This document summarizes a presentation on improving STEM education. It discusses 9 keys to improving STEM education: investigate community needs, focus programs, collaborate with partners, engage students through hands-on learning, enrich programs with activities like camps and competitions, design curricula around engineering challenges, inspire teachers with professional development, integrate STEM across subjects, and evaluate programs. It provides examples for each key and discusses barriers to STEM participation like attitudes, knowledge, and equity issues that programs should address.

1. The STEM Innovation Equation
9 keys to Improving STEM Education in the Global
Economy
NSTA National Conference, April 12, 2013
Diana Laboy-Rush, STEM Education Consultant

2. Introduction

3. What does this mean?
Source: The Global Achievement Gap, Dr. Tony Wagner

4. The Global Achievement Gap

5. 7 Critical Skills Students Need for their
Future
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
2. Collaboration and Leading with Influence
3. Agility and Adaptability
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity and Imagination
Source: The Global Achievement Gap, Dr. Tony Wagner

6. Culture of Schooling ≠ Culture of
Innovation
Schools Innovation
• Individual Achievement • TEAMWORK is Key!
• Disciplinary Teaching • Inter-disciplinary Solutions
• Avoid Failure and Risk • Fail Early, Fail Often!
• Passive Consumption - ‘F’ is the new ‘A’
• Extrinsic Rewards • Requires Creating
– ‘carrots and sticks’ • Instrinsic Motivation,
– Interest, Passion, and Purpose

7. To what extent are you and your school/district
implementing or evaluating STEM programs?
• Just seeing what it's all about.
1 – Interested
• We have just begun exploring the integration of
2 – Evaluating STEM programs into our curriculum
• We are in the process of developing our
3 – Planning STEM program.
• We were just named a STEM school. I am excited
4 – Beginning about learning more about integrating STEM into all
areas of the curriculum.
• We are a STEM school and are always in
5 – Implementing the middle of an integrated STEM project

8. Depth of Knowledge Framework
Source: Webb’s Depth of Knowledge,

9. STEM Education Objectives
• Science
– Analyzing problems systematically
– Inquiry process
• Technology
– As a means of communication
– To model and test learning
• Engineering Process
– Prototype ->Test -> Debug -> Redesign
• Math
– Language of science and technology
– Iteration and conditionals
– Coordinates, variables, and random
numbers
Solve a problem using the tools (technology) and resources (science and math) available

10. Primary Research
• Online Survey of >800 STEM Education Professionals
• Interviews with Leaders from >30 STEM Initiatives
• Immersion experience within 5 unique STEM
programs

11. 9 Keys to Improving
STEM Education
Investigate Enrich Design
Focus Engage Include
Collaborate Inspire Integrate

12. Investigate
Community Educational
Survey Research
Potential
Economic
Funding
Analysis
Program Sources
Goals

13. Focus
Program Rollout
Teacher Training
(PD)
Lab Design
Interdisciplinary
Teacher Design
Training
PD Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum /
Reform
Lab Design
Goals / Eval
Design
Advisory
Board

14. Collaborate
“There's a lot of people out there who care and want to do the right thing: the
businesses, they know the skills that they need for their employees, but hey don't
know how to talk to the schools,. The schools know what they need to do to pass
their state tests, but they don't know how to talk to businesses.” – Cindy Moss,
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, 18th largest in US

15. STEM Advisory Committee
• Intel • Oregon DOE
• Nike • Chamber of
• Microsoft Commerce
• Vernier • City of
Hillsboro
• OMSI
• Audubon
Society • OUS
• Oregon Zoo • PCC
• CCC
Assemble a core group of partners invested in the
education of students in your community.
(3-4 organizations from each category)

16. STRIVE Partnership Model

17. Inspire

18. Effective STEM Teacher PD
• Principal / Administration Buy-
In
• Teacher Commitment to
Initiative
• Mentoring and Modeling
• Research Based PD Design
• STEM Education Certification
• Professional Learning
Communities
• Authentic STEM Experiences
– Research Externships
– Summer Institutes

19. Engage
• Project-Based Learning
• Experiential Learning
• Inquiry-Based Learning
• Place-Based Learning
• Service-Based Learning
• Interest-Based Learning

20. Enrich
Source: http://www.upf.edu/pcstacademy/_docs/The_95x_solution.pdf
The 95 Percent Solution, John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking

21. Camp Invention
A WEEKLONG SUMMER ENRICHMENT
program for children entering grades
one through six
The Camp Invention program instills
vital 21st century life skills such as
problem-solving and teamwork
through hands-on fun!!!!

22. Toy Challenge Competition
•A national toy design challenge for 5th-8th graders.
•A chance for teams of imaginative kids to create a new toy or game.
Toys are a great way to learn about science, engineering, and the design
process! As girls and boys create a toy or game, they experience engineering
as a fun, creative, collaborative process, relevant to everyday life.
When they form their own plans and come to their own conclusions, students
not only retain what they’ve learned better, but they also feel more
empowered, motivated and fulfilled.

23. FIRST Lego League
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a global program
created to get children excited about science
and technology. A hands-on program for ages
9 to 16 (9 to 14 in the U.S. and Canada), FLL
uses Challenges based on real world scientific
problems to engage children in research,
problem solving, and engineering.
Each yearly Challenge has two parts, the Project
and the Robot Game. Working in teams of three
to ten children and guided by at least one adult
coach, teams:
•Build an autonomous robot to carry out pre-
designed missions in 2 minutes and 30 second
•Analyze, research, and invent a solution to a
real world problem

25. Design
• Engineering is
Elementary
• Project Lead the Way
• Grand Challenges of
Engineering
• Computer Programming
/ Game Design
• Making / Tinkering

26. Innovative approach to STEM Education
Engineering’s Grand Challenges

27. Sample STEM Learning Unit

29. Making and Tinkering

30. The Power of Making
Caine’s Arcade, Los Angeles, CA

31. Barriers to STEM Participation
Attitudes and Knowledge and
Perceptions Performance
Science and
Attitude Use of Test Enroll in Out of
Confidence Math
towards STEM career Math and scores in Higher School
in STEM content and
Math and awareness Science in Math and Level STEM
activities process
Science Daily Life Science classes activities
knowledge

32. Gender Equity in STEM
• Abilities are expandable
• Critical feedback to develop skills
• Provide role models
• Encourage more live experimentation in
classroom
• Visual spatial skills training
Source: http://www.ed.gov/, Encouraging Girls in Math
and Science, D. Halpern Ph.D.

33. Integration

34. Book Release Date: Nov/Dec 2013
• Pre-orders : Early
Oct.
• 25% discount for
attendees today

35. Any Questions?

36. How to contact me:
Diana Laboy-Rush
dlaboyrush@gmail.com
http://educatetoinnovatewithstem.com
http://facebook.com/PortlandWizKid
Twitter: @AuthenticSTEM
Presentation on Slideshare: dlaboyrush