STEM Experiences for Middle School students to Master! by John Hunt
Sneider (2014) stated, “ The multidisciplinary, or thematic, approach connects the individual disciplines by organizing the curriculum around a common theme such as ‘Oceans,’ ‘Ecosystems,’ ‘Flight,’ or ‘Pirates.’ This approach is used to provide coherence in the curriculum so that students have an opportunity to see that they learn about something in many different ways.” Hoachlander and Yanofsky (2011) wrote, “STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning which removes the traditional barriers separating the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and integrates them into meaningful experiences for students.” Tsupros, Kohler, and Hallinen (2009) wrote, “Today, it is widely accepted that STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world, relevant lessons. Students can apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that help them make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise. This enables the development of STEM literacy and with it to compete in the new economy.” Swoop (2014) reported that Donely Gunn a STEM student from Columbus, Mississippi, created a wind-powered cell phone charger that cost him about $5 to build. “His goal was to build a device capable of charging small electronics, specifically cell phones, in nations that lack the infrastructure taken for granted in the U.S.A”. He also stated, “Cell phones can be used for so many things, such as a farmer in Ecuador could call markets to determine where his produce would fetch the best price. He could even act as a central sales agent for other growers in his village, finding buyers, getting crop advice – improving the community’s economy in the long run. But a cell phone without a way to charge is useless.” Donely’s cell phone involved anemometers, airfoils, special software, torque assessments and a 3D printer.
How are such project-based investigations assessed? Mastery! Assessment, using questioning with immediate feedback, must be on-going to monitor and insure that students are learning the related concepts. Total mastery may not be reached by every student, but all students can reach some degree of mastery! Mastery is the goal!
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