Week 1

introduction to STEM Education

Week 1 -Objectives

Introduce yourself in Padlet: (link to https://padlet.com/jonathandietz27/icebreakerpadlet  )

Padlet is a digital bulletin board collaboration tool.

What is STEM Education?

STEM education integrates concepts that are usually taught as separate subjects in different classes and emphasizes the application of knowledge to real-life situations. A lesson or unit in a STEM class is typically based around finding a solution to a real-world problem and tends to emphasize project-based learning.

STEM education emphasizes '21st-century skills' of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.

This can either be done in the context of a present-day problem or in a historical problem-most historical 'living history' museums in Massachusetts, such as Plimoth Plantation, Saugus Ironworks(below), Lowell Historical Park, Slater's Mill, or Old Sturbridge Village focus on technology.

STEM practices involve:

The world is filled with STEM problems.

A current personal goal(for me) is to lose weight, to improve my health and feel better. To do this, I need to do research on nutrition, calories, and exercise recommendations( science and ELA). I then need to design a weight loss plan that will achieve my desired goal( engineering). I then need to implement the plan, and track my eating, physical activity, and weight( math). I can reflect on how it makes me feel( art). I use technology( an activity app) to track my steps. And I periodically measure my results and revise my plan.

Links:

Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Inquiry Learning, and Design Thinking

Four overlapping concepts in education include project-based learning, problem-based learning, inquiry learning, and design thinking.

All of these approaches emphasize student choice, agency, real-world problems, and autonomy.

Project-based learning, as its name suggests, focuses on accomplishment of a specific goal, such as "Design a robot that deliver a package", "Design a safer automobile", "Create a Covid-19 vaccine", "Create machine that can bake cakes".

Problem-based learning is more open-ended, focusing on poorly designed issues that may have many types of solutions, such as "Find a more efficient way to deliver packages", "Find a safer mode of transporting people", "Reduce Covid-19 infections", "Find a more efficient way to reduce chronic hunger". Problem-based learning was initially used in medical schools to teach diagnostic skills based on symptoms.

Inquiry learning is more open-ended, and focuses on encouraging students to follow their own curiosity.

Design Thinking(often used in combination with the above) focuses on developing an understanding of a user's needs through empathy.

What is Science?

Science is both a body of knowledge that represents current understanding of natural systems and the process whereby that body of knowledge has been established and is being continually extended, refined, and revised. Both elements are essential: one cannot make progress in science without an understanding of both. Likewise, in learning science one must come to understand both the body of knowledge and the process by which this knowledge is established, extended, refined, and revised.

Elements:

Only testable ideas are within the purview of science. For an idea to be testable, it must logically generate specific expectations — in other words, a set of observations that we could expect to make if the idea were true and a set of observations that would be inconsistent with the idea and lead you to believe that it is not true.

Scientific Method Vocabulary

Below: Scientific Method(left); Engineering Design Process(right)

Variables in Science  https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/variables#whatarevariables

The independent variable is the one that is changed by the scientist

The dependent variables are the things that the scientist focuses his or her observations on to see how they respond to the change made to the independent variable. 

Controlled variables are quantities that a scientist wants to remain constant,

In the video below, what is the hypothesis? The procedure? The independent variable? The dependent variable?

In the above experiment, 

What is Technology?

Technology is literally the knowledge of techniques - the knowledge of how to do or make things, from how to bake a cake to how to build a computer.

Each change in technology- stone age, bronze age, iron age, invention of concrete, invention of arch, electronics— has changed society.

While Technology is the knowledge of how to make things, this is often confused with technological artifacts are the objects produced with that knowledge- a clay pot, an iron sword, a computer, a Youtube video.

This is highlighted by conflicts regarding theft of technology, which focus on theft of information, concepts, and techniques- how to weave cloth, how to make an atomic bomb, how  to make a visual interface- vs theft of physical artifacts.

Technological skills are used throughout scientific work, both in laboratory work and analysis, and should be embedded in lesson plans.

Examples:

Above: Cookie technology

In class discussion: What is something you know how to make?

Mini- technology activity: Make Paper Dolls

Educational Technology

Technology as a general concept should be distinguished from educational technology, which focuses on the the use of computer-driven tools and resources such as Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education, Zoom video, tablets, Khan Academy, and Scratch as classroom teaching aids.

That said, in the 21st century, educational technology can be a valuable tool for instruction, offering a myriad of tools and resources for communication, collaboration, differentiation, and creative expression, connecting the classroom to the wider world.

Educational technology enables us to do distance teaching. However, this is not without its challenges.

In the physical classroom, we can:

How do we make this interaction happen in the online environment?

Discussion: Describe a limitation of educational technology

While educational technology, from Chromebooks to AI-powered adaptive tutors has been touted as a cure-all for the ills of education, the reality has been somewhat different.

What is engineering?

Engineering is the design of solutions to a human needs, typically based on a (mathematical ) model of materials or systems. Such a design is good enough for the required task. It does the job, with an adequate margin of safety, but is not wasteful. Typically an initial design can be improved through testing, analysis, and redesign.

Engineers design things  based on their expert knowledge of the properties of the materials they are working with, or established design solutions or practices.

Designs often need multiple iterations of analysis, redesign, and testing.

The success of a project can be measured by the diversity of solutions that are offered.

Example(1): Pizza Engineering: How many pizzas do you order if 10 friends are coming for a pizza party?

          Engineering Model: Average person eats 2 slices, but some might eat more.

Calculation: If 8 slices per pizza, you might order 3 pizzas( safety factor of 2 slices) or 4 pizzas ( safety factor of 10 slices). The most efficient design is the least expensive one that meets the performance criteria. Engineering designs almost always involve trade-offs- speed vs force, cost vs performance.

Example 2: How tall a tower can you build with a cubic foot of beach sand? With a pound of plasticine?

Answer: It depends on the water content of the sand or the temperature of the plasticine.

Example 3: How much power can be generated with a 2-foot diameter wind turbine?

Engineering Exercise: Teachable Machine https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com/

What are 21st Century Skills?

The so-called '21st Century skills' of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity are called this because they are seen as essential to succeeding in the knowledge economy." They not only provide a framework for successful learning in the classroom, but ensure students can thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops." Getting Smart.com

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is all about solving problems.

Example: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution. Include potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions(Massachusetts Science Frameworks).

Creativity

Creativity teaches students to think outside the box.

Creativity often consists of linking two superficially unrelated subjects, and is fostered by both by collaboration between people with different skill sets, as well as fostering diverse interests yourself

Creativity requires working within constraints  https://youtu.be/lGyjGwSQXpg

Creative Ideas take time to incubate- See Steven Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From

Creativity happens best within constraints- of time, materials, cost, and people

Collaboration

Collaboration shows students how to work together to achieve a common goal. See https://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber

Science projects should be designed to involve multiple students or groups of students collaborating on both data collection and reflection

We live in an age where collaboration is enhanced by the use of digital tools such as Google Docs, Scratch, GitHub, etc.

Communication

Communication lets students learn how to best convey their ideas. By encouraging students to exhibit their ideas to a wider audience, either in person, through the web, through video, and other media, they can make real changes in their community as well as develop a greater sense of both autonomy and purpose.

Being a Self-directed Learner

To prepare students for a future in which jobs continually change and require new skills, empowering students to be self-directed learners is more critical than ever.

Massachusetts Frameworks

Review the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks( Science, Math, and ELA) for your grade and content area.

(1) Choose a  science framework that will be the basis for your unit:

(2) Choose a design technology problem related to the science standard

(3) Choose a math standard that relates to the design technology

3-PS2-3. Conduct an investigation to determine the nature of the forces between two magnets based on their orientations and distance relative to each other. Clarification Statement: • Focus should be on forces produced by magnetic objects that are easily manipulated. 

3-PS2-4. Define a simple design problem that can be solved by using interactions between magnets.

Clarification Statement: • Examples of problems could include constructing a latch to keep two moving objects from touching each other.

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem that reflects a need or a want. Include criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost that a potential solution must meet.

 3.3-5-ETS1-2. Generate several possible solutions to a given design problem. Compare each solution based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem.* Clarification Statement: • Examples of design problems can include adapting a switch on a toy for children who have a motor coordination disability, designing a way to clear or collect debris or trash from a storm drain, or creating safe moveable playground equipment for a new recess game

3-LS1-1. Use simple graphical representations to show that different types of organisms have unique and diverse life cycles. Describe that all organisms have birth, growth, reproduction, and death in common but there are a variety of ways in which these happen. 

Clarification Statements: • Examples can include different ways plants and animals begin (e.g., sprout from a seed, born from an egg), grow (e.g., increase in size and weight, produce a new part), reproduce (e.g., develop seeds, root runners, mate and lay eggs that hatch), and die (e.g., length of life). • Plant life cycles should focus on those of flowering plants. • Describing variation in organism life cycles should focus on comparisons of the general stages of each, not specifics

B. Represent and interpret data. 

3. Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent five pets.

 4. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of objects using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Record and show the data by making a line plot (dot plot), where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units—whole numbers, halves, or fourths. (See Glossary for example.)

 C. Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.

 5. Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement. a. A square with side length of one unit, called “a unit square,” is said to have “one square unit” of area, and can be used to measure area. b. A plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units. 

6. Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in., square ft., and non-standard units). 7. Relate area to