on storytelling. Tis approach supports persuasive communication design and ties easily to research into the use of pop- ular culture in the classroom. Teaching complex ideas through popular culture is rooted in research that links literacy outcomes to the effective use of prevalent narratives, and learning to students’ self- identity. Te practice dates back more than 15 years and has been explored in academic journals, including the Journal of Literacy Research and the Harvard Education Letter.


STEM Superstar combines these two principles by linking STEM lessons to stories children already know, identify- ing the characters as part of the STEM world and presenting information as part of an overall story arch as opposed to in individual chunks. Specifically, the program uses superheroes and popular children’s movies to tell a story and help


students to see themselves in terms of STEM success.


In designing the hands-on portion, we drew from “instant challenge” models used by programs such as Destination Imagination,


in which students are


given a specific task with limited time and resources to complete it. Te activ- ity or “mission” we ultimately designed drew on the popular-culture reference points


already introduced while including grade-level math or also science


concepts, teamwork and presentation skills.


Following completion of the program design, we did a program pilot in 2011 to fine-tune the material and then approached Maryland’s Harford and Cecil


county school systems, with a


total of 50 elementary schools, to launch STEM Superstar. We decided that


STEM Superstar would be a five-year program, visiting 10 schools each year, to ensure that every public elementary student would participate at least once.


BECOMING A STEM SUPERSTAR


“Iron Man is the best superhero ever because he has no superpowers,” every class of STEM Superstars is told. “No one in this room has superpowers, and neither does Tony Stark. He gets his powers from the Iron Man suit that he designed and built. He is an engineer. And since with hard work any of us can be engineers, that means that like Tony Stark, we can all be superheroes.”


Each lesson begins with a discussion of


superheroes. From there, we move


to children’s movies with engineering themes, such as “Te Lego Movie” and


“Despicable Me,” to help students see that they already understand some aspects


PLAYING WITH THE CONCEPTS


STEM Superstar places engineering within the larger STEM framework, demonstrating for kids that their favorite activities—music, sports, cooking, computer games—already include components of engineering and other STEM disciplines.


STEM education is a national priority as the U.S. looks to secure its economic future beyond the 21st century. It is particularly critical within DOD, where STEM professionals are necessary to ensure national security.


ASC.ARMY.MIL


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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


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