Instruction
Instruction is the muscle that moves our curriculum forward and into the minds and hands of our students. Without dedicated and passionate administrators and teachers the curriculum will not move. Our muscle lies in the fact that our staff believes in the STEM approach and in its power to help our students obtain the skills needed to succeed in the future. Like the muscles of a body, our instruction provides the support and protection our students need to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate the STEM curriculum.
Our School Board members have initiated feedback from STEM teachers on their needs to provide a quality program. They have provided listening ears and promised support in establishing a successful STEM program. Administrative support and protection is witnessed in the non-evaluative walk through feedback forms and discussions. Teachers are provided the support to try new approaches to presentation and implementation of STEM lessons.
Our Technology Director provides teacher-vetted modern equipment/devices and programs to make STEM instruction engaging for all.
Instructional, as well as STEM, coaches provide assistance to teachers in the form of instruction best practices, curated resources, collaboratively planned units of study, and the construction of learning challenges.
With all this instructional support modeled for teachers, it’s easy to see that they, too, provide the support and protection to students as they navigate the STEM curriculum. As teachers provide rich group interactions and instruction, they also provide students with non-evaluative debriefing opportunities where students are allowed to refine and practice their collaborative and communicative group skills.
Domain Summary: Instdruction
3.1 STEM Instructional Approach Training
At least 50 percent of teachers have been trained in implementing a STEM instructional approach in the context of solving a real-world problem or challenge
3.2 STEM Instructional Approach Implementation
At least 50 percent of teachers use a STEM instructional approach in the context of solving a real-world problem or challenge
STEM Instruction
You will notice in the curriculum maps included in these slides, that every grade level has STEM instructional approach implementation (PLTW, Design Thinking Challenges, and PBL) scheduled quarterly, as well as CREATE2THINK implemented in classrooms. Students collaborate on solving real-world challenges, using the curriculum.
3.3 Student Instructional Work Groups
At least two times per week and in at least 50 percent of classes, students work in groups as follows:
1) Students collaborate with peers based upon project/intended outcomes
2) Each group member has at least one assigned role that is critical to successful project/goal completion
3) Accountability is measured and recorded for each individual as well as the entire group
Instructional Coaches offer staff training on various classroom management strategies, one of which is the function, formation, practice, and evaluation of working groups within a classroom. It is our belief that if you want a behavior, you must teach that behavior and then give plenty of practice where students fail, debrief, and practice again until they get it.
Equitable Education Solutions has created a set of Leadership Roles for STEM group work for partner schools. Many schools utilize these roles as well as teachers developing their own as best fits each STEM unit.
STEM Leadership Roles
STEM Leadership Roles (3).pdf3.4 Technology in Instruction
Students use a variety of technologies to enhance their learning in investigations and problem solving e.g., data collection/analysis, design, creation, virtual simulations, research and communication at least 50 percent of the time
3.5 STEM Integration
At least 50 percent of teachers are implementing the planned integrated STEM learning opportunities on a quarterly basis (see 1.3)
CREATE2THINK Unit Matrix
The document below shows the K-8 CREATE2THINK Unit Matrix. This document houses the tiles of each unit, the science domain each unit corresponds with, and further down the document:
Math Priority Standards
ELA Priority Standards
Unit Description
Science Standards
Highlighted STEM Career Connection
There are 8 units per grade level and is currently implementing one unit per nine week period.
CREATE2THINK Matrix (101620).pdf