Engineering+notes+2010

Participants: Michael Mitchell (mitchellm@stlukesct.org) Perrin Ireland (perrin.ireland@gmail.com) Ann Decker (adecker@greenwichacademy.org) Kristyn Rylander (krylander@girlsms.org Nancy Ehrlich (nehrlich@cathedral.org) Maria Eagen (maria.eagen@foxcroft.org) Linda Swarlis (lswarlis@columbusschoolforgirls.org0

Starter Questions: What could be the standard for community service, or science literacy in STEM fields. There is a big disconnect because doing good things for people, and helping people. What does it mean to be a citizen? You need STEM experience in order to be a better citizen. Foxcroft is using Engineering Curriculum - EPICS High from Purdue - community service based projects requiring broad skill base. Engineers without Borders Work with Society of Women Engineers to get speakers and projects. Middle school curiculum addresses excitement in STEM. Looking for a replacement for the classic science fair. Invention Convention Design Squad on PBS geared for middle to upper school science club. Odyssey of the Mind First Lego LEague Robotics High School level uses C++ for robotics programming. What is our standard? As problem solving programs are growing through Middle School, how do we prevent them from leaving the programs as they enter High School? We fall short on group work. Girls need to learn how work in groups and learn to work as team-members. Colleges are doing much more group work, but are still using out-dated testing models. The testing leads students to believe that they are not good in STEM fields. College level math is much more rigorous and tough on grading. The girls feel very unprepared because they have been very nurtured at their private schools, given opportunities to make test corrections, partial credit, etc. That doesn't happen in college courses, so their grades plummet.
 * 1) Think about setting a standard for the rest of society because we are working with children of privilege. To whom much is given, much is expected.

Broad background admitted into engineering courses. Balances the group dynamic. Playing to individual strengths. Cross-cirricular projects makes it meaningful. Grade on process rather than testing. Autonomy in group work causes initial struggles. Group investment help girls achieve more. Autonomy offers safety net for the teams, but lets them develop more. Problem with group projects is that we pigeon hole people into their strengths, and they might not actually learn anything. Groups need assigned jobs, the jobs need to rotate, and the rotation needs to be tracked. How do we assign groups best? If we let them self-select their groups, bring the bigger community together to ask the groups how it feels to be in different groups? It's a social experiemnt to have them engaged in groups. TED Talks (Technology engineering and Design) - videos of experts on given topics (TED.com), really dynamic, applied technology can be selected for women experts and required. Have female STEM speakers come in, Talk about careers but MUST speak about life and process of getting where they are. Wings, WOrlds, Quest - make index cards with pictures of women explorers and what they have achieved.
 * 1) How do we make group work meaningful and challenging? Ways to support our students. What can we do better?

Afternoon Discussion

How to counter negative stereotypes?

Bringing in as many professionals in the field or girls who have participated in summer or internship type activities. STEM speakers who address not only their discipline but their lives and challenges that they have encountered as a woman. Duff Center at Greenwich: Exposing younger girls to experiences of older students working on independant projects - exposing them to a variety of independant studies - girls pursuing their passions(in an age appropriate way).

Independant study students touch base monthly and share experiences.

Teachers and schools need time to enrich the curriculum. Celebrating Engineers Week(Kristyn from The Girl's Middle School) - [] - for students grade 6-8, using design squad activities through advisory time in small groups. Local engineers presented panel on their work, open to kids questions, displayed projects in science fair type format. Was planned by a STEM group, after the fair interest was expressed by humanities teachers as well.

Where does the administrative time come to direct STEM initiatives? Really requires coordination, time, resources. Start by identifying activities that may already be in existence in the programs, coordinate and grow them.

Part of the issue is that people in schools are afraid of science and math, it is encouraging to see how many more teachers with science/math backgrounds.

Are we the group with the resources and ability to be the take the initiative to develop these programs and then lead them into public schools?

What can we do at our own schools to address the negative stereotypes? Atlanta GS thinking of erasing math prerequisites for their science courses, not letting math drive science.

Collaboration could be structured similarly to community service, if there are art/music activities that are coordinated, consider structuring science activities. Summer programs or after-school programs are other opportunities to interact. Events might offer another venue.

Atlanta has collaboration in resources available to teachers. This also feeds back to issues of time and add-ons.

Check wiki resources or NSF opportunities for STEM innovators.

Closing Session Thursday

In closing the group reflected on common themes that had beenidentified in their different discussion groups Themes: How do we bring real world applications/ problems into the classroom? Societal drive/ expectations - how to change the external pressures Role models and gender bias - do we show more women or are we over-correcting, where is the line? College admission and standardized testing as drivers in considering curriculum reform.