I am four. The science lab was this cool mysterious place where we could learn about snail trails and look at the rain. It and library are the only specials I remember from this time. I loved science.
My journal from second grade reads: I love math. I hate writing.
I am in fifth grade. Once again I love science lab. My teacher tells me that if I had just done a better display, I would have won the fair.
It wis a brilliant sunny day. I have just finished hanging out the laundry and am reluctant to return inside to my books. So I pluck a blade of grass and held it up to the light. Years before, my 2nd grade teacher had shown me how you could peal off a layer of skin on leaves. I looked at the leaf, wondering what was inside. I want to be a botanist.
We have just gotten a bunch of books displaced from the library. One deals with a boy interning at a hospital, trying out different jobs, talking about learning organic chemistry, and trying to find a cure for leukaemia. I want to be a research scientist or a doctor.
I am fourteen. I learn that before marrying my grandfather, becoming a linguist and heading out to the wilds of Papua New Guinea to write down an unwritten language, my grandmother worked at Jet Laboratories, a place that did work for NASA. Unfortunately, this was after her death, so I can't ask her questions.
I am fifteen, doing titration and loving it. Despite being in a French medium school for the first time since I was eight, I was getting a 17 out of 20. In American terms, that doesn't sound like much. Ok, decent for someone working in a second language, but not that great. But in France it's a 4.0. The point was: I like Chemistry. I was good at it. Math? That is average. Maybe that was why even though I loved Chemistry I am considering studying Literature if I stay. Maybe not. But it never even crosses my mind to follow in my grandmother's footsteps.
University would be the same story, though my chemistry grades were lower. If we had had organic chemistry, would I have taken it? Maybe. Maybe not. Most of my courses were not science, though I absolutely loved (and aced) philosophy of science.
What happened?
I don't know.
But the love is still there, which is why the question of STE(A)M in education lies close to my heart, especially where it concerns girls.
Because if it happened to me, it could happen to other kids.
It's why I'm excited to read that States are starting to help kids understand the basics, rather than pushing them onto to higher levels of math without a firm foundation of the layer they are stuck on. This, I imagine, is where developing a growth mindset is crucial for kids. Perhaps Common Core will help with this.
Did you know that Unicef and others have started an initiative called TechnoGirl in South Africa encouraging girls in STEM areas? And that this includes job shadowing? Girls now have a sense and purpose and many are going on to study in STEM areas. It would be cool if we could develop this for kids around the world: getting to see how STEM works in real life, so they have a chance to see if it would be something they would enjoy and be worth doing. Though the skills learned in class come into play, the real world doesn't always mirror the classroom world of doing things (though I imagine that is partly why project-based learning is gaining ground).
The good news is that this need is being noted around the world. Unesco reports on a workshop held in Ethiopia to help teachers encourage girls in science and ICT. Unesco themselves partnered with a local group that encourages STEAM to host a STEAM workshop in Rwanda for high school girls from across Africa and the US. Unfortunately, it was for only 120 participants, which is a drop in the bucket as far as either continent or country. Even so, Unesco is hoping by encouraging events like these, they will be helping girls find equal footing with boys as the continent is burgeoning with a new sense of these fields.
The good news goes on: There's a school in India that trains mothers and grandmothers to be solar power engineers. Something called TechWomen sponsors girls and women from Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to work on projects while being mentored in the US. CSSSO contains reports of states seeking to provide more STEAM opportunities for students and teachers. OECD has a report of numerous member countries who are seeking to change the fact that girls often don't pursue STEM careers. (OECD 2014)
Yet in an article called "Hidden Figures", the author mentions a programme in the UK that provides a lot of support for STEM from apprenticeships to scholarships to providing resources to teachers.
It was started in 1984. (Gem Report 2017). Why then is STEM still an issue?
What is in fact the best way to help those with a love of science to consider it a valid subject to pursue?
Do kids even know what options there are for doing science beyond doctors, nurses, and teachers?
Unesco and others are starting to change things. But they can only reach some.
So what can we do to help the few of those they don't reach that we do reach?
Not many of these major world organisations had much in the way of details. But then I was lucky to stumble upon
given a grant by HP, they did some studies and found five strategies that seemed to help more than others. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
These were: gaming, virtual laboratories, international collaborative projects, real-time formative assessment and skills-based assessment. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
: Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Retrieved from URL.
:Gem Report. (2017, February 10). Hidden figures: showing the importance of women in science. Retrieved from https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/hidden-figures-showing-the-importance-of-women-in-science/
: CCSSO. "A Path of Progress: State and District Stories of High Standards Implementation" [pdf file] Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2016/State%20District%20Project/North%20Dakota.pdf
: "Empowering African girls to be the next generation of STEM leaders" [pdf file]. Retrieved from http://en.unesco.org/news/empowering-african-girls-be-next-generation-stem-leaders
: Kärkkäinen, Kiira, & Vincent-Lancrin, Stephan. (2013) Sparking Innovation in STEM education. [pdf file] Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/OECD_EDU-WKP(2013)_%20Sparking%20Innovation%20in%20STEM%20education.pdf
: Robinson, Ken. (2006. February). Do Schools Kill Creativity? [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-1135024
:OECD. (2014, March). Promoting female participation in STEM. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/Promoting-female-participation-in-STEM.pdf
: Jost, Rèmy. (2011, May 23-24). The Role of Mathematics for Innovation and Creativity [PowerPoint slides] Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/oecdfranceworkshop-educationforinnovationtheroleofartsandstemeducation.htm
My journal from second grade reads: I love math. I hate writing.
I am in fifth grade. Once again I love science lab. My teacher tells me that if I had just done a better display, I would have won the fair.
It wis a brilliant sunny day. I have just finished hanging out the laundry and am reluctant to return inside to my books. So I pluck a blade of grass and held it up to the light. Years before, my 2nd grade teacher had shown me how you could peal off a layer of skin on leaves. I looked at the leaf, wondering what was inside. I want to be a botanist.
We have just gotten a bunch of books displaced from the library. One deals with a boy interning at a hospital, trying out different jobs, talking about learning organic chemistry, and trying to find a cure for leukaemia. I want to be a research scientist or a doctor.
I am fourteen. I learn that before marrying my grandfather, becoming a linguist and heading out to the wilds of Papua New Guinea to write down an unwritten language, my grandmother worked at Jet Laboratories, a place that did work for NASA. Unfortunately, this was after her death, so I can't ask her questions.
I am fifteen, doing titration and loving it. Despite being in a French medium school for the first time since I was eight, I was getting a 17 out of 20. In American terms, that doesn't sound like much. Ok, decent for someone working in a second language, but not that great. But in France it's a 4.0. The point was: I like Chemistry. I was good at it. Math? That is average. Maybe that was why even though I loved Chemistry I am considering studying Literature if I stay. Maybe not. But it never even crosses my mind to follow in my grandmother's footsteps.
University would be the same story, though my chemistry grades were lower. If we had had organic chemistry, would I have taken it? Maybe. Maybe not. Most of my courses were not science, though I absolutely loved (and aced) philosophy of science.
What happened?
I don't know.
But the love is still there, which is why the question of STE(A)M in education lies close to my heart, especially where it concerns girls.
Because if it happened to me, it could happen to other kids.
It's why I'm excited to read that States are starting to help kids understand the basics, rather than pushing them onto to higher levels of math without a firm foundation of the layer they are stuck on. This, I imagine, is where developing a growth mindset is crucial for kids. Perhaps Common Core will help with this.
Did you know that Unicef and others have started an initiative called TechnoGirl in South Africa encouraging girls in STEM areas? And that this includes job shadowing? Girls now have a sense and purpose and many are going on to study in STEM areas. It would be cool if we could develop this for kids around the world: getting to see how STEM works in real life, so they have a chance to see if it would be something they would enjoy and be worth doing. Though the skills learned in class come into play, the real world doesn't always mirror the classroom world of doing things (though I imagine that is partly why project-based learning is gaining ground).
The good news is that this need is being noted around the world. Unesco reports on a workshop held in Ethiopia to help teachers encourage girls in science and ICT. Unesco themselves partnered with a local group that encourages STEAM to host a STEAM workshop in Rwanda for high school girls from across Africa and the US. Unfortunately, it was for only 120 participants, which is a drop in the bucket as far as either continent or country. Even so, Unesco is hoping by encouraging events like these, they will be helping girls find equal footing with boys as the continent is burgeoning with a new sense of these fields.
The good news goes on: There's a school in India that trains mothers and grandmothers to be solar power engineers. Something called TechWomen sponsors girls and women from Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to work on projects while being mentored in the US. CSSSO contains reports of states seeking to provide more STEAM opportunities for students and teachers. OECD has a report of numerous member countries who are seeking to change the fact that girls often don't pursue STEM careers. (OECD 2014)
Yet in an article called "Hidden Figures", the author mentions a programme in the UK that provides a lot of support for STEM from apprenticeships to scholarships to providing resources to teachers.
It was started in 1984. (Gem Report 2017). Why then is STEM still an issue?
What is in fact the best way to help those with a love of science to consider it a valid subject to pursue?
Do kids even know what options there are for doing science beyond doctors, nurses, and teachers?
Unesco and others are starting to change things. But they can only reach some.
So what can we do to help the few of those they don't reach that we do reach?
Not many of these major world organisations had much in the way of details. But then I was lucky to stumble upon
given a grant by HP, they did some studies and found five strategies that seemed to help more than others. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
These were: gaming, virtual laboratories, international collaborative projects, real-time formative assessment and skills-based assessment. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
They found that students who learned through gaming, virtual laboratories and real-time formative assessment gained not only in content, but in creativity, imagination and problem solving skills.
Simulations in the virtual labs let students do experiments with things they would never have access to in real life. Real-time formative assessment gave teacher quick feedback on how the student was developing. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
Real-time formative assessment allowed teachers to quickly know where their students were at and adapt learning plans accordingly (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). It also allowed teachers to test for a variety of skills along with understanding, including creativity.
In one test case, they found that when gaming was involved, scores went up about 5% for everyone and up to 10% for underachievers. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013) The description of these games tended to be more related to world simulations involving problem solving than traditional puzzle or action games. Gaming could also involve students creating their own games based on the topics they were given.
Collaborative work was stretched beyond the classroom walls to anywhere in the world using internet technology. One study they did involved a class in China and a class in the US doing comparative studies of water quality in their area. They were also able to pull in scientific experts to give them advice and feedback (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013).
One of the subjects I teach is Theatre Arts. I use the National Arts Core Standards for Media Arts. A lot of these standards have to do with the development of "soft skills" in how to work together, be creative and solve problems. So it's always interesting to me when I see these soft skills pop up in other places. The catalyst paper lists these as core skills for innovation, along with global collaboration and problem solving. Considering Ken Robinson's claim that schools destroy creativity, could this be part of the problem? (Robinson, 2006) If so, how do we keep these skills alive (or revive them) while teaching basic paragraphing and essay formats? Is there an element of exhaustion that is among the catalysts of creativity loss?
If technology helps grow these soft skills, and interest in STEM, why do we not see more growth in these areas? Kärkkäinen and Vincent-Lancrin (2013) argue that teachers need more training. They found that half of the teachers they studied needed professional development to do well, with the number increasing as things grew more complex.
They also found that collaboration among teachers was key (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). Their study, called the Catalyst Initiative, involved fifty projects and fifteen nations working to develop STEM activities. The communication between people of so many different backgrounds sparked a lot of ideas and development thereof. So much so that the authors suggest that others wanting innovation for STEM strongly encourage such international collaboration as well. Despite the role of technology in this collaboration, they found that the best way for these collaborations to get started was in fact face-to-face interaction.
So continual PD, support from administration and collaboration help with coming up with activities that encourage kids to explore STEM topics (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). But the authors also point out that it does take money. With this I would agree and add one more thing. Two years ago, my room-mate, the school's biology and middle-school science teacher and I went to France (not too much extra money as we work in India and were going to the US for the summer) to learn about aquaponics first hand. It was amazing and we came away with a lot of ideas. But to get the system going cost quite a bit. The school might have been able to stretch and pay for it, but there was one more snag: my room-mate was also very busy. Between the two factors, it was decided to shelve those ideas for another time and place.
I was also lucky to stumble across the notes for a French workshop in conjunction with OECD called Education for Innovation the Role of Arts and STEM Education [sic]. They had put up their presentations. One interesting one was called The Role of Mathematics for Innovation and Creativity. In it, Jost points out that math is problem solving. He then goes on to define problem solving as "understanding what [the problem] is about, taking initiatives, trying, using knowledges and automatisms, making hypothesis, reasoning, communicating the solution." Suddenly math sounds a lot more interesting than trying to remember a correct procedure to get your answer in line with a pre-determined answer. (Jost 2011)
Having heard that some of our students were frustrated with a similar teaching style, I wonder if it is something to be pared with "safe" problems as well as understanding of why the solutions work. For example: it wasn't until I was in twelfth grade helping my siblings with geometry that I understood where π comes from. Before that it was presented as a weird number to memorise. But maybe the success of open problems is in part teaching our students that it is okay, even good, to fail.
Then the question becomes: is a "failure is good so long as you keep going" culture possible with our current grading system?
In conclusion, there isn't some simple fix to helping kids see the value of STE(A)M. If there was, it would have come out back in 1984 if not before. But it seems that engaging kids with a chance to use their burgeoning knowledge in authentic ways rather than merely regurgitating it on a test is a huge step forward.
Simulations in the virtual labs let students do experiments with things they would never have access to in real life. Real-time formative assessment gave teacher quick feedback on how the student was developing. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013)
Real-time formative assessment allowed teachers to quickly know where their students were at and adapt learning plans accordingly (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). It also allowed teachers to test for a variety of skills along with understanding, including creativity.
In one test case, they found that when gaming was involved, scores went up about 5% for everyone and up to 10% for underachievers. (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013) The description of these games tended to be more related to world simulations involving problem solving than traditional puzzle or action games. Gaming could also involve students creating their own games based on the topics they were given.
Collaborative work was stretched beyond the classroom walls to anywhere in the world using internet technology. One study they did involved a class in China and a class in the US doing comparative studies of water quality in their area. They were also able to pull in scientific experts to give them advice and feedback (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013).
One of the subjects I teach is Theatre Arts. I use the National Arts Core Standards for Media Arts. A lot of these standards have to do with the development of "soft skills" in how to work together, be creative and solve problems. So it's always interesting to me when I see these soft skills pop up in other places. The catalyst paper lists these as core skills for innovation, along with global collaboration and problem solving. Considering Ken Robinson's claim that schools destroy creativity, could this be part of the problem? (Robinson, 2006) If so, how do we keep these skills alive (or revive them) while teaching basic paragraphing and essay formats? Is there an element of exhaustion that is among the catalysts of creativity loss?
If technology helps grow these soft skills, and interest in STEM, why do we not see more growth in these areas? Kärkkäinen and Vincent-Lancrin (2013) argue that teachers need more training. They found that half of the teachers they studied needed professional development to do well, with the number increasing as things grew more complex.
They also found that collaboration among teachers was key (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). Their study, called the Catalyst Initiative, involved fifty projects and fifteen nations working to develop STEM activities. The communication between people of so many different backgrounds sparked a lot of ideas and development thereof. So much so that the authors suggest that others wanting innovation for STEM strongly encourage such international collaboration as well. Despite the role of technology in this collaboration, they found that the best way for these collaborations to get started was in fact face-to-face interaction.
So continual PD, support from administration and collaboration help with coming up with activities that encourage kids to explore STEM topics (Kärkkäinen & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013). But the authors also point out that it does take money. With this I would agree and add one more thing. Two years ago, my room-mate, the school's biology and middle-school science teacher and I went to France (not too much extra money as we work in India and were going to the US for the summer) to learn about aquaponics first hand. It was amazing and we came away with a lot of ideas. But to get the system going cost quite a bit. The school might have been able to stretch and pay for it, but there was one more snag: my room-mate was also very busy. Between the two factors, it was decided to shelve those ideas for another time and place.
I was also lucky to stumble across the notes for a French workshop in conjunction with OECD called Education for Innovation the Role of Arts and STEM Education [sic]. They had put up their presentations. One interesting one was called The Role of Mathematics for Innovation and Creativity. In it, Jost points out that math is problem solving. He then goes on to define problem solving as "understanding what [the problem] is about, taking initiatives, trying, using knowledges and automatisms, making hypothesis, reasoning, communicating the solution." Suddenly math sounds a lot more interesting than trying to remember a correct procedure to get your answer in line with a pre-determined answer. (Jost 2011)
J. Jost goes on to say that students should not be afraid to make mistakes, but be able to try again. He says that giving creative problems results in students not only growing mathematically, but also in "self confidence, persevering, curiosity, risktaking, curiosity, motivation, critical thinking, research approche, inquirybased learning, reasoning, initiative, a larger view, capacity of listening, desire of discussing, team spirit, synthesis, having
pleasure in trying
to find…" (Jost 2011). He suggests giving open problems and letting the students discover the solution.
Then the question becomes: is a "failure is good so long as you keep going" culture possible with our current grading system?
In conclusion, there isn't some simple fix to helping kids see the value of STE(A)M. If there was, it would have come out back in 1984 if not before. But it seems that engaging kids with a chance to use their burgeoning knowledge in authentic ways rather than merely regurgitating it on a test is a huge step forward.
:Gem Report. (2017, February 10). Hidden figures: showing the importance of women in science. Retrieved from https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/hidden-figures-showing-the-importance-of-women-in-science/
: CCSSO. "A Path of Progress: State and District Stories of High Standards Implementation" [pdf file] Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2016/State%20District%20Project/North%20Dakota.pdf
: "Empowering African girls to be the next generation of STEM leaders" [pdf file]. Retrieved from http://en.unesco.org/news/empowering-african-girls-be-next-generation-stem-leaders
: Kärkkäinen, Kiira, & Vincent-Lancrin, Stephan. (2013) Sparking Innovation in STEM education. [pdf file] Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/OECD_EDU-WKP(2013)_%20Sparking%20Innovation%20in%20STEM%20education.pdf
: Robinson, Ken. (2006. February). Do Schools Kill Creativity? [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-1135024
:OECD. (2014, March). Promoting female participation in STEM. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/Promoting-female-participation-in-STEM.pdf
: Jost, Rèmy. (2011, May 23-24). The Role of Mathematics for Innovation and Creativity [PowerPoint slides] Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/oecdfranceworkshop-educationforinnovationtheroleofartsandstemeducation.htm
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