Using your team

Developing a STEM program that impacts and influences the students in your building will require topics that are important to your students.  This is why no STEM school is identical. I have worked in two STEM schools and neither of them are the same for many reasons.  For this reason as a STEM leader, you have to have a solid understanding of how to infuse STEM in multiple ways is part of the sustainability of STEM. Even in one building STEM may need to change from year to year based on the needs of the school.

In addition, to the what STEM looks like within the building. Preparing for all the comments of how STEM will be implemented is a team effort. Administration can provide insight on calendar events and administrative timelines that may impact STEM trips, guest, or builds. Teachers can provide insight on truthful timeframes or the impact of STEM on curriculum scope and sequence expectations.  Take the time to ask some very important questions about what is coming up to both groups. Don't just ask the questions, but ask for recommendations that can help STEM a part of the everyday life of your building.  These questions are not limited to just curriculum, in reach, or out reach. This conversation should also include PD and implementation expectations. 

Schools have many requirements,  as change agents we have to be informed contributors. STEM should be integrated into all curriculum.  STEM is not a stand alone entity. It is the glue to bring about 21st century thinking and resolution to social, civic, scientific,  and technological issues of today and the future. It is our job to help others see how STEM is not just for some contents it actually consists of all contents.

Have an awesome time STEM CATALYSTS!!!

Introducing Project Based Learning

It is never easy to change how a body of people have traditionally done things. As a catalyst of change, it is important that you understand this resistance and find strategic systematic ways to provide the body with a process that will make the change easy for them. By focusing on how you go about making these changes will determine the success or failure of your effort.

This year I took on growing my building from STEM projects that were completed in one day to Project based learning. How did I get the buy in? I asked the teachers what were the obstacles of the one day STEM activities? And most of the time, the teachers said they didn't have time to build background or complete the build in a day. Thus making the full impact of STEM not go through the entire Engineering Design Process.  As a result of these conversations,  I introduced Project Based Learning. I asked that the teachers be willing to learn as we teach. I asked my administrative team to allow me time to train the teachers each month.  This provided the teachers with time to get to know the topic and develop a better understanding of what they were presenting to their students regardless of grade level. Additionally,  each grade level could see their own standards in the project.

This process will take me the entire year. Mainly because I need to train the teachers through each part of the PBL. I want to touch every component of STEM. On day one, we built background with the students. We provided them with the problem that will be our focus. After the students read articles and watched videos about the topic, they developed essential questions for their class and the school as a whole.

Teachers were excited and amazed at the students buy in with the new process. They thought that taking the build away from the one day project would cause some confusion and concern. But to everyone's delight the students enjoyed being able to tell the adults what they wanted to learn about.

Each STEM day will focus on a different component of STEM. For our next STEM, our PBL will focus on math and mapping skills. Yes, math and social studies. STEM and PBL's can be inclusive of all contents if planned well.

I hope you continue to follow our journey into Project Based Learning.

Preparing for STEM Training

https://stdaily.ghost.io/knowledge-matters/

STEM Training is not like preparing for any other content in the school environment. STEM includes components of all contents and designing training for a building should be based on the strengths of that building. For example: if your building has a multitude of technology and teachers that utilize technology in their teaching; you may want to start your STEM training focusing on technology. It is better to focus on the strengths of the building because the buy in is easier for all parties. You don't want to start where money has to be spent first to have success. The goal as the catalyst of change is to grow into all the areas of STEM preparing for the growth with purchases and training.

For schools that have already started the implementation of STEM, you have to do a self assessment. Where is your STEM program and what would make it better? The answer to these questions will drive your decisions. For example: Your program may not need to grow just yet, but make the practices that are already in place more consistent before adding on. As a leader, you have to acknowledge what the weaknesses are, because if you continue to grow the program with a weak foundation the program will eventually fail.

In all leadership roles it is important that you provide yourself with STEM learning opportunities. These opportunities can be STEM focused conferences, visiting other schools, partnering up with a business or college that can provide you with guidance and support, and your school district. STEM is changing every day with the advancements of Science and Technology. As the leader you have to stay informed. This will help you grow and develop your school's or district's STEM program and understanding better.

STEM Planning

It is difficult to bring about change in education without training. However, it is difficult to find time for STEM training with all the instructional requirements. To find time for STEM training is an important part of planning. Planning is what will make or break the success of STEM at your school. In my time as the STEM leader in my building it is important to have a semester plan or a yearly plan. Why? Because without this plan it is difficult for there to be any accountability for all members. The agreed upon plans can be events for community members,  business partners, trainings, experiences for students, field trips, and much more.

Use your team to help you get all these task done. You may want to identify the strengths of team members and allow to lead that area of focus. People work best in the things they are good at...allow that to help you and your team be successful.  Each success will being momentum to STEM for the team and your building.

Whole School vs Program

http://urbangospelentertainment.com/four-steps-making-godly-decisions/ 

Whole School vs Program

The School year is about to start. You have formed your teams and have a crucial decision to make. What is your STEM model? Will you do whole school or program? Well let’s discuss both models. Let’s first answer the question of which model can be certified: Both models are certifiable models.

What is the whole school model?

The whole school STEM model is a model that includes all instructional staff in the implementation of STEM. This means that every teacher will teach STEM in your building. All students will participate in the STEM experiences provided by your building. All Staff will need to receive all STEM training, participate in STEM planning and implementation, and demonstrate STEM practices in their instructional practices. Whole school requires an entire staff buy in. Certification for whole school is different from state to state, however national certification is provided by AdvancED. AdvancED Certification requires two full days of a STEM review. These two days include classroom visits to at least 20 classrooms for whole school certification for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Preparing your teachers for Certification can be a one-year process if you have buy in or a multiple year process if you must coach people through the implementation of the STEM practices in their classroom.

What is the program model?

The program model is a school with in a school model. Students in the STEM program are selected via preset requirements. Students may apply or be placed based on the criteria. This model works best for middle and high schools, because of the multiple offerings that are provided and the specialization of staff. The program model requires that the individuals that are involved the STEM program participate in STEM training, participate in STEM planning and implementation, and demonstrate STEM practices in their instructional practices. This model only requires that the buy in of STEM are amongst the individuals that are involved in the implementation. The remainder of the building can support these members, but they are not required to be implementors of STEM. Again, the certification process from state to state is different. AdvancED does provided a certification process for a program as well. The certification process is very similar to the whole school model, except the classroom observations are focused on the STEM program teachers. Again, the time frame of this process in incumbent upon the individuals involved in the process.

Which model is best for your building?

Your STEM team will need to think about the buy in process and the timeframe. These two factors will determine your decision. Both are viable and possible. It is the amount of time for training and implementation that will be the determining factor of the success.

Good Luck as you embark on this journey!

Instructional Connection to the Water Hub

Instructional Connection to the Water Hub

Background: The water hub is a reclamation system that takes sewage water or affluent water and cleans it to use for other systems in industry that do not include human consumption. There is another system that is very similar and is safe for students to work with and build: an aquaponics system. An aquaponics system is a system that utilizes both a hydroponic system and an aquaculture stem. The aquaponics system like the reclamation system both clean affluent water. The affluent water in an aquaponics system is provided by fish. The cleaning process of the water via plants, microorganisms, and other media are also very similar. The largest difference between the two systems is that the aquaponics system is typically a closed system; whereas the reclamation system is an open system. Another difference is that aquaponics is a system focused on providing food for consumption both fish and plants; and the reclamation system is focused on cleaning water for industrial use. Regardless of this difference for students the conceptual understandings of the two systems processes are very similar.

 

From http://www.theaquaponicsource.com/wp-content/uploads/NEW.AQS-Cycle-Icon.cmyk_.C.jpg

Activity Title: Simple Aquaponics

Time: 1 hr

Class Materials: 2 liter soda bottle (per group), 1 bag pebbles, 2 bags perlite, cheese cloth, rubber bands dechlorinated water (or a bottle of dechlorinator), Fish (1 per group) (cheap fish) , plants (1 per group) or seeds (please do not use plants with large roots such as carrots or potatoes, additionally do not use tomatoes).

Per group: 2 liter soda bottle, a hand full of pebbles, 2 cups of perlite, 4 x 4 inch square of cheese cloth, 1 rubber band, plant or seeds, access to water and dechlorinator, and at least 1 fish.

Directions:

1     Cut the soda bottle into 2. It is important that you keep this cut as straight as possible.

2     Place water in more than half way up the bottom of the bottle. The option that does not contain the hole. This portion of the bottle with house the fish. If using chlorinated water, add the dechlorinator now and let it sit.

3    While waiting for the water to dechlorinate place the top portion of the bottle upside down. Make sure that the mouth of the piece is immersed in the water. If not, if you can add water please do so. If it still does not reach the water, you may need to cut the bottom part of the bottle again. Remove the water and cut the bottom half of the bottle a little more or just enough for the mouth of the top to reach the water.

4    Take the rubberband and the cheese clothe and attach the cheese clothe over the mouth of the top. This will keep small particles from falling in the water of the fish housing.

5       Place the hand full of pebbles in the top.k

6    Place the perlite on top of the pebbles.

7    If adding plants make sure that you clean as much of the dirt off of the plants roots as possible. Dig a hole in the perlite and place the plant in the hole.

a.       If using seeds dig a hole and place the seeds in the hole. The top will need water placed in it prior to adding the fish.

8    Now place the fish in the bottom of the bottle.

9    Place the top on the top of the fish housing.

      Congratulations you have made a simple aquaponics system.

The plants will clean the water. The perlite, pebbles, and cheese cloth will serve as media to provide surfaces for microorganisms to grow.

Now that you have built this simple system you can have discussions with your students about the larger version of the water hub.

Have Fun STEMing!!!

The Water Hub at Emory University

This year I developed and implemented a plan to include teacher field trips into the professional development of the teachers and staff at my school. This idea was developed from my desire to always find the next best thing. As educators, we are always learning and this learning should include but not be limited to STEM as providers of STEM. This outing was an eye opener for us all. We know that water is an non-renewable resource. We all know that we need to do a better job of water conservation. But did we or do we know what the industrial arena is doing to do their part of ensuring that we have clean water? Absolutely not!

Those of us that live in cities big or small, know that industry means jobs; and jobs mean a thriving economy. However industry also brings a need for regulations and environmental responsibility. Organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These companies are required to follow regulatory rules and laws for the safety of those that live around them, but did you know that these same industries are starting to look for ways to be better neighbors. The Water Hub at Emory University in Atlanta, GA is a prime example of what the future holds in regards to the non-renewable resource of water.

At the water hub, water is reclaimed. The technology at the water hub takes sewage water from the county sewer line (yes with the fecal matter, grease, and all the other things we flush and send down a drain) and cleans it with the help of plants and different mediums. This Hub has sustained Emory University and Hospital when the county has lost water. Now this water is not used for drinking. It is not EPA approved for drinking, but it can be used for other essential needs such as air conditioning, flushing of toilets, and plant irrigation.

Futuristic-ally, this hub could be a location within every neighborhood or community that provides a green space and reduces the cost of supplying water to homes and businesses. This experience is one that community planners and  civil engineers need to look into for future developments.

Happy STEMing !!!

Building STEM from Scratch

Every year their are administrators that return to there buildings excited and ready to implement STEM. This excitement is welcomed and the desire to implement STEM for all students is needed, but you have to have a plan. This plan will need to be devised by a team of people that have different positions in the building, but can add to the effectiveness of implementation.  

Your STEM team does not have to be only teachers. This team should include but are not limited to teachers, administrators, counselors, fine arts department,  specialist, custodial, and food service. This team will need to complete a S.W O.T. analysis of the school. This analysis will provide the team with what areas are threats.  From the list of threats, the team will need to devise systematic or smart goals to address 1 or 2 of the threats at a time. It is also wise to look at the schools strengths to see if the strengths can or could address any of the threats.  As the year progresses, it will be up to this team to revisit and analyze the school multiple times a year. As the threats to the success of STEM are reduced; then it is time to have the STEM team to look at training that need to take place for the building. The STEM team will need to be systematic and have smart goals  set to ensure the success of STEM implementation.

Having multiple teams working together, will move the school forward faster. The more people that have buy-in on any capacity is a move in the right direction. Yes, there will need to be multiple teams that have very different responsibilities.  The leadership team is the team of your administrators, counselors, grade chairs, and specialist. This team focuses on the requirements of the state and district. Your Building Effectiveness team: this team provides an overview of the building.  This team is is comprised of teachers, administrators, counselors, fine arts department,  specialist, custodial, and food service. And lastly, the STEM team: this team is comprised of individuals that are willing to go out and learn about STEM and return to the building ready and willing to share and train others. These individuals should also be open to going out to find partners and new resources to support STEM implementation.  With these teams in place and with administrators as part of each one of these teams STEM implementation will be easier. The information from each one of these teams will help the Administration guide each team towards success without over stressing the same individuals in a building. However, we all know that some individuals will serve on multiple teams.

SWOT Analysis Worksheet

If you take time to plan your moves strategically and with a team...STEM is attainable.

Please subscribe to this blog and follow me at innovativestempd on FaceBook and Twitter.