ENGINEERS DON’T NEED TRAINS
FIGURE 1 FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM OUTCOMES
5.00 4.80 4.60 4.40 4.20 4.00 3.80 3.60
GRADE 1 GRADE 2 GRADE 3 GRADE 4 GRADE 5 Total Average
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5
4.77 4.64 4.31 4.72 4.78
4.68 4.66 4.42 4.71 4.74
4.63 4.66 4.10 4.61 4.65
4.65 4.73 4.27 4.71 4.48
4.58 4.67 4.09 4.69 4.58
4.63 4.69 4.24 4.68 4.66
At the conclusion of each classroom ses- sion, whether they completed an entire project or were stuck at the initial design, the students have
succeeded in creat- DATA SPELL SUCCESS
Survey data gathered from the first four years of the STEM Superstars program yielded a 62.34 percent response rate among participating teachers, with program results consistently in the upper ranges of a 5-point scale for each of the five questions in the survey.
of engineering. Tis discussion leads to the first core concept: Engineers solve problems.
Once they master this simple definition, we place engineering within the larger STEM framework, showing pictures of children participating in sports, music, cooking, computer games, and so on. We encourage them to identify and explain their favorites. From here, we discuss how these activities reflect the character- istics of each core STEM area. Tis leads to our second concept: STEM is part of what you love to do every day.
After the formal lesson, we discuss the engineering design process, place the stu- dents into teams and present the “mission” that will make them STEM Superstars. Te engineering design process used cor- relates to the Engineering Is Elementary curriculum developed by the Museum of Science, Boston, and taught in Maryland schools, creating a bridge between the program and what students are taught in the classroom.
68 Army AL&T Magazine Missions include such challenges as
designing a moon vehicle (second grade), designing a superhero technology (fourth grade) and envisioning new technology to help students succeed in school (fifth grade). Each team receives a box of “stuff” containing odds and ends readily avail- able at any home improvement, craft or dollar
store. Students tackle each step,
from concept and design to test and improve, to develop their technology prototype.
At the end of each session, teams discuss their process and present inventions to the rest of the class. Inventions are as diverse as the second-graders’ “super- moon-buggy-party-limousine 3000,” the fourth-graders’ telekinesis-granting
“mega-mover helmet” and a “gym-bot” created by fifth-graders to help special needs students participate during physi- cal education class.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
“Every engineer must be creative, smart, hardworking and one of a kind,” I
Over the first four years, we achieved a 62.34 percent response rate among
ing something and are declared STEM Superstars. Tis is intentional, as one of the key barriers to STEM is the idea that it is too difficult; program success rein- forces that they are smart, creative and capable of being engineers.
THE LONG GAME While there may not be a direct cor- relation between a program like STEM Superstar and long-term success in STEM fields, feedback from teachers shows that there is an immediate increase in inter- est among participants. Teir input also demonstrates that the program design is successful
from conceptual and educa-
tional standpoints. Te final data for the full five-year cycle are not yet available; however, results from the first four years point to the program’s success in meeting its objectives.
At the close of each weeklong program, all participating teachers receive a survey to rate STEM Superstar on five criteria:
• (Q1) Overall program satisfaction. • (Q2) Grade-level appropriateness. • (Q3) Increase in student interest in STEM.
• (Q4) Effectiveness of presentation of key concepts.
• (Q5) Educational validity.
tell each class as we wrap up our time together. Tat is the formula for success. And for those students who worry that they might not be smart, we tell them that being smart is about believing in yourself, because the one thing every engineer has in common is that they never give up.
July-September 2017
SCORE (1-5)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162
