Hands-On STEM Lesson Plans Developed through Engineering Faculty and STEM Teacher Collaboration (Evaluation)

With a shortage of engineering content currently found in many STEM classrooms, the Manhattan College Engineering STAR (Scholars Training and Retention) Center explored the concept of collaboration between engineering faculty and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educators at the middle and high school level to create lesson plans with an emphasis on engineering for integration into their classrooms. With the increased demand for STEM education available to all students, the professional development shared with educators topics related to engineering that could be incorporated into science, technology, and math curriculum. Throughout each session, teachers worked toward their professional development through the National Science Foundation (NSF). Twenty STEM teachers and twelve engineering faculty members were divided into groups and worked collaboratively over the course of one year to develop lesson plans incorporating a hands on activity for the particular topic suggested by the engineering faculty member. During the initial session, educators and engineers came together to begin their mutual learning. Faculty members used a variety of materials to demonstrate their particular engineering concept and allowed the educators to internalize the concepts to build and mold them into lessons that were applicable to elementary, middle and high school level students. With the mentorship of the lead engineering faculty member, teachers were encouraged to draft their lesson and look for guidance when necessary to ensure effective learning. The support from both the faculty and educator allowed for each member to understand what each professional brings to their particular field. Upon completion of the lesson plan, educators shared the finalized copies with the other groups and the educators implemented their newly developed lesson plan into their curriculum. Finally, the STAR members met to discuss and share the experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of their lessons and work to create, in the next session, a lesson plan with an entirely new engineering subject. Introduction The constant change and growth occurring in science and math standards, although challenging at times, can be beneficial in motivating teachers to create not only interesting and thought provoking lesson plans, but illustrate concepts that students today should be exposed to when thinking about their futures. When dissecting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 1 as well as the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS) 2 , it is clear to see the greater demand and drive for bringing engineering into classroom practices. The challenge then lies in the hands of the teachers in the middle and high school classrooms that must present concepts that are somewhat unfamiliar and unique to their initial certifications. For many teachers, the idea of lifelong learning and professional development are necessary aspects to being a highly effective educator, but the programs chosen need to be inspiring and engaging. One of the issues with many professional development programs is the lack of inclusion of the entire group and a greater focus on individual achievements. This results in little accomplished for the teachers, and even less for their students 3 . Inclusion of the entire group in professional development can result in greater partnerships that are bi-directional. In the case of this program, the professional development intended to benefit both P-12 teachers and the higher education professors. Prior literature on collaborations between university professors and P-12 teachers support the need for bi-directional partnership. 4 While these partnerships are often common, they generally provide greater support of the P-12 teachers. Studies have shown that simply introducing STEM higher education faculty into P-12 settings does not necessarily produce positive results. The professional development needs to be properly planned and executed, care needs to be taken in selecting participating faculty, and the university needs to support the partnership especially in considering how this partnership is considered in promotion and tenure decisions. 5 While higher education faculty can contribute additional content knowledge, P-12 teachers complement pedagogy. Professional development improves the creativity in the classroom through long-term trials and observations of the wide variety of instructional techniques that can be applied to improve student learning 6 . As part of a National Science Foundation grant, the Engineering Scholars Training and Retention (STAR) Center offered a professional development opportunity that brought together teachers and college engineering faculty to form a partnership to create dynamic lesson plans that promote inquiry in the classroom. The stigma very often placed on the math and science classroom is that the content is difficult and uninteresting. By providing multiple professional development sessions, constant communication with the engineering professors, and peer review with other teachers within the program, teachers developed lesson plans that helped not just one, but all teachers interested in bringing engineering to life in their classrooms. When presenting math or science content at the middle and high school level, these initial experiences could potentially be the catalyst to drive students toward a career in these essential fields. The goal of persuading student career paths toward STEM fields lies in the ability to increase a more technical engineering education through the development of hands-on activities in school and at home 7 . However, too often the courses currently being offered minimally, if at all, explore the concepts of engineering. Through the Engineering Scholars Training and Retention (STAR) Center the objective of the program was to use a series of professional development days to encourage current math and science teachers to integrate engineering into their courses. Through collaboration with elementary, middle and high school teachers and engineering professors, with concentrations in mechanical, chemical, environmental, civil and electrical engineering, the sessions exposed both parties to what is occurring outside of their respective fields and ways that each can benefit from the other. The final product of a lesson plan may not be directly applicable to the engineering faculty; however, the professors are positively impacted in their own professional development by being able to creatively think and influence students before they reach college. They experience the effort required to make the material applicable and interesting and watch it come to life in their team members’ classrooms, while allowing them to evaluate their own teaching styles through the eyes of the teachers to reflect upon. Procedure & Methods Thirty-four public and private schools in close proximity to Manhattan College received invitations to participate in the program. The Engineering STAR Center offered STEM teachers working with students in grades 6-12 the opportunity to participate in a series of three professional development days over the course of one year to learn engineering principles they could include in their math and science curriculum. In agreeing to participate in this professional development, teachers would need to develop and teach lesson plans in their content area, while incorporating an engineering focus. Upon completion of each session, evaluations were completed to make changes to better accommodate both teachers and engineering faculty. Manhattan College Engineering faculty members were invited to participate by developing their own lessons with engineering principles that would be applicable in their field to a middle or high school classroom setting. By creating these lessons, the professors were asked to focus on a principle of engineering that was valuable and contained an idea that could be applicable to real world concepts. The professors selected a topic, developed a materials list, and included resources and supplemental material so that each teacher could effectively prepare for the professional development session. Topics included measuring the pressure experienced by a scuba diver, determining the optimal packing for coins and candy, environmental pollutions, specifically cleaning an oil spill, examining forces on bridges, building a balloon rocket to demonstrate how thrust is generated, harnessing wind energy, and understanding how a GPS works. In the list of topics, the engineering faculty member explained the concept, the hands-on activity participants would do, materials needed, and provided resources for the teacher to review prior to the session, as well as a suggested connection for math or science. Teacher participants received a list of the offered topics and selected a topic they could integrate into their curriculum. Nineteen teachers and twelve engineering professors participated in the first STAR Center Professional Development. They worked to evoke a change in the future of engineering education. Both the teachers and professors were able to meet before breaking into groups to listen to speakers on their contrasting professions. The assistant dean of the School of Engineering gave a keynote address to the teachers on the topic “What is Engineering?” including crucial points ranging from stereotypical engineering for bridges and buildings to things taken for granted like the clothing that is worn every day. A local STEM school principal and teacher addressed the engineering faculty on the topic “Building a STEM School from the Ground Up” making these professors aware of the challenges often faced in schools trying to drive a higher demand on STEM education. The presenters for both groups emphasized that although STEM fields are often a priority in education, the engineering aspect often is overlooked. This type of professional develop