The mission
of Colleton County Middle School
is to provide
meaningful learning experiences
for all students.
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow
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STEM Trans-disciplinary Big Ideas
Facilitate students making connections to STEM in all content areas (one per quarter)
What are student benefits of focusing on the same STEM big idea in all classes?
Science ♦ Technology ♦ Engineering ♦ Mathematics
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MSP–Mathematics Partnership Grant
Professional Development Partnership with
Clemson University
•
3 year grant for professional development
•
$146,604 per year
•
Professional development partnership with…
Clemson University
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Professional Development for Integrated Inquiry
Extensive Professional Development opportunities
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Monthly after school sessions and 8 day summer institute
Support math teachers with common core standards
Support science teachers with inquiry-based science
• Including SSEP: Student Spaceflight Experiments
Program by the National Center for Earth and
Space Science Education
Expand STEM units and classroom STEM lessons
Explore school-to-work connections with industry visits and
guest speakers during the summer institute
Broaden the interconnectedness of STEM in practice in
classrooms
Website with a digital portfolio is in progress:
www.transformationalstem.org
Goal 1
Increase teacher
content
knowledge in
math and science.
Objective 1:
Mathematics
teachers will
improve content
knowledge.
Objective 2:
Science teachers
will improve
content
knowledge.
Objective 3:
Improve student
learning in math
and science while
decreasing Not
Met and
increasing
Exemplary scores
on PASS.
Goal 2
Improve student
learning in math
and science while
decreasing
subgroup score
differentials.
Objective 1:
Teachers will use
multiple strategies
to solve math and
science problems.
Objective 2:
Students will use
multiple strategies
to solve math and
science problems.
Transformational STEM Grant
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Goal 3
Improve teacher
knowledge of
interconnectedness
among STEM
disciplines.
Objective 1:
Teachers will
implement STEM
practices and
processes in their
lessons.
Objective 2:
Students will use
technology and
engineering design
to solve problems.
Objective 3:
Teachers will
implement Habits of
Mind as their 21st
century skills.
Scientific and
Engineering
Practices (K-12)
Standards for
Mathematical
Practices (K-12)
S1. Asking questions (for
science) and defining
problems (for
engineering).
S2. Developing and using
models
MP1. Make sense of
problems and
persevere in solving
them.
S3. Planning and carrying
out investigations.
S4. Analyzing and
interpreting data.
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Connections
S5. Using mathematics,
information and computer
technology, and
computational thinking.
S6. Constructing
explanations (for science)
and designing solutions
(for engineering).
Critical Thinking
Continuous
Assessment
Tools and
Technology
MP3. Construct viable
arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
MP4. Model with
mathematics.
MP5. Use appropriate
tools strategically.
MP6. Attend to
precision.
MP7. Look for and
make use of structure.
MP8. Look for and
express regularity in
repeated reasoning.
S7. Engaging in argument
from evidence.
S8. Obtaining, evaluating,
and communicating
information.
MP2. Reason abstractly
and quantitatively
Student ownership in learning—
Not a book of knowledge or procedures, but understanding
math and science as a way to make sense of our world
21st Century Classroom
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STEM Investigation with Design Cycle
Trans-disciplinary Big Idea: _______ENERGY________
Vroom! Vroom! Driving Science
Do to learn… versus Learn to do…
Design Process
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STEM teaching…
engages students in learning
through integrated units that are
based on state-adopted
curriculum standards,
connected by trans-disciplinary
big ideas,
linked to arts, natural resources, or
Tuskegee learning
communities,
infused with processes from the
STEM disciplines,
with opportunities for students to
design,
collaborate,
think critically, and
develop Habits of Mind, which are
21st century “survival” skills for
success in college, career, and
life interactions.
STEM Units:
•
Quarterly
•
Developed by teacher teams
•
Cross-curricular standards
•
Trans-disciplinary “Big Idea”
•
Each subject links content to a STEM
Big Idea
•
Driving question for inquiry
•
Purposeful investigation and research
to learn and answer the driving
question
•
1 Habit of Mind
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Common vocabulary
•
Relevance; Real world scenario
•
21st Century Skills
•
Design Process
•
Facilitates students’ connections
•
Integrated culminating project based
on the driving question and STEM
design cycle
Bringing the Standards to Life
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Costa & Kallick 2008
How do successful
people in various
careers and all
walks of life
approach the
challenges that
they encounter on a
day to day basis?
The habits of mind
are the skills,
behaviors and
attitudes that
effective learners
use when dealing
with new learning
problems. They
were developed
through 10+ years
of research into the
habits of successful
learners in all areas
of life. These 16
attributes are what
human beings do
when they behave
intelligently. When
taught explicitly and
practiced, these
habits become
dispositions toward
behaving
intelligently when
confronted with
problems.
Habits of Mind
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Projects…
Project-Based Learning…
Make a model of
the Alamo
Design a fortification that
would take your community
through a biological attack.
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Can be done at home without
teacher guidance or team
collaboration
Are used year after year and
usually focus on product
Has few opportunities for
student choices
Are based on directions
and are often done “like
last year”
Are often graded on teacher
perception such as “neatness”
Are turned in
Emphasizes an end-product
that shows what was learned
The teacher work occurs mainly
after the project is finished
Cannot be used in the real
world to solve problems
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Requires teacher guidance and team
collaboration
Is complex and takes a team to plan
and implement
Has many student-made choices
following pre-approved guidelines
Is based on driving questions that
encompass every aspect of the
learning that will occur and
establishes the need to know
Is graded based on a clearly defined
rubric
Is presented to an audience
Emphasizes the process of learning
with reflection through the project
The teacher work occurs mainly
before the project starts
Could provide solutions for
real-world problems
“In PBL, the projects only serve as an infrastructure to allow users to play,
experiment, use simulations, address authentic issues, and work with relevant peers
and community members in pursuit of knowledge.” -TeachThought Staff 12/2012
http://www.teachthought.com/learning/project-based-learning/difference-between-projects-and-project-based-learning/
Projects versus Project-Based Learning
Based on the Rigor and Relevance Framework, W. Daggett
International Center for Leadership in Education
http://marlboroughstudentcenteredlearning.wikispaces.com/Rigor+%26+Relevance+Model
Rigor and Relevance Framework