STEM Educators 1.7

INDICATOR ST1.7: STEM educators collaborate as an interdisciplinary team to plan, implement, and improve integrated STEM learning experiences.

Munford High School educators meet on a regular basis with an established agenda in order to collaborate, innovate, plan, implement, evaluate, and improve integrated STEM learning experiences. Professional development days which focus on STEM implementation and refinement are held at both the local and system levels.

The school leadership team meets regularly to review data, assess needs, and plan activities to improve the overall effectiveness of the goals established for Munford High School; this always includes the implementation and improvement of STEM learning experiences. The faculty as a whole meets monthly to discuss interdisciplinary concerns and curriculum during faculty meetings. In addition, departmental collaboration allows for the sharing of ideas in order to meet school and school system initiatives and goals.

All teachers visit classrooms to observe STEM implementation in order to gain ideas and insights into its application in other curricular areas, as well as their own. The benefits of learning and sharing with one another in informal visits increases the willingness and effectiveness of collaboration, thereby increasing “teacher buy-in” to the STEM implementation. Peer observation feedback allows both the presenter and the observer to reflect on the insights gained. Results are summarized, shared, and discussed among the faculty with a focus on strengths to further promote areas in need of growth.

An example of educator collaboration includes the extensive training that all teachers have been a part of in order to develop and evaluate Gold Standard Lessons as learned from their extensive training with the Buck Institute for Project Based Learning. A great deal of time is spent planning and implementing PBL strategies in the classrooms. The PBL framework has been a part of our curriculum for more than seven years. Through the multitude of professional development opportunities, each faculty member has gathered information to share with all faculty along with plans to integrate the “STEM-rich” lessons throughout all areas of the curriculum. The sharing of ideas has allowed the teachers to constantly develop new PBLs and refine those already part of the curriculum. The Gold Standard PBLs include STEM learning.

Educators at Munford High School have a deep commitment to providing the best possible education for our students. It is this common goal, combined with the drive of each educator, that makes constant planning, implementing, assessing, and refining a priority. Munford High School is strengthened through this commitment and collaboration among colleagues. The rapport among colleagues not only encourages each educator to feel valued for his or her importance to achieving goals, but it also lends support as we try new strategies and refine those that need revisions.

Faculty members were given a STEM challenge to create a hot air balloon using the following materials: straws, aluminum foil, trash bags, candles, etc. Teachers were encouraged to communicate and collaborate within their groups in order to follow the engineering design process. This “ice breaker” gave faculty members a chance to experience all the aspects of STEM before they created lessons to use in their classes. Before creating their STEM lessons, the faculty was divided into interdisciplinary groups in order to gain insight into how other content areas might approach the engineering design process. Through communication and collaboration, educators were able to plan and improve their STEM learning experiences in order to better serve their students.

The school leadership team, which consists of educators from several different content areas, also meets regularly to review data, assess needs, and plan activities to improve the overall effectiveness of the goals established for Munford High School; this always includes the implementation and improvement of STEM learning experiences. Our Leadership Team is better able to provide solutions to any STEM concerns because we have teachers from multiple content areas working together to improve the overall effectiveness and efficacy of our STEM implementation.

Munford High School educators do not only collaborate as an interdisciplinary team school-wide, but also system-wide. Teachers take part in a system-wide STEAM professional development symposium. All teachers in the system attend the symposium and many conduct their own STEAM sessions. For example, one session included teaching other teachers how to use games to assess student learning. This session was presented by two educators from Munford High School that worked together to plan, implement, and improve integrated STEM learning experiences. These two teachers were from totally different content areas. One educator teaches AP Chemistry, Physics, and Robotics, and the other educator teaches AP Computer Science and Multimedia Design. Through collaboration and communication, they were able to create and refine STEM learning experiences that were able to be implemented across multiple content areas. Through our system-wide STEAM by Design professional development symposium, teachers at Munford High School were able to share their STEM learning experiences in order to gain insight on how to better serve their students' needs and foster 21st Century skills.