STEAM Professional Learning
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) defines STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as an integrated, interdisciplinary, and student-centered approach to learning that encourages curiosity, creativity, artistic expression, collaboration, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and design thinking.
Be sure to click on Learn more about STEM in Pennsylvania .
STEM learning in Pennsylvania is built on the following foundational beliefs:
All students are capable of STEM literacy;
Iteration and reflection are an important part of the STEM learning process;
STEM education transcends the classroom walls, integrating into the community;
STEM education success depends upon the partnership between educators, students, families, postsecondary providers, local officials, business and industry.
STEM education is equitable for all learners
What is Equity for Pennsylvania Students?
All learners have opportunities to engage in successful STEM experiences
PA STEM Coalition Vision, Beliefs, and Definitions, August 2017
PDE: Safe Schools, Equity and Inclusion Page
Pennsylvania Equity and Inclusion Toolkit, March 2017
Planning Guide for schools or districts
Can be integrated with Bully Prevention Programs and Schoolwide Behavior Improvement Plans
Supporting Students’ Science Learning During COVID-19 School Closures
Overview: Supporting science learning in the era of Covid-19
Advice for Families
Advice for Students
Sample Learning Menu
Supporting Equitable Home-Based Science Teaching and Learning During Extended School Closures
FAQ about Supporting Equitable Learning during Extended Closures
All learners get the resources and suppport they need to be successsful.
STEM is Inquiry-Based Methods of Learning and Teaching
What is Inquiry Learning?
How do I support STEM learning as the "Guide on the Side?"
Let students discover nathural phenomena and sovle engineering challenges on their own.
Encourge science learners to ask lots of questions then seek the answers by direct observation, illustrating & diagraming, "real" data collection and reading for research. Encourage engineering learners to be creative, brainstorm, draft & diagram, try things out, make lots of changes, get close to a working prototype and share their jouney.
For scinece ask an Essential Question to guide the learning. For engineering give an Engineering Design Challenge to solve.
Ask questions and state prompts to help learners along.
Promote lots of talking and collaborating.
Provide materials for students to desgin and make their own experiments or engineering prototypes.
Encourage learners to answer their own questions from discovery and direct observations during hand-on, authentic experiences.
Discourage quick answers found on the Internet.
Facilitate partners, groups and, when possible, whole group discussion and sharing of ideas and discovery.
Guide students to show what they've learned in sicence with a group discussion to create a science "rule or law ."
Guide students to show what they've learned when Making with a brief presentation about what went well and not so well.
Use formative assessment checklists to assess how learners master the process of learning like real scientists and engineers.
Inquiry Resources
Supporting Students’ Science Learning During COVID-19 School Closures
Phenomena: Not Just for the Classroom (for Families)
Pass the Science Please: Science Talk Moves (for Families)
Continuing Science at Home with Science Notebooks (for Families)
Essential Questions by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109004/chapters/What-Makes-a-Question-Essential%A2.aspx
STEM is Project- or Problem-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning is integrated learning
PBL Basics
A classroom teacher or school team determines a BIG Question to ask or local problem to solve.
Students research and plan solutions, with teacher structure and guidance.
Students learn within various subjects for the BIG Project.
Guiding rubrics may be shared to help guide the process
Students create methods of sharing what was learned.
These can be from a structured "menu of choices" or open-ended depending on age and experience of learners.
Teachers can offer choices for presenting: high tech, low tech, no tech, familiar methods or new methods
Students share what they learned with an authentic audience.
Invite families and impacted community members to a final presentatoin.
Students self-assess and are assessed by all educators who were part of the Project Team
Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements
Gold Standard PBL: Project Based Teaching Practices
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See their videos, Project ideas, Student Resources, Teacher Resources and much more.
Problem-Based Learning Basics
Problem-Based Learning
Good "fit" for Environment and Ecology concepts, as well as Social Studies concepts
The Process:
Make it Real
Identifying a real problem within the local community, then conducti investigation to define the problem.
Brainstorm
Identify what you do and don’t know about the problem
Define
Discover the problem’s root causes and impacts on the community
Make it Relevant
Elevate the problem so that people in the community and beyond will take interest and become invested in its resolution
Field Studies
Collect as much information as possible on the problem.
Plan
Develop an action-plan
Make an Impact
Create
Put your plan into action
Advocate
Share your findings and make an impact
Learning is Open: Toolkit PBL Problem-Based Learning
Additional Resources
Illinois CITL TEACHING & LEARNING: PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING (PBL)
Edutopia: PBL PLANNING An Example of PBL in Early Elementary: How I Started by mreddick May 10, 2015
Education World: Problem-Based Learning: Tips and Project Ideas by Aimee Hosler
STEM learning focuses on authentic practices of scientists and engineers
Pennsylvnia adopted the NGSS Science and Enginering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts
Transcending all subject areas, these are higher level modes of thinking to be applied in student learning.
PDE did not adopt the NGSS Core Learning Ideas but retained their system of academic standards. As of summer 2020, the Science, Technology and Engineering, as well as, Environment and Ecology standards are being revised.
Authentic Practices of Scientists and Engineers
Next Generation Science Standards
Science and Engineering Practices
NGSS @ NSTA Science and Engineering Practices
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices Appendix F
Crosscutting Concepts
NGSS @ NSTA Matrix of Crosscutting Concepts in NGSS
NGSS Criosscutting Concepts Appendix G
Announcing:
Science Education (SE), Technology Education (TE), Enginering Education (EE) and Environment & Ecology (EE) Revised Standards to be drafted, approved and release in Spring 2021!
New Pennsyvania Science Education, Engineering & Tecchnology Education and Environment & Ecology Education Standard to emphasize student performance and a more integrated approach to learning concepts.
STEM integrates all subject areas
How do I integrate STEM learning?
STEM Remote Learning Resources
STEM Pedagogy
Equitable Access to Learing
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning
STEM Education includes Computational Thinking and Computer Science
Computational Thinking
Concepts include Creativity, Logic, Spatial Resoning and Math
Pattern Recognition
Creating and Using Algorithms (lists of steps)
Decomposing (breaking steps into smaller steps)
Understanding Abstractions (ideas about coding )
"make generalizations, draw conclusions, and use other problem-solving thought processes to imagine something that we can’t see or touch"
Unplugged - No computer or device needed
Computer Science
Computer Programming or Coding
Code.org CS Fundamentals - K-1st Visual Icon Based Coding 1st -5th Drag & Drop Block Based Coding
Code.org Hour of Code Activities
Google CS First - Drag & Drop Block Based Coding
Ozoblockly Challenge Games - Drag & Drop Block Based Coding
Shape Tracer 1 and Shape Tracer 2
Scratch Jr. - Visual Icon Based Coding
Scratch with Tutorials (Tutorials under the Ideas Tab) - Drag & Drop Block Based Coding
See what kids have created under the Explore Tab
Older Elementary & Middle School
K-12 CSTA Standards (Adopted in 2018)
PA Academic Standards
Early Childhood Edcuation Standards for Infants-Grade 2 (Adopted by 2016)
Includes: Science Standards, as well as, "scientific thinking and technology."
Infants
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
Current Science, Technolgy and Engineering Standards
Note: Engineering standards are to be integrated with science concepts
Pre-K to 3rd Grade (Formally adopted in 2002)
3rd Grade to 8th Grade (Formally adopted in 2002)
Secondary (Formally adopted in 2002)
Pre-K to 3rd Grade (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
3rd Grade to 8th Grade (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
Secondary (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
Current Environment and Ecology Standards
Pre-K to 3rd Grade (Formally adopted in 2002)
3rd Grade to 8th Grade (Formally adopted in 2002)
Secondary (Formally adopted in 2002)
Pre-K to 3rd Grade (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
3rd Grade to 8th Grade (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
Secondary (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
Science Framworks (Avaialbe at the SAS Portal, (Updated but not formally adopted in 2009)
Academic Standards for Career Education and Work (CEW)
Organized by Grade Band proficiency Benchmarks: K-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-11
Business, Comp Technology Frameworks (Avaialbe at the SAS Portal, U(pdated but not formally adopted in 2009)