ODE Launches STEM in the Middle: Ohio Department of Education STEM in the Middle

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx? page=3&TopicRelationID=1601&ContentID=52774&Content=57315

Although there’s much about today’s complex world that Ohio middle school kids don’t find relevant, when faced with images of three million malnourished children in Sub-Saharan Africa going blind because of Vitamin A deficiencies, these same students may wonder what they can do to make a difference.

The emerging science of agricultural biotechnology may hold the key to improving crops in inhospitable climates. It may also hold the key to motivating youth right here in Ohio to stay in school and pursue a dream of solving world hunger through studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

As a first step, Metro High

Columbus middle school students explore science and math School students would like their at COSI. younger peers in Columbus middle schools to start thinking about possible careers in agricultural biotechnology, nanotechnology, mechanical engineering, and the medical and pharmaceutical industries – fields that spring forth from STEM education.

“I want them to know there are opportunities for them like our STEM school, that there are careers and jobs out there that can get them into technology and mathematics, not just traditional jobs, like firefighters,” said Kate Schneider, a Metro ninth-grader.

To get younger students more interested in these fields at an earlier age, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), KnowledgeWorks Foundation, and the Center for Science and Industry (COSI) co-sponsored STEM in the Middle in May with 35 ninth-graders from the Metro High School and 80 middle-school students from Eastmoor and Franklin Alternative middle schools in Columbus.

“I want them to know there are opportunities for them like our STEM school, that there are careers and jobs out there that can get them into technology and mathematics...”

Kate Schneider, ninth-grader at Metro High School

While high schoolers learned business planning and management techniques, middle schoolers joined them for the day at COSI – not just as a field trip – but as the beginning of a relationship among the schools and students that will continue to develop over the next few years.

The brainchild of Eric Troy, associate director of 21st century skills at ODE, STEM in the Middle is a peer-mentoring program designed to expose middle school students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics by engaging them in activities with older, high school students already interested in these subjects.

“We believe that by exposing minority students to STEM during the middle school years, we will help them see the value of education. This is critically important so these students choose to stay in school, not drop out in ninth-grade,” Troy said. “Their older peers can attract them to challenging coursework and careers, and STEM in the Middle can serve as a dropout prevention program in our schools.”

High schoolers learn project management

The Metro students organized every minute of the day’s events, down to the minutest detail.

At a meeting the day before the event, students explained to ODE staff how they became logistics experts, project managers and team leaders. They organized the agenda, coordinated transportation, set up photo shoots, planned the pizza lunch, created participation certifications and evaluation forms, and generally tried to troubleshoot problems that might occur.

On the day of the event, older students became responsible for groups of younger ones, guiding them through exhibits, talking to Metro High School students welcome middle schoolers at COSI. them about what they were seeing and experiencing. At lunch, they enjoyed pizza together, and then sat down to talk and reflect about the day, STEM possibilities and potential careers.

As a high school student, Schneider hopes the younger students start to develop STEM habits, such as learning to be critical thinkers who can connect what they learn in school with the outside world. Metro students also concentrate on learning the skills of collaboration, being engaged learners, knowing how to be active and responsible decision makers, and serving as both role models and mentors to one another and to younger students.

See WBNS-TV news story on COSI STEM event

>more ODE Launches STEM in the Middle (continued) Stats show minorities don’t pursue STEM courses

For many middle and high school students, answering the question of what they want to be when they grow up doesn’t include careers in the high- demand STEM fields. Too often, areas like biotechnology, nanotechnology, mechanical engineering, agribusiness, and the medical and health industry are not careers these students can even imagine.

For many low-income and minority students, role models tend to be limited to sports and entertainment figures who are rich and famous, but unfortunately,

Leonard Sparks of COSI conducts a “Pukin’ few and far between. Research shows Pumpkin” science experiment using chemicals and dishwashing that in Ohio and across the nation, too liquid. few students of color take coursework or prepare themselves for STEM careers.

For instance, of the 32,786 Ohio students who took Advanced Placement tests in 2007, only 1,961 were black (6 percent) and 537 were Hispanic (1.6 percent). The same holds true for low-income students: only about 5 percent took AP tests.

In addition, these students either don’t have access to challenging courses or don’t choose to take them, even when they’re headed to college. When the College Board studied test-taking patterns among students bound for college in 2007, only 12 percent of blacks and 11 percent of Hispanics took physics, pre-calculus or calculus courses.

Sarah Luchs, director of middle and high school transformation at ODE, says global collaboration and competition mean today’s students need 21st century skills.

“We know that jobs of the future are demanding new and different kinds of skills. So what’s it going to take to get all of our students to graduate from high school, have high aspirations, and be ready for what’s next in their lives?” Luchs asked.

“This generation of students is very tech Metro Habits of Mind and Work savvy; they’re very collaborative; they make a lot of global connections. So to engage Critical Thinker: The student uses critical thinking skills to analyze, them and give them meaningful learning synthesize and evaluate information experiences, we’re going to have to do and observations. things differently,” Luchs said.

Inquiring Learner: The student Mentoring sends message it’s cool to be asks questions that extend concepts smart and applications to create or discover ideas, products or “Peer-to-peer mentoring over several years decisions. may be one way to do school differently –

along with real, hands-on activities that Collaborator: The student demonstrates effective collaboration make learning relevant to students’ lives," skills by honoring diversity, Troy said. appropriate interaction and successful completion of the task. Troy believes middle school students mentored by older students will feel Communicator: The student connected to role models who care about presents his or her perspective in an them and can relate in ways that adults effective manner that includes the sometimes can’t. consideration of the audience. Older students can motivate younger ones Engaged Learner: The student is by sending the message that it’s okay to be prepared for, and takes advantage intelligent and interested in being a chemist, of, learning opportunities on a engineer or airline pilot. regular basis. “It’s important for minority students to see Active and Responsible Decision Maker: The student takes someone in a white coat that looks like them ownership for decisions by and is the same gender pursing a career in reflecting on work completed, STEM. For example, African- American making adjustments, and evaluating male students need to see more role models his or her overall performance. outside of just the sports and the entertainment industries,” Troy said. Marcy Ramond, Principal Metro High School “This approach will allow students to interact directly with their peers who can talk to them about biology and chemistry and taking calculus and algebra II, not so much from an adult perspective, but from a middle or high school perspective. That’s real key.” Troy said.

Relevance and relationships need to develop over time, not as just a one-shot deal, he said. “We think if we plant a seed with students in middle school to give them some exposure, they’ll start to see more of the value of education through science and math, and more importantly, that it’s cool to be smart. We want to get beyond this whole notion of being smart means you’re acting white or ‘I’m not acting out of my culture because I want to college.’”

Students and administrators in these schools hope to serve as a pilot for other schools in Ohio, and perhaps as a national model. They will continue to hold events and communicate with one another as they go beyond the relationships built at COSI. In addition, the Ohio Department of Education will track course taking patterns over the next few years to see if the middle school students stay interested in STEM coursework, Troy said.

STEM in the Middle partners prepare for arrival of middle school students.

Andrea Mulkey, program manager for early college high school programs at KnowledgeWorks Foundation, spoke with students at lunch about how the high school encourages kids to take science and math courses early, and how it can break stereotypical molds.

“I went to a rural school, so my experience in science and math is that girls didn’t talk, and you sat in the classroom and were quiet, and the boys did all the talking.” When she reached 10th grade, her math teacher realized how smart she was and encouraged her. “But I was in a rural school, so once I got past geometry and Algebra II, that was it. Having these students get engaged right now and understand … that it’s cool to be smart and you can speak up and there is no harm in that, it’s going to be phenomenal down the line,” she said.

For more information about

 This story or potential feature stories, contact Senior Editor Dottie Howe at [email protected]  STEM in the Middle, contact Eric Troy at [email protected]  The Metro High School, go to: www.themetroschool.com  STEM in Ohio, go to: stem.ohio.gov  KnowledgeWorks Foundation, go to: www.kwfdn.org

 COSI, go to: cosi.org or contact Douglas Buchanan, education programs marketing manager