Expanding participation in
summer STEM camps
A panel discussion with :
Jim Washburne, UA-SAHRA
Debbie Colodner, AZ Sonora Desert Museum
Gabby Hebert, Phoenix Zoo
Tirupalavanam Ganesh, ASU-Eng/Edu
Join us Friday 4:00-4:50, Robson rm
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Context
PREPARE AND INSPIRE:
K-12 EDUCATION IN STEM FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology , Sept. 2010
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/p
cast-stemed-report.pdf
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
National Needs for STEM Education
1. We must ensure a STEM-capable citizenry … when citizens make
personal decisions, engage in civic discourse, serve on a jury, cast
their ballots, or run for public office, they should have the
knowledge, conceptual understandings, and critical-thinking skills
that come from studying STEM subjects.
2. We must build a STEM-proficient workforce … The U.S. economy
needs a large and increasing supply of workers who can routinely
use scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical
knowledge and skills in their jobs.
3. We must cultivate future STEM experts … we must cultivate a large
pool of STEM experts with the knowledge, drive, and imagination to
advance the frontiers of science and industry.
4. We must close the achievement and participation gap … this
cannot be limited to helping students and groups at the remedial
level … It also requires unleashing the full potential of all our
students … and … needs to recognize and cultivate untapped talent.
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
• STEM education policies must be aimed at multiple
levels and at everyone. We must ensure that struggling
students reach STEM-proficiency. In parallel, we must
deeply engage proficient students and attract highachieving students from all groups to STEM subjects.
• Science courses are enhanced by cross-disciplinary
knowledge that transcends the typical course
boundaries of biology, chemistry, earth science, or
physics. These characteristics of STEM mean that
students who have trouble at an early stage will face
further difficulty down the road.
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Strategy: Prepare and Inspire
• Inspiration involves capturing the curiosity and imagination
of students. If preparation depends heavily on skill
development, inspiration depends on providing access to
exciting individual experiences and to STEM connections
inside and outside of schools. Inspiration also involves
giving students the opportunity to be motivated by
teachers and mentors, by collaborations in discovery and
invention, and by what they learn in school and out of
school. Students
• should be able to see themselves in the role of a scientist …
which requires role models.
• need experiences that demonstrate STEM subjects can
connect to their own lives and how working in these fields
can help solve … today’s critical problems.
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Implications
We need learning opportunities both inside and
outside the classroom for students to explore,
invent, and discover. We need all teachers and
schools to have connections to the dynamic,
broader world …
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
UA’s Arizona Rivers
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Content: Riparian hydrology and ecology monitoring
Students: 10 High School
Length: 15 days (June 11-26)
Goals: Riparian science and stewardship, outdoor leadership
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
ASDM’s Earth Camp
• Content: Water Resources and Environmental Change
• Students: 20 Middle School, 20 High School
• Length: Two 2-week camps, one for MS, one for HS
• Goals:
Inspire students to become leaders for a shared planet.
Demonstrate the role of science in environmental decision-making.
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
PhxZoo’s Camp Zoo
• Content: Ecology, wildlife studies, nature exploration,
conservation science, sustainability practices (at age
appropriate levels)
• Students: K - 8th grade
• Length: 5 days (8 hours each day)
• Goals: Encourage exploration and care of nature, passion for
wildlife, wildlife career exploration
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
ASU’s Learning through Engineering
Design and Practice
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Content: Engineering design; Robots
Students: 7-9th grades
Length: 1-2 weeks?
Goals: creativity, IT/STEM skills,
focus on under-represented students
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Discussion Questions
STEM summer camps, especially authentic field or lab
experiences are very resource intensive.
Q1: In which students is it best to invest these resources? …
Q2: What are best ways to find and recruit the students we
want?
Q3: How do students find out about programs and
scholarships? Do we need better coordination?
Q4: How can we assess impact of summer programs on future
academic achievement?
Q5: How can we leverage the "investment" in these students as
leaders to help inspire their peers?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Question 1
STEM summer camps, especially authentic
field or lab experiences are very resource
intensive.
• In which students is it best to invest these
resources?
• Do we use these camps to reinforce and
retain students already interested in science?
• Do we attempt to inspire students who have
not been interested previously?
• Do we reward high achievers, or motivate
low achievers?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Question 2
What are best ways to find and
recruit the students we want?
Audience:
What will it take to get your best students
into one of these programs?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Question 3
How do students find out about
programs and scholarships?
Do we need better coordination?
Audience:
Who is the best person at your school for us
to send program information to?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Question 4
How can we assess impact of
summer programs on future
academic achievement?
Audience:
How do we track your students’ continued
achievements?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10
Question 5
How can we leverage the
"investment" in these students as
leaders to help inspire their peers?
Audience:
How can we work with you and your
participating students to reach a wider
audience?
ASTA Annual Meeting 10/22/10