Uploaded byDarci the STEM Mom
Adding the "TEM" to our Science Teaching: STEM mom gives tips for inquiry and integrated learning
The document provides various hands-on challenges and activities for integrating STEM education into science teaching, emphasizing inquiry-based learning and collaboration among students. Key activities include the gumdrop structure challenge, bricklaying wall challenge, and elbow model design, each aiming to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It discusses levels of inquiry from non-inquiry to high-level inquiry and the importance of lab notebooks in documenting the learning process.
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Adding the "TEM" to our Science Teaching: STEM mom gives tips for inquiry and integrated learning
- 1. Adding the“TEM” into our Science Teaching Dr.Darci J. Harland NSTA Press Author STEM Student Research Handbook
- 2. Two Key Ideas Failure Collaboration is Totally Must be An Modeled & Option! Taught
- 3. What we getto do… Model for Integrating TEM into Science Gumdrop Structure Challenge Leveling Inquiry Domino Wall Challenge Tips for Lab Notebook-ing Elbow Model Challenge Planning an Inquiry Environment Paper Table Challenge Collaboration Board Mixing Mortar Challenge Living-Nonliving Inquiry Lab
- 4. Welcome Anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany,chemistry, earth science, geology, physics, and zoology.
- 5. Welcome A) Tools usedto build, create, and design, mechanical and digital B) Digital teaching & learning
- 6. Welcome Bioengineering, materials engineering, mechanical,environmental, civil, agricultural, optical, biomedical…
- 7. Welcome Measurements, calculations, statistics; Thelanguage & tool of “STE.”
- 8.
- 9.
- 10. Science teaching is… Supportingstudents as they ask good questions, and use STEM tools to find answers to STEM related issues. Focusing students on solving problems in context of something with which they can relate; students learn facts along the way.
- 11. Gumdrop Challenge Using 10gumdrops and 20 toothpicks, design a structure that can hold the weight of a large textbook.
- 12. Gumdrop…Construction Zone How could you strengthen the joints? Does the length of a toothpick limit you? Is this worth exploring? What shapes are you using in your structure?
- 13. Gumdrop…Check in Questions. What have you tried that’s NOT working? What structures or methods do you like best so far, that you hope to include in your final design.
- 14. Gumdrop Structure Testing How’d You do?
- 15. Gumdrop Challenge Big Ideas Triangles are Strong
- 16. Gumdrop Challenge Big Ideas Squares are Not
- 17. Gumdrop Challenge Discussion Shouldwereplace gumdrops and toothpicks? Pros + cons? What issues do you anticipate having with your own students? How might the activity change if the number of gumdrops and toothpicks were different? In what units might this activity be beneficial?
- 18. Leveling Inquiry Cool hands-on activitiesare not necessarily inquiry
- 19. Misconceptions about Inquiry Inquiry is not…the same as “Hands-On.” Students don’t need background information before they can begin learning. Lab Reports and post lab questions are not usually Inquiry.
- 20. Its NOT Inquiryif… students know what results they are supposed to get. the question and steps are predetermined for students. the teacher is working harder than the students.
- 21. Levels of Inquiry Demo- Activity Teacher- Student- nstration Initiated Initiated Posing the Teacher Teacher Teacher Student Question Planning the Teacher Teacher Student Student Procedure Formulating Teacher Student Student Student the Results From: D. Llewellyn. 2002. Inquiry within: Implementing inquiry-based science standards. Thousand Oaks, Corwin Press. An interview I did for NSTA regarding my book.
- 22. Levels of Inquiry Non-Inquiry Low-Level Inquiry Step-by-step Students make instructions some decisions All needed materials about how to study are provided to the topic Many materials are provided, students choose what they want
- 23. Levels of Inquiry Mid-Level Inquiry High-Level Inquiry Students decide how to Students decide what test the question question to test Students develop their Students develop their own procedure own procedure Students request Students request materials materials Students analyze results using appropriate technology and math
- 24. Gumdrop Example Student Lab Non-Inquiry Step-by- Step Instructions “Right Answer” PBS Link
- 25. Gumdrop Challenge Student Lab Low-Level Inquiry Shapes are given, they construct and compare
- 26. Gumdrop Challenge Student Lab Mid-Level Inquiry Failure is expected & celebrated Students critically evaluate their procedure
- 27. Bricklaying Wall Challenge Use8 domino “bricks” and playdough “mortar” to build and test walls with various brick patterns.
- 28. Bricklaying…Construction Zone Why did you stack your bricks this way? What do you think will happen when you test it? Does it matter how you form the playdough? Would you pattern the bricks differently if you were going around a corner?
- 29. Bricklaying Structure Testing How would you suggest we test our walls? What procedure would best allow us to compare our results? How’d You do?
- 30. Bricklaying Challenge Student Lab Low-Level Inquiry Construct patterns Test by lifting in the middle Describe results
- 31. Bricklaying Challenge Student Lab Mid-Level Inquiry Construct patterns Write a procedure for testing the wall
- 32. Bricklaying Challenge Discussion Are there better supplies to use? What issues do you anticipate having with your own students? How might the activity be changed for and advanced challenge? When might you be able to use this activity?
- 33. Lab Note book Teaching accuraterecord keeping
- 34. Lab Notebook Why? How early? Goals? How do student benefit? Why Not?
- 35. Lab Notebook Elementary Observe changes Record measurements Graph Data Label sketches/photos
- 36. Lab Notebook Middle Level Observe changes Record measurement Graph Data Label sketches/photos Write procedures Calculating Analyzing results
- 37. Lab Notebook Develop Tables for Recording Data Quantitative (#) Qualitative (descriptions)
- 38. Lab Notebook What does it look like? How do you organize it? How do you assess it? Is it Porfolio-ish? (with reflections)
- 39. Elbow Design Challenge Usethe materials provided to design a functioning model of an elbow joint.
- 40. Elbow…Construction Zone Is there another way to use these materials? How can you attach “muscles” to the bone? What’s the best place to attach a muscle to bend the arm? Extend the arm? Why do you need biceps and triceps?
- 41. Elbow…Check in Questions. What have you tried that’s NOT working? What structures or methods do you like best so far, that you hope to include in your final design?
- 42. Elbow Model Student Lab Non-Inquiry Use step-by- step directions Assemble after learning the physiology
- 43. Elbow Model Student Lab Low-Level Inquiry Use limited supplies After learning anatomy Teacher prompts to remind students
- 44. Elbow Model Student Lab Mid-Level Inquiry Students request supplies Before learning anatomy Purpose of model is to figure it out
- 45. Elbow Model Discussion Arethere better supplies to use? What issues do you anticipate having with your own students? What do students record in their lab notebook?
- 46. Planning Inquiry Students need tobe trained in the process of inquiry.
- 47. Two Key Ideas Failure Collaboration is Totally Must be An Modeled & Option! Taught
- 48. Attitudes you wantto foster Things don’t always “work” out Failure helps us (re)think & learn Talking out ideas helps us think Trouble shooting is fun Tinkering is learning Playing first it helps us know what we need to read
- 49. Create Inquiry Spaces Homago Corner (Hanging out, messing around, geeking out) glue gun, craft sticks, garage sale & thrift store finds Reverse engineering Create art What happens if…?
- 50. Celebrate Inquiry Encouragestudents to learn from their failures….how? “Best Failure of the Day” award In the way you talk to kids
- 51. What could yousay instead? Look, Jose got it right! Wow, Gabe, finished already? Great job. You can work on other homework. It broke again? What are you doing wrong?
- 52. What can yousay if…? Corban has constructed 3 non- functioning elbow models. Over-achiever, Olivia wants hours to plan out a design before ever touching the materials. Fix-it Freddy loves to tinker but doesn’t write or talk about what is going on in his head.
- 53. Stair-step Inquiry levels Step-by-step As a class develop Provide all a procedure materials Determine what materials are Learn classroom needed procedures Decide how data Lab Notebook should be recorded & analyzed
- 54. Stair-step Inquiry levels Provide too many Students develop or not enough procedures materials Request materials Allow groups to develop Decide how to procedures record data Groups decide Analyze data how to record Present data data
- 55. Paper Table DesignChallenge Use 8 sheets of newspaper, masking tape, and cardboard to design a table that is 8” tall and can hold a textbook.
- 56.
- 57. Paper Table StructureTesting How’d You do?
- 58. Paper Table: Whatworked? Rolling Paper
- 59. Paper Table: Whatworked? Triangles
- 60. Paper Table: Whatdidn’t work?
- 61. Paper Table: Whydidn’t it work?
- 62. Paper Table Student Lab Low-Level Inquiry Show the importance of rolling and triangles
- 63. Paper Table Student Lab Mid-Level Inquiry Give supplies and challenge Let students build
- 64. Paper Table Discussion Amountof paper & tape ok? What issues do you anticipate having with your own students? What do students record in their notebook?
- 65.
- 66. Community Board Emphasizesthe process Celebrates finding ways it doesn’t work Communication between students
- 67. Mortar Making Challenge Combinevarious amounts of soil, clay flour, and sand to develop the strongest mortar. Develop a way to test the wall.
- 68. Mortar Making…Construction Zone Can you predict what will happen once that mortar dries? Are there another materials you would have liked to add? How would you tweak this current recipe? What result would you be hoping for? What problems have you encountered and how have you solved them? Why have you chosen the materials you are using?
- 69. Mortar Making Test How could we fairly test our mortar and walls? What supplies do you need?
- 70. Mortar Making Student Lab Explain Mixture Testing procedure Analyzing results
- 71. Living-NonLiving Lab -Inquiry A B C D Determine which characteristics make things alive, then categorize items based on those characteristics.
- 72. How do youknow its alive? How can you test it?
- 73. Living-Non Versions 15 stations – rotate around Be tricky – seeds/rocks potted flower, cut flower
- 74. Two Key Ideas Failure Collaboration is Totally Must be An Modeled & Option! Taught
- 75. Welcome Connect with Me! www.STEMmom.org drdjharland@gmail.com Twitter: #djSTEMmom http://www.facebook.com/ StemMom#
Editor's Notes
- #9 Science: Content knowledge…what we’ve learned about ourselves, our planet, our universe. Knowledge is learned during the journey of finding an answer to a problem or question we have. And as the green arrows represent, we use use the tools of technology, engineering, and math to further the knowledge.
- #10 An engineering problem is answered by utilizing content area knowledge in science, and the tools available in technology and mathematics.
- #12 Show them the book that they will be testing with.
- #13 Construction Zone: While students are working, these are questions you may choose to ask to help them problem-solve along the way.
- #14 Check In Questions: Have students stop work, and have a class discussion regarding what is working and what is not.
- #16 Once teachers have tested their gumdrop structures, hand out the teacher lesson plan.
- #22 There are many ways to describe the spectrum of inquiry levels.According to this model, WHO poses the question, who plans the procedure, and who formulates the results determine the level of inquiry.
- #29 Construction Zone: While students are working, these are questions you may choose to ask to help them problem-solve along the way.
- #31 Simple lab; great time to model how to make accurate and specific observations. Note; even with young children, bring up the possibility that their materials or methods may have impacted the results. For example, if the playdough doesn’t stick well to the smooth side of the domino, how fair is the test? Students could brainstorm better materials to use in another lab.
- #35 How early? Even before kids can write, they can draw or dictate what they observe. They can take photos, glue them in, and label major structures.Goals? Gain skills in observation, recording their observations using words, labeling structures, organizing dataWhy not? Assessment issues?
- #37 Saves paper, Even if you give students ½ page with directions, students glue those in, and write data, and analysis in their notebook.
- #39 What does it look like? Composition Notebook? Ok…but think outside the box. Google Docs? Three ring binder…What are your goals? Assessing…spot check? Portfolio-ish
- #41 Construction Zone: While students are working, these are questions you may choose to ask to help them problem-solve along the way.
- #42 Check In Questions: Have students stop work, and have a class discussion regarding what is working and what is not.
- #45 Same lab can be mid-level inquiry.
- #49 Student backgrounds influence their (and our)comfort with inquiry and collaboration; while you might consider printing out these great attitudes, its more important that you model them. Discipline during hands-on activities is always a challenge, but how you respond to kids during this time is critical.
- #51 Students are often more comfortable being “right.” and they want to know that they “got the right answer.” If we are to celebrate inquiry across the STEM disciplines,
- #54 Don’t start by doing higher-level inquiry before you and your students are ready! Stair step-it! Start out doing some step-by-step labs, so students learn procedures and how to enter data into their data notebook.
- #55 Don’t start by doing higher-level inquiry before you and your students are ready! Stair step-it! Start out doing some step-by-step labs, so students learn procedures and how to enter data into their data notebook.
- #57 Construction Zone: While students are working, these are questions you may choose to ask to help them problem-solve along the way.
- #59 Pass Out Teacher Lesson Plan for Paper Table
- #66 What did you think about using a community board?
- #67 What did you think about using a community board?
- #69 Construction Zone: While students are working, these are questions you may choose to ask to help them problem-solve along the way.
- #70 Engineering.