Each time I view this TED talk with Chimamanda Adichie I become more inspired to discover each person's story and avoid the creation of a single story.
I have wondered if there is a single story being told of STEM. Are STEM educators mindful to avoid telling students the single story of STEM. We want young people to see themselves as scientists, engineers and mathematicians. Are we showing under represented populations they can become innovators in STEM fields?
PBS Kids Go! has created Dragonfly TV featuring real scientists sharing their work and ways they impact the world. I can just imagine how African American girls might feel when they see and hear engineer Ayanna Howard speak about the robot she is working on to navigate Mars. These short video clips could be used during morning meetings or as an intro to your STEM inquiry time. During literacy, students could choose a scientist, watch their video, summarize what they have learned and then share their information in a small group.
What other resources do you use to avoid the single story of STEM in your classroom?
Inquiry: the art of asking deep questions and conducting an investigation to find the answers.
Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels recently published a book titled Inquiry Circles in Action - Comprehension and Collaboration. There are three main ways their work directly supports skills needed by today's 21st Century learners. 1. Students are given the opportunity for choice,they decide what they want to learn. Teachers begin with big ideas and essential questions. Students write inquiry questions and discover what they are passionate about. With the use of text at their level and comprehension strategies as introduced by Harvey & Daniels they become experts on their given topic.
2. Learners collaborate with one another during their inquiry circles. This interaction is key to inquiry-based learning. Through an engaging environment, students are able to build upon each others ideas. 3. Inquiry Circles create purpose for the learner. Once the questions have been answered and the research is complete, it is time to "go public" with the learnings. Through shared learning experiences students demonstrate their understanding and find a purpose in their work.
Using Inquiry Circles supports more than reading standards and comprehension. With these strategies, learners are taught to collaborate and communicate with a team. Students use critical thinking and problem solving skills as they create inquiry questions and work to find the answers they seek. Both oral and written communication is practiced through an inquiry circle. Student's are pushed to be creative and innovative when sharing their information by "going public". These are all skills necessary for 21st Century learners.
After reading the book Creating Innovators by Dr. Tony Wagner, I began to think of how the STEM classroom can become a catalyst for creating young innovators. Dr. Wagner has created a category for the elementary school youth who are "digital natives" he calls the Innovation Generation. These are the children ages eight to eighteen who on average spend more time on their electronic devices than they do in classrooms. These young people often find the internet more compelling than the teacher standing in front of them. This generation have by far the greatest interest in innovation and entrepreneurship than any generation in history. Finally, Dr. Wagner says much of the Innovation Generation have an innate desire to put their mark on the world.
Dr. Wagner maintains if the following three elements are developed by parents, teachers and mentors an enormous difference can be make in the lives of young innovators.
Play
Passion
Purpose
Play:
An child's imagination which explores different worlds, learning new ideas and reflecting on possibilities is a form of play. The research about the importance of play spans many decades. Maria Montessori, Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget have all done groundbreaking research on the importance of play. Play is a part of human nature and an intrinsic motivator.
Passion:
Passion is the intrinsic motivation to explore something new, understand something more deeply and master something difficult. In his book The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes about the importance of working at something for ten thousand hours in order to achieve mastery. Gladwell identifies famous innovators such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Their time spent on their products was passion driven.
Purpose:
As much as passion drives young innovators, purpose is far more deeper and more sustainable. This sense of purpose can take many forms, Dr. Wagner found the greatest purpose, the desire to somehow make a difference in the world.
How does your STEM classroom foster play, passion and purpose?
