1.2 Students Working in Teams
Students at Northwest Cabarrus STEM Middle School learn in teams with clearly defined individual and team expectations through many different avenues in at least 75% of STEM-related classes. At the beginning of each school year, both students and teachers work through social contracts including group roles to set the tone for teamwork. Once students understood group expectations, they implemented said practices by facing various challenges in order to achieve a common goal.
Teachers were given professional development in order to support student learning in groups. Teachers have a vital role of encouraging students to persevere during difficult tasks, which require all students within a team to work together. Titan Time was a designated intervention block of time for students to apply these responsibilities/team building skills. Overall, students are successful in meeting this goal by working with one another to face many challenges throughout the school year.
Students working in teams to complete different challenges.
Students working in teams during our STEM Olympics Kick Off Day 2021.
Students had an opportunity to draw medal designs for our school-wide STEM Olympics and the three winners had their medals made using the 3D printer.
At the beginning of each year, students are taught expectations for different group roles and they complete social contracts before starting their STEM challenges and projects throughout the school year. Teachers use the Intro To Engineering Lesson to teach the roles. (See below Job Descriptions).
Copy of Intro Engineering Jobs Poster - Google Docs.pdfSixth grade students created instruments and then used them in unison to play a song. By doing this, students were able to hear the different pitches/tones needed in order to accomplish the task.
Music Intrument Video of Mary Had A Little Lamb.mp4Sixth Grade individual role contracts for the Lunchbox PBL group assignment.
Titan Times Schedule for November 2022-2023
This is a school-wide calendar used so that all teachers have access to the various activities students are expected to complete during Titan Time including STEM activities.
The spreadsheet below documents the Instructional Leadership Team conducting walk-throughs in various subject areas to show how students work in teams to solve problems while engaging in hands-on learning throughout the school year.
This is an example of a final product eighth grade students working in teams had to create in Science class. Students had to use Skittles and toothpicks to create different elements, molecules, compounds, and a mixture.
For a STEM challenge at the beginning of the school year, eighth grade students worked together in teams to design a chemistry lab that required particular equipment and materials.
From the 2022-2023 Teacher STEM Fidelity Survey, responses of teachers when asked about working/learning in teams. (PLCs were able to complete this form together as a group if they felt they were all on the same level of STEM activity.)
