Creating Unified,
Standards-Based
Science/Math Projects
Through TC-STEM
Presented by
Phyllis Kirkpatrick, senior science program coordinator
and
Barbara Taylor, senior science program coordinator
At NSTA’s 56th National Conference on Science Education, Boston, MA
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About the Dana Center
 Established during the early 1990s in the College of
Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin to
support equity in mathematics and science education
 Coordinated the development of the mathematics and
science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
 Working long term with over 200 school districts to
support systemic change
 Became a Texas Center for STEM (TC-STEM) in 2006
 Provides ongoing research as well as support materials
and professional development for teachers and leaders
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Science Technology Engineering
and Math Initiative
T-STEM was developed by the Texas High
School Project, a public-private
partnership working to ensure that all
Texas students leave high school
prepared for college and career.
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Science Technology Engineering
and Math Initiative
The program aims to more closely
align the high school curriculum
with the admission requirements of
competitive colleges and the
qualifications needed to succeed at
today’s high-paying jobs.
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Session Objectives
 Discuss the advantages and challenges of
implementing standards-based science/math
projects.
 Examine one method for designing standardsbased projects.
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Reflection
Reflect for a moment about projects that you have
assigned to students.
1. What was your most effective project? What made
that project so effective?
2.What was your least effective project? What caused
the project to be ineffective?
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Challenges associated with
problem-based learning include:
 Classroom management
 Support for student learning
 Technology
 Assessment
 Controlling information flow
From A Review of Research On Project-Based Learning
by John W. Thomas, Ph.D., March 2000
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Why Use Project-Based Learning?
When implemented successfully, project-based learning
helps to develop the skills identified as necessary for the
21st century by The U.S. Department of Labor’s
Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, including:
 Personal and social responsibility
 Planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
 Strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and
presentation needs
 Cross-cultural understanding
 Visualizing and decision making
 Knowing how and when to use technology and how to
choose the most appropriate tool for the task
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Characteristics of Effective
Project-Based Learning
The Dana Center Perspective
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Projects are complex tasks based on challenging
questions or problems that result in realistic products
or presentations that have real-world applications.
Effective Projects …
 are rooted in a guaranteed and viable
curriculum.
 are built around clear, standards-based criteria.
 use existing resources.
 reinforce and extend process skills.
 provide opportunities for integration and skill
transfer.
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To effectively implement problem-based
instruction, schools must have a guaranteed
and viable curriculum in place.
Guaranteed
 Common understanding
of the standards
 Clear student
expectations
 Operational definition of
learning outcomes
 Mutual accountability
Viable
 In the available
instructional time,
essential content can be
taught by all teachers to
all students.
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Phasing
Phasing is a process by which students
learn to direct their own experiences.
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Phasing
Phase 1
Start the year with traditional “cookbook” labs that
provide procedures and labeled tables and graphs.
These provide students with examples of appropriate
scientific procedure and communication formats.
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Phasing
Phase 2
Alter the “cookbook” laboratory by excluding elements
such as data tables and graphs. Having students
create them themselves reinforces learning the
appropriate labeling of tables and graphs.
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Phasing
Phase 3
The traditional “cookbook” lab is completely
replaced with a real-world scenario. The scenario
requires that students identify a problem, formulate
a hypothesis, and communicate data.
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Phasing
Phase 4
Students are given a real-world scenario with a
problem to solve. Students establish their own
criteria, design, and testing procedures as they
work to solve the problem. Students’ results are
reported to scenario-specific parties.
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Sample Project
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The Science–Math Bridge
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The Science–Math Bridge
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Creating a Science–Math Bridge . . .
 requires collaboration among team
members.
 integrates science and math.
 builds on prior student learning.
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The Science–Math Bridge
Design Protocol
        Collaboratively select standards
Determine student performance criteria
Produce grading rubric
Select scenario
Design student work products
Identify necessary prior knowledge
Set implementation calendar
Analyze results
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The Science–Math Bridge Design Protocol:
Collaboratively select standards
 National Science Standards
 College Readiness Standards
 State Standards
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Biology TEKS
(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods
during field and laboratory investigations. The student is
expected to:
(B) collect data and make measurements with
precision;
(C) organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and
predict trends from data; and
(D) communicate valid conclusions.
(3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking
and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.
The student is expected to:
(E) evaluate models according to their adequacy in
representing biological objects or events; and
(4) Science concepts. The student knows that cells are the
basic structures of all living things and have specialized parts
that perform specific functions, and that viruses are different
from cells and have different properties and functions. The
student is expected to:
(A) identify the parts of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells;
(B) investigate and identify cellular processes including
homeostasis, permeability, energy production,
transportation of molecules, disposal of wastes, function
of cellular parts, and synthesis of new molecules;
Algebra II TEKS
(2A.1) Foundations for functions. The student uses
properties and attributes of functions and applies
functions to problem situations.
The student is expected to:
(A) identify the mathematical domains and ranges
of functions and determine reasonable domain and
range values for continuous and discrete situations;
and
(B) collect and organize data, make and interpret
scatterplots, fit the graph of a function to the data,
interpret the results, and proceed to model, predict,
and make decisions and critical judgments.
(2A.2) Foundations for functions. The student
understands the importance of the skills required to
manipulate symbols in order to solve problems and uses
the necessary algebraic skills required to simplify
algebraic expressions and solve equations and
inequalities in problem situations.
The student is expected to:
(A) use tools including factoring and properties of
exponents to simplify expressions and to transform
and solve equations; and
(B) use complex numbers to describe the solutions
of quadratic equations.
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The Science–Math Bridge
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Determine Criteria
Student performance criteria transform the
standards into guaranteed and viable curricula.
Criteria are precise performance-based behaviors
that define high quality.
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Performance Criteria
Students will:
• Mathematically investigate the relationship between the
surface area and the volume of a geometric object.
• Apply power functions to a biological investigation.
• Explore the relationship among osmosis, the surface area of
a cell, the volume of a cell, and the limits to the size of a cell.
• Apply their understanding of how a cell maintains
homeostasis and surface-area-to-volume ratio to either
support or refute the use of a surface area formula to
determine dosage for people taking anti-cancer medications.
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Produce Grading Rubric
Begin with the end in mind.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
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Scenarios
A scenario is a hypothetical story, used to help a
person think through a complex problem or
system.
A scenario provides an opportunity to provide a
real-world application to classroom instruction.
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Scenario
Some doctors adopt a standardized formula that uses a
person’s weight to calculate the surface area of that
person’s cells. This calculation of surface area is then used
to determine the appropriate amount of medication to give
to treat some cancers.
Some doctors choose to use a person’s weight to determine
dosage.
Based on your understanding of osmosis and the
relationship between the surface area and the volume of a
cell, collect data and write a position paper, based on an
analysis of your data, that explains which of these methods
you believe to be most effective.
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The Science–Math Bridge Design Protocol:
Student Work Products
These products can include:
      Posters
Investigations
Reports
Simulations
Illustrations
Design challenges
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Cell Size Lab
Osmosis In Potato Cells
How Big Should A Cell Be?
Position Paper
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Design Products
Writing A Position Paper
http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/130d1/WritingaPositionPaper.htm
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The Science–Math Bridge Design Protocol:
Identifying Necessary Prior Knowledge
Such as . . .
 vocabulary
 preconceptions
 process skills
 math skills
 analysis tools (process)
 other coursework (content)
In general, projects should extend prior
knowledge, not introduce new content.
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Identify Necessary Prior Knowledge
Examine the activities in your folders and briefly
discuss, with at least one other person, the
science and math knowledge that students
would need in order to complete these activities?
Who needs to be involved when these
conversations take place on your campus?
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The Science–Math Bridge Design Protocol:
Setting the Implementation Calendar
The calendar should be …
 viable
 flexible
 guaranteed
 realistic
A successful project provides structured
opportunities for students to share results and
create meaning.
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The Science–Math Bridge Design Protocol:
Analyzing Results
 Engage in collaborative
reflection.
 Analyze student work.
 Refine and modify criteria.
 Revise materials and activities.
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Reflection: Creating Unified, Standards-Based Science/
Math Projects Through TC-STEM
What I learned about the characteristics of StandardsBased Science/Math Projects:
What I learned about Phasing:
What I learned about a Science/Math Project design
protocol:
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Contact Information
Phyllis Kirkpatrick
pkirkpat@mail.utexas.edu
Barbara Taylor
barbara_taylor@mail.utexas.edu
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