Collaborative learning in STEM is not just working in groups, although structuring the groups properly and with intention can support learning. In this section we will show ways to do collaborative learning effectively. STEM teachers also have to learn how to work cooperatively, as they teach together across disciplines.
Ask: Do you consider your classroom environment to be collaborative? If you answered yes, what evidence do you have that students are working in collaborative ways?
Engage: Look at the examples provided by the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching.
Action: Take one of the examples provided and apply it to one of your existing lessons that is not currently collaborative.
The keys to success in cooperative learning are:
prepare
facilitate
monitor
assess
reflect
STEM instruction does not have to take place in the physical, indoor classroom.
Ask: When and where do your students engage in STEM activities?
Engage: By having students investigate local phenomena and work on local issues in their community, students learn how local challenges fit into the global context. Read the articles from STEM Teaching Tools about engaging students in outdoor investigations and the about STEM activities related to real-world contexts.
Action: Think about one of your units (series of lessons) that engages your students in a STEM activity and identify ways that you and your students can connect their learning to a context beyond the classroom. STEM instruction does not have to take place in the physical, indoor classroom.
There is not a magical amount of instructional time for the STEM subjects that will maximize learning. It is just as important to note how instructional time is spent as to how it is allocated. It is well-established by research that students need a minimum amount of instructional time.
Ask: How much time is dedicated to students being actively engaged in STEM activities?
In the "Successful STEM Schools" report, one of the five suggested criteria for a successful STEM school is to provide adequate time for the STEM subjects in grade K-5.
Engage: Examine your school day, week, semester and year. Determine for each of these time frames how much time students spend actively engaged in STEM subjects.
Action: Speak to your principal about the amount of time spent on STEM subjects and if that time is not adequate, make a commitment to schedule additional time.
Ambitious STEM teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems.
Ask: In your STEM curriculum, what phenomena are students trying to understand and/or what problems are they trying to solve?
Engage: Read STEM Teaching Tools article about identifying a strong anchor phenomenon for teaching science and the article about criteria and constraints for engineering problems.
Action: Science lesson - Pick a science lesson that you teach. Identify the science topic(s) that students are intended to learn from this lesson. Is there a phenomenon under study in the lesson? If so, what is the phenomenon? Using the checklist in the article, determine whether or not this a strong anchor phenomenon. Describe how it is or is not a strong anchor phenomenon.
Engineering lesson - Select an engineering challenge, like those available at teachengineering.org. What is the design problem serving as the anchor in the lesson? Now, remove the provided criteria and constraints. What student questions do you anticipate being asked? What might your responses be to these questions about the problem, stakeholders, criteria, and constraints?
In addition to investigating “settled science”, it is important for STEM teachers to ensure they understand the significance of students investigating contemporary ideas. Instructional practices in the STEM classroom should focus on “doing science and engineering” in authentic ways.
Ask: Does your STEM curriculum rely on studying settled science or investigating contemporary STEM ideas?
Engage: Read the following article http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/2
Answer these reflection questions:
What current topics in science relate to learning goals in NGSS or your current state standards/curriculum?
2. What can you do to help students see scientific knowledge developed and applied to real world problems?
3. Contemporary science is in the news, interesting, and often applicable to students’ lives. How can you incorporate timely, interesting, and relevant topics in your teaching? How can you highlight connections, assign readings, or teach through contemporary investigations?
Action: One mechanism that teachers can use to do more authentic, contemporary science is to have students engage in Citizen Science. Visit this page https://www.citizenscience.gov/toolkit/# and explore the Case Studies. Choose one that would be applicable to your classroom and plan a lesson incorporating this resource.
Traditional educational frameworks established decades ago challenge students who are marginalized--students of color, females, low-income students, students with disabilities, to “fit in”. Students develop vulnerability which leads to a belief that no matter how capable, they are likely to be unsuccessful. This falsely constructed belief then manifests in decisions to no longer pursue STEM learning, classes and careers as they move through their educational career.
Ask: Do you involve those you serve (youth, families, communities) in your teaching decisions? Reflect on what that looks like.
Engage: Read Practice Brief #15 from STEM Teaching Tools: http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/15
Review the instructional case studies on the Next Generation Science site: https://www.nextgenscience.org/appendix-d-case-studies
Action:
Answer the following reflection questions:
What are your short- and long term goals in promoting equity and social justice in science? What are possible next steps?
Think about the scientific phenomena you teach and the concepts you want students to understand. How do they relate to the interests and practices of your students' communities? How can you overlap instruction with the lives of students?