past 50 years, American leaders have repeatedly discussed the need to enhance STEM education. Yet, despite increasing federal efforts and spending, U.S. students continue to under-perform in STEM subjects. In 2007, for instance, the America COMPETES Act created new federal funding for STEM education. The act included the creation of a new federal initiative to train 70,000 new teachers in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, as well as initiatives intended to provide existing teachers with STEM training and to encourage university students pursuing STEM degrees to concurrently obtain teaching certifications. D espite these efforts, there remains a major shortage of qualified STEM teachers throughout the nationand American students continue to perform worse than their peers in STEM subjects.

While alternative education programs have long been in development, the American education system has continued to fixate on the traditional school model.Alternative education programs offer much promise for fostering innovation in education across the country. Online or virtual learning programs, for example, allow a break from the traditional model in which educational opportunity is tied to ones zip code and enables students to gain access to the best teachers regardless of where they are located. (Burke, & McNeill, 2011)

Step 1: Inspire interest in the pursuit of finding out what kind of math and science learning our students need and create a group of teachers, parents students and community members

Growth centered strategy (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 210)

Change is property of healthy organizations.

Change has direction

Change should imply progress.

Teachers have high potential for

the development and implementation of change.

Step 2: Research current and historical STEM programs. Research what other countries are doing for math and science. If coming from a traditional viewpoint, read the progressive side and vice versa. Bring your ideas and questions to the group with the goal of generating 1,000 comments.

To brainstorm properly, abide by these rules from Tom Kelleys book, The Ten Faces of Innovation:

Go for Quantity: Good ideas emerge from lots of idea.

Set a numerical goal.

Encourage Wild Ideas: The right idea often flows

from what initially seems outlandish.

Be visual. Pictures unlock creativity.

Defer judgment. Think creatively first and critically later.

One Conversation at a Time. Listen, be polite and build

on others suggestions.

Dan Pink, Page A Whole New Mind, p. 156,

Step 3: Reflect on current implementation of math and science curriculum in the district.

Beliefs play a pivotal role in motivating individuals to act. Individual beliefs about causality, fairness, intelligence, the consequences of our actions, our ability to control our own destiny are a few pivotal beliefs that influence behavior (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, 146).

Step 4: Create a vision, mission and goals.

As desired states that an organization is trying to attain, goals provide direction and motivation, reduce uncertainty for participants, and represent standards of accountability (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 291).

Step 5: Adopt a math and science program that meets the established goals.

The teaching-learning function is the technical core of the the school (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 54).

Step 6: Plan a continuum of professional development

The systematic acquisition of knowledge that is, organized formal education must supplement experience as the foundation for increasing productive capacity and improving performance. But knowledge and experience themselves are not enough. Events must be seen as a whole pattern of change, not isolated snapshots. Increasingly, successful performance will depend on the ability to use concepts and theories as well as skills acquired through experience to make the full patterns clearer and help us cope with them (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 473).

In other words, it is important for us to experience the process to gain the understanding of how to learn and continue to grow.

From Traditional to Adoption and Adaptation: Skills and Knowledge training

Understanding of STEM

Advanced coursework in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Design

Build partnership with experts in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Design

Understand that change can involve fear, anger and frustration help people work through this and learn new strategies

Transition: Infusion of new ideas into teaching and learning

Collaborative team teaching in the content areas

Find and join national and local math and science opportunities

Redesign of learning spaces

Participation in global learning communities

Experimentation, lots of questions as old beliefs are replaced with new ones, misunderstanding about what new instruction looks and feels like, dispel misconceptions

Transformation:

Teachers and students have become the scientist, engineer, artist, mathematician and/or designer through participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Design research and development learning communities

The systematic acquisition of knowledge that is, the organized formal education must supplement experience as the foundation for increasing productive capacity and improving performance. But knowledge and experience themselves is not enough. Events must be seen as a whole pattern of change, not isolated snapshots. Increasingly, successful performance will depend on the ability to use concepts and theories as well as skills acquired through experience to make the full patterns clearer and help us cope with them (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 473).

Empowerment, leadership, voice of accomplishment

Step 7: Look for patterns of success and weaknesses and adapt instruction to accommodate for these learners

Struggling learners

Disengaged learners

Gifted and Talented

students

On-going steps:

Report out to fellow teachers, school members and community by modeling the social learning process.

Reflect on implementation, adapt and modify along the way

Document patterns, trends, connections and unanticipated results

School effectiveness is a dynamic concept that has multiple dimensions, multiple stakeholders and multiple environmental constraints (Hoy & Miskel, 2008, p. 321).

Have patience.

Increased excitement and motivation about math and science by both teachers and students

Increased quality of math and science instruction

Increased performance of student achievement in math and science

Increased enrollment in high school and college STEM related courses of study

Real world application

Educating students in the sciences, technology, engineering, and math also creates people who are capable of finding solutions to the problems faced by the world today.(Peterson, 2009)

A democratic society is founded on the premise that the electorate is sufficiently informed to make thoughtful decisions. The tremendous rate of technological change and globalization has increased the need for the electorate to keep current on multiple, complex topics.(2006)

That has always been America's strength, because America was, and for now still is, the world's greatest dream machine. Thomas L. Friedman

123hydro, Initials. (Producer). (2007).Hydro train. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/123hydro#p/a/u/1/hlczxXqez-Y

Office of the Press Secretary, Initials. (2010, September 16).Educate to innovate. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovate

Dr. Subra Sures, Initials. (2011, March 11).Testimony before the committee on science, space, and technology united states house of representatives. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/112/ss_fy12budget_110311.jsp

Jeffrey J. Kuenzi, Initials. Domestic Social Policy Division, (2008).Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) education: background, federal policy, and legislative action (Congressional Research Service). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.

Karl Fisch, KF, Scott McLeod, SL, & Jeff Brenman, JB. (Producer). (2008).Did you know?. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

George T. Mazuzan, Initials. (1994, July 15).The national science foundation: a brief history. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf50/nsf8816.jsp

Terrel H. Bell, Initials. Department of Education, The National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983).A nation at risk. Washington, DC.

Thomas Friedman, TF. (2005).The world is flat. Farrar, Straus & Giroux .

The World is Flat.Wikipedia. Retrieved May 3, 2011, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Is_Flat

CapitolReader.com, Initials. (2005, October 27).Capitol reader political book summaries: the world is flat. Retrieved fromhttp://www.teachersmarts.com/21/docs/world%20is%20flat.pdf

Ken Robinson, KR. (Producer). (2010).Changing education paradigms. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

Michael Gorman, MG. (2009, November 29).What does the white house, county music, president obama, fine arts, steam, arne duncan, stem, and daniel pink have to do with 21st century education? welcome to the future!. Retrieved fromhttp://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/what-does-the-white-house-county-music-president-obama-fine-arts-steam-arne-duncun-stem-and-daniel-pink-have-to-do-with-21st-century-education-welcome-to-the-future/

Trung Le, TL. (2010, June 4).Redesigning education: building schools for science, technology, engineering, and math. Retrieved fromhttp://www.fastcompany.com/1656067/designing-schools-to-support-stem

Liz Dwyer, LD. (201, February 10).Solving the creativity crisis: the "no right brain left behind" challenge. Retrieved fromhttp://www.good.is/post/solving-the-creativity-crisis-the-no-right-brain-left-behind-challenge

Dr. Ray M. Bowen, RB. United States Department of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, National Science Board. (2011).Statement of dr. ray m. bowen chairman, national science board to the committee on science, space and technology united states house of representatives on the national science foundations fy 2012 budget request Retrieved fromhttp://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2011/2011_03_11_testimony_space.pdf

Mark Vondracek, MV. (2010, January 21). Where are we with stem education? [Web log message]. Retrieved fromhttp://vonscience.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-are-we-with-stem-education.html

Arthur Benjamin, AB. (Producer). (2009).Arthur benjamin's formula for changing math education. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_s_formula_for_changing_math_education.html

Dan Meyer, DM. (Producer). (2010).Dan meyer: math class needs a makeover. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html

Vi Hart, VH. (Producer). (2010).Doodling in math class: snakes + graphs. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://vihart.com/doodling/

Janice S. Morrison, JM. (2006, August).Attributes of stem education the student the school the classroom. Retrieved fromhttp://www.tiesteach.org/documents/Jans%20pdf%20Attributes_of_STEM_Education-1.pdf

Cristobal Vila, CV. (Producer). (2010).Nature by numbers. [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://vimeo.com/9953368

Laura Seargeant Richardson, LR. (2011, March 7).Stem: is the "new math" here again?. Retrieved fromhttp://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/stem-is-the-new-math-here-again.html

Lindsey Burke, LB, & Jena Baker McNeill, JM. (2011, January 5).educate to innovate: how the obama plan for stem education falls short. Retrieved fromhttp://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/01/educate-to-innovate-how-the-obama-plan-for-stem-education-falls-short

Triangle Coalition, . (2011, January 7).National policy moving from stem to ste[+a]m a must. Retrieved fromhttp://steammanifesto.com/?paged=46

Amy Ione, AI, Roger Malina, RM, & Robert Root-Berstein, RRB. (2010, August 28).https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1ljexruxlo5vub0ubwijalim99y_ixkmqr92uiyazwru&hl=en&authkey=cm2z6q0e&pli=1&pli=1#. Retrieved fromhttps://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1lJeXrUXlO5Vub0ubwIJalIm99Y_IxKmQR92uiyaZWRU&hl=en&authkey=CM2z6q0E&pli=1&pli=1#

Wayne Hoy, WH, & Cecil G. Miskel, CM. (2008).Educational administration theory, research, and practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Ilse Peterson, IP. (2009, August 19).The importance of stem education. Retrieved fromhttp://newvoicesforresearch.blogspot.com/2009/08/importance-of-stem-education.html

Illinois stem education report. (2006). Manuscript submitted for publication, Northern Illinois University, IL. Retrieved fromwww.keepingillinoiscompetitive.niu.edu/../pdfs/STEM_ed_Changing_Core_ 2_2.pdf

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program innovation: stem

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