STEM Content Knowledge in Practice

In March where instruction had to go virtual due to the pandemic, I started to research for free resources online that I can use for my classes to maintain quality instruction.  One platform that I found and signed up for was LabXchange, a free online platform for science educators.  The initiative was developed by Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Amgen Foundation, and Massachussets teachers.

In this platform, aside from Harvard as the main contributor, you can also find valuable tools from other contributors namely; Khan Academy, Biobuilder, HHMI, Concorde Consortium, etc.  I found excellent videos, case studies, simulations, books, and articles for students to use.  It is like a 1-stop shop for me to meet the demands and challenges of remote learning.  It is accessible worldwide, so even my students who were in other countries for certain reasons during the pandemic can access the resources and tasks assigned to them.

This an article that reports the findings from a group of researchers whose aim is to answer the following question:

How can so many students be graduating from high school unprepared to meet their goals for college and careers?

The researchers partnered with five (5) diverse school systems: rural and urban, district and charter, to listen to students’ views on their educational experiences and observe how those experiences played out, in real time, in their classrooms., They also observed nearly 1,000 lessons, reviewed nearly 5,000 assignments, analyzed more than 20,000 student work samples, and collected nearly 30,000 real-time student surveys.

The following were the findings from the study;

1. Students have big, clear plans.

2. Most students do what they’re asked in school— but are still not ready to succeed after school. 

3. Students spend most of their time in school without access to four key resources: grade-appropriate assignments, strong instruction, deep engagement, and teachers who hold high expectations.

4. Students of color, those from low-income families, English language learners, and students with mild to moderate disabilities have even less access to these resources than their peers. 

5. Greater access to the four resources can and does improve student achievement—particularly for students who start the school year behind.

Classroom were filled with A and B students whose big goals were slipping farther away each day not because they couldn't learn but they were not given the opportunity to try especially strong instruction that meets or exceeds grade-level rigor.

Opportunity Myth: It means that at every grade level, in every district, for students of every demographic background, school is not honoring their aspirations or setting them up for success—in their next grade, in college, and for whatever they want to do down the road. This has a cumulative effect, particularly for the students who receive the very least of what our schools have to offer. - TNTP

Upon reading this report, I have to take some time to ponder and wonder if I am one of those teachers who did not provide the opportunity for students to keep aiming for their goals and aspirations in life. I have to question myself if I have provided my students the needed rigor and skills to prepare them for the future and not to fall off the wagon.  This report made me question my instructional practices and relationship with students but also motivated me to be more reflective as an educator and keep trying my best to serve these under-resourced group of learners.