Supporting scientific thinking & inquiry through play Erin McMahon Teacher Frederick County Public Schools
Workshop Agenda Introduction Why STEM How can I use it? Mindset Engineering a Letter 3D Model from environment Rapunzel
Tower Building Challenge Build the Tallest Tower
How
can we use this?
Closure Questions, Resources
My Journey with STEM 10
years teaching
Frederick
County Public Schools, MD
1st
grade teacher
PK-5th
grade STEM Teacher
Maryland
Association of Science Teachers Outstanding Science Teacher
Why STEM all of a sudden? Skills all learners will need to have to participate in the 21st century workforce. Innovation
Problem
Competition
in global workforce
Disciplinary
Literacy
Skills
Solving
Communication
Skills (written & oral)
Science
Collaboration
Technology
Inquiry
Engineering Mathematics
(Questioning)
Apply
technology
Interpret
Data
What is Your Mindset ?
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
Michael Jordan
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
~Thomas Jefferson
I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened. ~ Wilma Rudolph
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential. ~ Winston Churchill
The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting in above average effort. ~Colin Powell
The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work. ~ Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine
These individuals all have / had a “growth mindset”. By putting forth effort, and not giving up even when experiencing failure, they eventually met success.
What is Your Mindset?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “Mindset” as: A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations.
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/ps ychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/cdweck
Carol Dweck, a Stanford University social psychologist found that people possess “fixed mindsets”, and / or “growth mindsets”
She published a well known book, and several articles on her research. People around the world are very interested in her findings and apply what she has found to their lives.
Growth Mindset “In a growth mindset, people believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point…”
http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html 05/31/11 http://myhomepage.ferris.edu/~baconc/Mindset.ppt#259,4,Depending upon the area
“The growth mindset views challenges as opportunities for improvement.”
I throw myself into difficult tasks
I have learning goals
I engage in self-monitoring
I believe that intelligence is not fixed
I thrive on challenge
I can ignore the low aspirations of my peers
My intelligence can be improved through learning
I am self-confident
I like feedback on my performance so I can improve
I react to failure by trying harder http://growthmindseteaz.org/caroldweck.html
Fixed Mindset “In a fixed mindset, people believe their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits…. They also believe that talent alone creates success— without effort...”
http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html 05/31/11 http://myhomepage.ferris.edu/~baconc/Mindset.ppt#259,4,Depending upon the area
“The fixed mindset sees limitations on intelligence, personality, opportunities, etc…”
I believe that intelligence is fixed You cannot get smarter. I like easy performance goals
I was born bright / not very bright
I do things in order to get praise
I react to failure by switching off and avoiding the issues I don’t like challenge I don’t want to risk looking stupid I tend to conform to the low aspirations of my peers
http://growthmindseteaz.org/caroldweck.html
So, If I have a “fixed mindset”, am I stuck with it?
NO!!! Mindsets can be changed. Did you know that your brain and intelligence can grow?
You can become more intelligent! By challenging your brain (working it just like a muscle) you can grow more dendrites. Dendrites are little branch like fibers which grow from your neurons (brain cells) and create more brain connections. By continuing to challenge & work your brain, you can develop even more brain power!
Look for opportunities to challenge yourself. Grow dendrites! Be willing to take on risks.
Don’t be afraid of failure. It’s okay to fail. Keep on trying. Use what you’ve learned from the experience to help you improve the next time.
Don’t limit yourself, and don’t let others limit you.
Aim to be your BEST YOU!
Be willing to work. Develop a love of learning.
Be a creative problem solver. Don’t give up.
Famous Successful People Who Failed… How did their failure lead to future success?
Henry Ford Innovative
assembly line
American-made 5
cars
early businesses all failed
He
was broke
Lead
to Ford Motor Company
R.H. Macy 7
failed businesses
Big
store in New York City
Macy’s
Department Store
Soichiro Honda Honda
turned down by Toyota
Interviewed
as engineer
Jobless Started
making scooters at home
Created
Honda motor company
Walt Disney Fired Said
by newspaper editor he had no imagination or good ideas
Failed He
business attempts
went bankrupt
Movies,
merchandise, theme parks now make over billions of dollars
Tasty Mistakes Chocolate
Chip Cookies (1930- Boston Ruth Wakefield ran out of baker’s chocolate so she substituted with sweetened chocolate)
Ice
Cream Cones (1904- World’s Fair Ernist Hamwi was selling zalabia, a Persian waffle, when the man next to him was selling ice cream and he ran out of bowls, so they served it on the waffles)
More Tasty Mistakes Potato
Chips (1852- New York George Crum was a chef who had a customer send back his potatoes because he wanted them cut thinner and fried longer, so Crum got angry and cut them as thin as possible and served them with salt)
Accidental Inventions Microwave
Oven
Pacemaker Penicillin Vulcanized
Rubber
Teflon Super
Glue
Safety
Glasses
Now how can we apply this to our learners? Even our youngest learners…
Building A Letter
* Background: In the book Alberts Alphabet, Albert designs and builds all the letters of the alphabet, using tools and scraps. A playground and path are then lined with the letters.
* Design Challenge: Build a letter of the alphabet that will stand by itself. Be ready to present your work to the class.
* Criteria: The letter must be freestanding. It must be made from materials found in the classroom.
What will you need… Materials:
below.
•
You may select from the items
cardboard • straight edge • scrap paper/cloth • tape • brads • hole punch • boxes • stapler • scissors/cutting tools • wood and wooden dowels • string • writing and drawing tools • glue
Things to consider in the classroom…
Engineering Design Process… *
Put students into groups
*
What’s the problem
*
Brainstorm solutions
*
Create the solution you think is best
*
Test your solution
*
Evaluate your solution
*
Photograph results
*
Rubric to assess
Here are a few examples…
What did we learn through play?
• Look an engineering lesson plan
• Design a 3D model of a letter in your environment
• Letter model must have a moving part
• You must know the letter, the letter sound, and be able to build the same shape
How can we apply what we learned from this challenge to a S.T.E.M. career?
Rapunzel, Rapunzel! •
Tower Building Challenge
•
Work with the people at your table to build Rapunzel’s Tower
•
Your team will be judged on
•
Tower design
•
Tower strength
•
Tower height
•
Team collaboration
•
Team presentation (Shark Tank 30 second sell time)
What do we already know about towers?
Real life application… • Have you ever wondered how a skyscraper can stand? • Have you ever wondered how architects design a skyscraper and how contractors build them? • What are the forces acting on a tower? • What is the importance of a foundation? • Are there shapes that would increase building stability more than others?
What’s the tallest tower you can build using only two sheets of newspaper? • Here’s the challenge… • Getting the newspaper to stand up • Without using tape, staples, glue or other materials • You can bend, fold, or tear the paper itself
What you need… • 2 sheets of newspaper • Ruler • You may alter the newspaper in any way to combat the forces pushing and pulling on your newspaper tower. • Air pushing Pushing
Building Load pushing
Ground
Which way is most stable? How can you use this to build your tower?
Try it out… • Now construct your tower! • If you think you can make it taller, keep redesigning it until you can’t go any higher. • Walk around and observe other group’s designs. • When you are finished building, measure the height of your tower.
• Earthquake Scientist
How can we apply what we learned from this challenge to a S.T.E.M. career?
Classroom STEM Challenges
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three Little Pigs
Gingerbread Man
Humpty Dumpty
Jack and Jill
Hey Diddle Diddle
Tops and Bottoms
The Mixed Up Chameleon
Cinderella
Classroom STEM Challenges Shapes
All Around Us
Planting Earth
A Rainbow
Friendly Bird House
Homemade
Toys
CEE Children’s Engineering Educators www.childrensengineering.com
How can we get students to collaborate in teams?
Teamwork Rubric
Presentation Rubric
Team Design Brief (Engineering Design Process)
Judging Criteria (Aesthetic Design)
Team Jobs
Materials Designer Project Manager Recorder/Reporter
How we can assess STEM learning?
Time and Money…
No.
Where it can begin Catapults
Houses
Egg
Bridges
drop
Secret
Codes
Garden
Paper
Airplanes
Marble
Live
Angry Birds
Parachutes Recycled
cars
Rollercoasters
Where we can start
stem-works.com
Pinterest
Youtube
PBS
Magazines
Talk to kids
Books “Teaching STEM in the Early Years: Activities for Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” by Sally Moomaw
STEAMy Resources Websites
Peep in the Big Wide World www.peepandthebigwideworld.c om
Buck Institute for Education www.bie.org
PBS Kids- Zoom www.pbskids.org/zoom/activities/
PBS Kids- Design Squad www.pbskids.org/designsquad
Click 2 Science www.click2sciencepd.org
Print Resources
Engineering For Every Kid by Janice VanCleave
Team Building Activities For Every Group by Alanna Jones
Authentic Learning Experiences by Dayna Laur
Project-Based Inquiry Units for Young Children by Colleen MacDonell
PBL in the Elementary Grades by Buck Institute for Education
Contact Me… Erin
McMahon
Valley Elementary School
Frederick County Public Schools, MD
[email protected]
240-236-3012
