2011 ATE Conference Panel Session

Engaging Students in STEM: How to Save a PerspiringHow to Save a Perspiring

PenguinMelissa Higgins Jessie Klein

Christine Cunningham Gina FoleyChristine Cunningham Gina FoleyMuseum of Science, Boston

B id i E i i S iBridging Engineering, Science, and Technologyand Technology

for Elementary Educators (BEST)

Why BEST?Why BEST?

• In MA there are engineering andIn MA there are engineering and technology standards for grades K-12, and we want our future educators to be prepared.

• There is a need for engineering and g gtechnological literacy for all citizens.

• Community and four-year college faculty, y y g yas part of the K-16 education spectrum, play a crucial role in systematic change.

Some History: How did we get to the BEST grant?

Engineering is Elementaryg g y

ATLAS

BEST

Unit Title Science Topic Engineering Field

Storybook/Setting

Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills Wind & Weather Mechanical Leif Catches the Wind/Denmark

EiE Units

Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills Wind & Weather Mechanical Leif Catches the Wind/Denmark

Water, Water Everywhere: Designing Water Filters

Water Environmental Saving Salila’s Turtle/India

A Sticky Situation: Designing Walls Earth Materials Materials Yi Min’s Great Wall/China

To Get to the Other Side: Designing Bridges Balance and Forces Civil Javier Builds a Bridge/USA LatinoTo Get to the Other Side: Designing Bridges Balance and Forces Civil Javier Builds a Bridge/USA-Latino

Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier Simple Machines Industrial Aisha Makes Work Easier/USA-African American

Sounds Like Fun: Seeing Animal Sounds Sound Acoustical Kwame’s Sound/Ghana

The Best of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators Insects/Plants Agricultural Mariana Becomes a Butterfly/Dominican Republic

Just Passing Through: Designing Model Membranes

Organisms Bioengineering Juan Daniel’s Futbol Frog/El Salvador

An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits Electricity Electrical A Reminder for Emily/Australia

A Work in Process: Improving a Play Dough Process

Solids & Liquids Chemical Michelle’s MVP Award/Canada

A Stick in the Mud: Evaluating a Landscape Landforms Geotechnical Suman Crosses the Karnali River/Nepal

Thinking Inside the Box: Designing PlantPackages

Plants Package A Gift From Fadil/Jordan

The Attraction is Obvious: Designing Maglev Magnetism Transportation Hikaru’s Toy Troubles/JapanSystems

Now You’re Cooking: Designing Solar Ovens Energy Green Lerato Cooks Up a Plan/Botswana

A Long Way Down: Designing Parachutes Astronomy Aerospace Paulo’s Parachute Mission/Brazil

Solid as a Rock: Replicating an Artifact Rocks & Minerals Materials Galya and Natasha’s Rocky Adventure/Russia

A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill Ecosystems Environmental Tehya’s Pollution Solution/USA-Native American

Taking the Plunge: Designing Submersibles Sinking & Floating Ocean Despina Makes a Splash/Greece

Lighten Up: Designing Lighting Systems Light Optical Omar’s Bright Idea/Egypt

No Bones About It: Designing Knee Braces Human Body Biomedical Erik’s Unexpected Twist/Germany

ATLAS Goals and OutcomesATLAS Goals and Outcomes• Enrich community college elementary education courses

with technology and engineeringwith technology and engineering. • Strengthen elementary educators’ knowledge of and

capabilities to teach technology, engineering, and science.

• Create a cadre of community college and four-year faculty leaders that disseminate capabilities andfaculty leaders that disseminate capabilities and curricular models to colleagues in the region and state.

• Increase awareness among stakeholders about the importance of effective technology and engineering elementary education programs.

Partners

Northern EssexNorthern Essex Community CollegeFitchburg State

Westfield

Museum of Science

Holyoke Community College

State College

Bridgewater State

21 Faculty from community colleges

8 Faculty from four year collegesBristol Community College

8 Faculty from four-year colleges

21 School District Partners

Industry Partners: Verizon and Boston Society of Civil Engineers

What we found through ATLASWhat we found through ATLAS

• Each college has different courses, systems,Each college has different courses, systems, and structures that require a myriad of integration models.

• Student gains are greatest in science courses—likely because of the natural links between science and engineering.

• While gains are strongest in science classes, h i i d i hhaving connections made in other courses (particularly education courses) are invaluable.

Goals of the BEST grantGoals of the BEST grant

• Enrich college science and educationEnrich college science and education courses taken by preservice elementary and early education students withand early education students with technology and engineering.

• Strengthen educators' knowledge of and• Strengthen educators knowledge of and capabilities to teach engineering, technology and science in active andtechnology and science in active and engaging ways.

Grant PartnersGrant Partners

• Berkshire Community CollegeBerkshire Community College• Massassoit Community College• Middlesex Community College• Middlesex Community College• North Shore Community College

B id t St t U i it• Bridgewater State University• Fitchburg State University• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts• Salem State University

Process to DateProcess to Date

• Summer kick-off workshopSummer kick off workshop– 2010: Life sciences

2011: Physical– 2011: Physical • Develop models for course integration• Academic year implementation

Evaluation Results to DateEvaluation Results to Date• Students in BEST courses are asked to complete pre-

and post assessmentsand post-assessments. • Analysis of these assessments showed that after

completing engineering and technology activities in their p g g g gycourses, students’ judgments were significantly more similar to those of engineering experts, and their confidence surrounding these topics had increasedconfidence surrounding these topics had increased.

• Significantly, these results were found with students of all majors, not just those who intend to become teachers. Thus, results indicate that the BEST program is raising the levels of STEM literacy of all participating students.

Contact Information for BEST project staffproject staff

• Christine Cunningham: ccunningham@mos org• Christine Cunningham: [email protected]• Melissa Higgins: [email protected]• Martha Hass: marthahass@gmail com• Martha Hass: [email protected]

Jessie KleinMiddlesex Community CollegeMiddlesex Community College

[email protected]

SCI 122 Integrated Science II Fall 2010

Survey Biological PrinciplesSurvey Biological Principles Elementary Education majors

Early Childhood majors Early Childhood majors

Para Professionals

Best of Bugs: Designing HandBest of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators

Unit on Flower Structure and Pollination Fast Plant‐life cycle Fast Plant‐life cycle

Pre‐Test and Post‐Test

Engineering Design ProcessEngineering Design Process Technology in a Bag

Card Tower

Module Scenario‐Agricultural Engineering Plant from Hawaii brought to the Dominican Republic lacks a pollinator

Best of Bugs: Designing HandBest of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators

Scenario

Why Don’t I have Apples?

Agricultural Engineering

Bee Colony Collapse Disorder‐Readings and Assignment

Apple Segment of Botany of Desire DVD

EIE Activity

Pre and Post Results

Pre and Post Results

AVERAGE on PRE and POST

A Slick Solution: Cleaning an OilA Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill

BIO 140 Botany

Unit on Ecology

p

Unit on Ecology

Pre‐Test and Post‐Test

E i i D i P Engineering Design Process

Technology in a Bag

Card Tower

A Slick SolutionModule Scenario‐Environmental Engineering

Contain and clean a spill on an reservation in Washington State.

Class Scenario‐Oil spill on interstate near the campus pond

Test containment and clean‐up materials

Develop plan

Clean‐up spill staying within a budget

A Slick Solution: Cleaning an OilA Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill

Assignment‐readings on wetlands

Describe their clean‐up procedure

Develop a wetland food web

Describe plant adaptation for life in wetlands

Discuss impact of oil spill, climate change, and invasive species on wetlands

Discuss why wetlands are important

What is Engineering?What is Engineering?What is Engineering?What is Engineering?

What is the problem?

You need to solve this problem. What do you want to know before you start?you want to know before you start?

Your Challenge: Design a model enclosure that keeps our model penguins fromthat keeps our model penguins from

melting in the hot Arizona sun.

f• You have an unlimited amount of tape and 5 pieces of material to construct your enclosure. You have scissors to use as a toolhave scissors to use as a tool.

• You may only use ONE of each type of material.• Visitors must have a 360 view of the penguin in theVisitors must have a 360 view of the penguin in the

enclosure.• Test your design by placing your model penguin in

your enclosure and then placing them both in the “oven” for 5 minutes. The less your penguin “perspires” the betterperspires the better.

• You have 15 minutes to complete your challenge.

Time Mass

StartStart

Endd

Total change in mass

% h i% change in mass

Using verbs, describe what you did d i h d iduring the design process.

The Engineering Design Processg g g

IMAGINECriteriaConstraints

BrainstormingNo evaluation

ASK

ConstraintsSci. info

ASK

PLAN

THE GOALTo solve a problem by PLANTo solve a problem by developing or improving a technology

Get

CREATEIMPROVE

Get specific with one idea

And test

BEST at BCCBEST at BCC

Gina FoleyLife Science Faculty

Biotechnology Program AdvisorBerkshire Community Collegee s e Co u ty Co ege

BEST at BCCBEST at BCC

• Taught in General Biology ITaught in General Biology I

• 5 education students per 30

C bi d d b• Combined Lecture and Lab

Initial MeetingInitial Meeting

• Engineering Design Pre‐AssessmentEngineering Design Pre Assessment 

• Discuss pre‐programmed understanding of Scientific Method and EngineeringScientific Method and Engineering

• Marshmallow Challenge

The ChallengegRaise your team marshmallow higher than any other team using the materials given

The Materials

materials given.

The Materials

•20 sticks of spaghetti•1 yard of tape•1 yard of string•1 marshmallow

IN 18 MINUTES!

Common Team Misjudgments•Lack of communication•Lack of communication•Lack of planning•Too much planning•Forget the importance of the iterative process!

Successful Teams•Communicate•Plan•Remember that it is all about the marshmallow!

Learning outcome:Learning outcome:•Students get a practical understanding of the engineering design process.

2nd Lab Meeting2 Lab Meeting

Students work in teams to design a membrane to save their frog from desiccation.  

• Lab performed during biological membranes chapter.• They must consider the importance y pof the structure and function of membranes.• Students plan approach, test materials re plan and build thematerials, re‐plan and build the model membrane that will keep frog alive.• 24 hours later we check on frog. 

2nd Lab Meeting

Challenge: Keep your “frog”Challenge:  Keep your  frog  alive for 24 hours.

Materials:•Sponge, filter paper, felt, screen, cheesecloth 

h b h•Amphibian house•Plastic frog

Has the frog survived??

Benefit to ALL studentsBenefit to ALL students

• Using the EiE lessonsUsing the EiE lessons brings a real‐life connection to sometimesconnection to sometimes abstract concepts.

• Students consider careers• Students consider careers in education because of the experiencethe experience.

Future ActivitiesFuture Activities

• Explore traits of organisms that haveExplore traits of organisms that have beneficial applications to humans

• Identify organism and gene of interest• Identify organism and gene of interest

• Identify restriction enzyme needed to splice gene.

• Bioengineer a new transgenic organism

• Consider the ethical implications of such an organismg