Observing STEMS in Action

Had the opportunity to visit Jen Slaton at Kapolei Elementary School a while ago.  Here's my take on what I saw, felt, and experienced...

Observations:

This is a clear place of learning.  The walls are adorned with visual information and student support which provided a visceral feeling of knowledge.  Opportunities and ideas abound as your eyes scan the various pictures, words, and experimental items around the room.  This is where STEM (and STEMS2) happens....

For example, hanging from the ceiling in one very visible section of the room, lets call it the heart of the room, were these statements:

• Should we try (idea)...
• Everyone may not agree but (idea)...
• (Name), what do you think?
• I think (opinion) because...
• How did you get your answer to (question)?
• I'm not sure because...
• Do you agree?
• I like what (name) said about...
• My idea is different because...

These simple yet highly effective sentence starters set the tone for the class expectations, the ideals of collaborative sharing, and the clear message... "You Will Be Sharing Your Ideas Here!"

The students, a 4th grade class, engaged with a lesson on plate tectonics, vulcanism, and the exploration of various viscosities of lava.  This was a 2-hour block.  The first 45 minutes comprised of recall, note reading, question and answer, and visual supports.  In the remaining time, the students engaged in team lab activities to explore the creation and eruption of their lab 'volcanoes.'  

I was impressed and happy to see the students, even the more kolohe ones, engaged and being challenged to share with their class.  No free passes here... if you're in the room, you're going to be involved!  Loved this... again, it was felt... this does not just happen... it takes time and effort to set expectations high, maintain them, and challenge students to engage... 

I experienced and felt this duality in the room.... Kids were having fun, even feeling and acting 'loose' around each other.  They did not have to sit in one spot during the activities, they were not assigned specific roles in the groups (although suggestions were made), and they were given the space/place to explore and engage on their own.  All this occurred in a controlled, monitored, and supported situation because of Jen. 

It's like knowing you can be yourself, yet knowing there are high expectations to exceed what you ever thought was possible in your academics.  Like seeing others, recognizing them for who they are, yet supporting the different styles.  All the while, Everyone knows they need to take the learning seriously.  Everyone knows learning is important and vital to their success in this room... 

Personal Connection: 

I've had the pleasure of knowing Jen for some time now.  She and my wife attended the same graduate cohort in the COE back in 2007-2009.  She became friendly with my wife, also named Jennifer, and I have admired and respected Jen ever since.  Like her classroom, she can be completely silly and free while maintaining a level of hard-core seriousness and focus... I don't know how she dies this, but she pulls it off effortlessly.

This ability to express oneself freely, yet maintain a high level of competency is what I feel comes across in her classroom.  The students know and fee this.  They are being given a clear model of how this works through Jen.  They are allowed to express themselves as individuals, be silly as kids, yet achieve collaborative projects and gain knowledge at an impressive rate.

Conclusion:
Learning occurs wherever Jen is.  Students will thrive wherever she can engage and interact with them.  She is STEMS2!  She embodies the ideals of collaborative, empathic learning with the innate ability to express oneself while advancing ideas through extremely rigorous expectations.

I took away some cool ideas from her classroom.  I want to incorporate and modify her sentence/conversation starters for my K-2 students... Maybe a table-top sticker with short pictures/words to help cue them to share... not sure yet, but something will be created because of my experiences observing Jen.  As always, it's good to see her work with students.  I walk away feeling I need to step-up my game in the best way possible....

Oh, and don't ever volunteer to be the kid who has to demonstrate a viscous liquid in her class... you may end up turning blue!

#3: How is My STEMS^2 Research Going? Who's Askin'?

Hello out there STEMS^2ers!  Hope you are all well and thriving these days... I'm feeling the pressure and the weight to be honest... I'll try and keep this blog honest, devoid of too much negativity, and I'll even try to end on a good note!

Focus Question: How is my STEMS^2 research going?

Well.... Here's the deal.... I got sick the day after the Eddie was canceled... Just now feeling back to normal... Almost 3 weeks of a nasty head/chest cold... Now my son is battling this same sickness and my wife is on the verge of getting sick... 

So, with all that going on, How's my research going?  Honestly, Sh*tt%!  That's how.... When I get time to work, and try to have the information sink in, it just glosses over my watery eyes and mushy brain.  There's a very real combination of being loopy from cold medicine, sheer exhaustion from being sick and still working (or our baby teething and being up every 2-3 hours), and being sick...

The readings from class are very valuable and I know I can (and need to) use the information; it just hasn't connected in my brain... or in my actual work yet!

My personal research is at a turning point.  After getting really valuable feedback from DJ after our 1st Draft, I have more questions I will address in my Spotlight on Thursday...
For example, Am I really doing a Teacher Action Research Design?  How do I know this?  I know I need more information and I need to re-read the research I already have to see if this is the route I am taking... DJ thought, after we discussed and he read, my work sounded more like a self-study... I tend to agree based on the quality of the data I'm collecting, the sources of data (me, my partner teacher), and the mission or focus of my research question.... 

Research Question: How will a STEMS^2 unit and teacher action research project prepare an elementary STEM teacher to collaborate more effectively and directly with a teaching peer?

What am I really doing? Why? I should know the answers by now or hold a vague understanding of the answers.. I'm not there and it's freakin' me out!

I have some solid research but I think I need to refocus, reform my categories based on my research focus (which I feel can shift to a self study), and prioritize...

So, enough complaining... What am I going to do.... "GET ON IT!"

I finally feel better, I have a better understanding of how to use my time at home while juggling all the other responsibilities, and I've come to the conclusion... dark coffee is my savior... I'll have to deal with my addiction to caffeine later...




Action Plan:

1. Stick to my Script (my Checklist)
2. Carve-out time each day to re-read, think, and write
3. Capture more chunks of time on the weekends to do all of this EVEN MORE
4. Get to Spring Break and "GET ON IT"
1. AKA - Block-off some days to spend at the library
2. Bribe the wife
3. Beg the in-laws to help out around the house and with my son
4. Keep thinking it's all worth it and I am doing the right thing for my family

Spring of Research: How Original?

So, We had some tasks to complete, some work to do.. as always.... The tasks were:

Utilizing your research question conduct a google scholar search to vet your research question. Is there research in this field that can drawn upon and/or has this research question already been answered?
 Share your research/project question and explain how you have arrived at this specific question

Some background might help, right?  My research question is: how will a STEMS^2 unit and teacher action research project prepare an elementary STEM teacher to collaborate more effectively and directly with a teaching peer?

When I completed a Google Scholar search, I did not find any previous works with this same title or exact same research question.... That's good right?  Ha..  The good news is I found some nice text resources to help support and use for my work.  The three resources I found are books fully accessible online, which is a plus!  The down-side is, well, they are books.... not exactly easy reading or items I can just spend a few hours on.  I did skim each work to make sure there is content directly connected to my research and found some very useful information!  Another cool connection was in finding the "Inside Outside" book by Cochran-Smith & Lytle; Tara had suggested these authors back when we met and it's good to finally make the connection!  I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes...

The books are:

Inside Outside (Cochran-Smith, Lytle)

PAR (McIntyre)

Evaluating Professional Development (Guskey)

I will continue to read and pull information from these articles as I need to support my research and the focus of my research question.  Thanks to all the excellent feedback from my Spotlight group from last week's class, I was able to narrow the scope of my question.  This session and feedback from my awesome STEMS^2 peers helped me arrive at the crux of what I am attempting to do.  We had an awesome discussion last week in class about taking these HUGE ideas and visions and narrowing them down to a fine point.  The point of the Plan B is to demonstrate the Beginning of a continued body of learning and teaching; not a culminating end.  

When I got this perspective (thanks to our professors and our class) it helped me realize how I could keep a more narrow focus while supporting a long-term vision and mission of my professional development.  I chose this topic and question based om my actual work in my school, our STEMS^2 cohort work, and my previous experiences working in the HIDOE.

I feel this question and topic will be of value to my role as K-2 STEM teacher and STEM Coach at Mauka Lani.  I get to engage and interact with over 300 students and 14 teachers on a yearly basis!    Collaboration is a HUGE component of my role and how I need to interact and engage at MLES.  I hope to gain insights into my own practices, behaviors, and interactions with my peers.  I feel this will help my direct connection and exposure with my students while supporting a more place-based, holistic educational experience.  

So, I need to keep researching, reading, and refining/editing my work!  It's a journey worth taking and I appreciate all the opportunities.... As always, thanks for reading and good luck to you all in your journey as well!!!!

Springing into Action: What is my Research Design again? AKA - What Am I Doing?

Ok, I think I get it... well, maybe not completely, but I think I get the general idea.

I'm going to use this blog to review, analyze, and collect my thoughts on two readings: Maxwell's Chapter 4 and "Teacher Action Research in Teacher Education"  by Mariana Souto-Manning.  Here's the link to the Maxwell work and the article with my comments:
Maxwell, Ch.4, with comments by J. Reale
Teacher Action Research in Teacher Education, Souto-Manning, Comments by J. Reale

Both readings support my process in determining two BIG areas of my research project.  First, the Maxwell reading addresses the concepts and ways to determine an appropriate research question.  The work also links the research question to two major goals of my study; the intellectual and practical.  Next, the Souto-Manning article highlights and comments on the value of teacher action research.  I am using teacher action research as my design for my Plan B.  The article shares supportive reasons why to conduct action research and provides reinforcing and peer-reviewed references to bolster the article.  

I'm going to try and write the next sections of this blog with the intent of literally copying and pasting some sections into my Plan B's introduction and methodology.  So, my style and form will try and adhere to APA.  My intent is to create short, usable pieces I can insert into my Plan B.  Still couldn't figure how to get the sections below double-spaced, but I can adjust that when I cut/paste onto my Plan B document.... 

Maxwell Ch. 4 (2012)

Maxwell begins chapter four with a basic and fundamental claim; an effective research question influences all other aspects of a research study.  Maxwell (2012) cites the work of Miles & Huberman in this excerpt to clarify the value of a research question:  

In a research proposal or published paper, the function of your research questions is to explain specifically what your study is intended to learn or understand.  In your research design, the research questions serve two other vital functions as well: to help you focus the study (the questions' relationship to your goals and conceptual framework) and to give you guidance for how to conduct it (their relationship to methods and validity) (cf. Miles & Huberman, 1994, pp. 22-25)

Maxwell's text focuses on qualitative research which is the mode of this researcher's study.  A central theme of this chapter asserts the need to continually revisit and revise one's research question in a qualitative study based on the continued data and evolving evidence at hand.  Researchers search for the question based on the information from data collection.  This perspective perfectly compliments the selected teacher research design method for this study.  

Maxwell shares several warnings and reminders when creating effective research questions.  He warns researchers to cultivate research questions which are not too broad, too specific, or too biased.  The text shares practical examples of how to avoid these potentially limiting pitfalls.  Maxwell offers another interesting insight as to the use and connection between formulating hypotheses and qualitative research questions.  Some feel posing hypotheses based on qualitative research questions as arbitrary or invalid.  Maxwell contends this practice to be justified and valuable to the research process.  Finally, Maxwell concludes the chapter explaining the value of forming an appropriate question through an evolutionary process.  He repeats the importance of adjusting one's research question based on the qualitative data and experiences of the research.  

Souto-Manning (2012)

This study will administer a teacher action research design.  This design supports the researcher's purpose, research question (at this moment), and intent.  This design also connects to effectively developing and cultivating more appropriate research questions as referenced in Maxwell's previously mentioned work.  Souto-Manning reports, "Teacher action research involves a systematic and sustained study of some aspect of teaching and learning" (p. 54).  This research design perpetuates the fundamental processes of formative and summative assessment.  However, this process of assessment is self-reflective in nature and uses multiple sources of data to inform decision-making.  This form of research leads to actions which transform teaching and learning practices in the classroom.  In comparison, teacher action research closely resembles part of the process in National Board Certification.  Souto-Manning (2012) reflects:

I have engaged in the recursive practice of journaling, writing down notes, and collecting artifacts, which provides insights into the learning practices of my students.  Then, I interpret these practices as I plan my next class.  I engage in a formative process that informs each class and in a summative process - a meta analysis - that informs the revision of the course as a whole (p.55).  

Her explanation through reflecting accurately and clearly defines teacher action research.  This process adapts to the situation and individual(s) while adhering to the basic principles explained above.  Teacher action research effectively and respectfully connects to a true place-based educational setting while allowing for meaningful collaboration and continuous professional self-improvement.

Ok folks... that was my attempt at scholarly writing for the  day... ha..

Hope you all are navigating this process as gracefully as me.... Here's what I felt like today:


As always, Mahalo for reading and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


       
  

Life's Little Bonuses...

Sometimes in life, it is better to carpe diem...

Dead Poet's Society

I try to follow this mantra, but fall short on a cotidie (Latin word of the day, means 'daily') basis.  There are rare occasions when I can combine a mixture of ambition, luck, energy, nerves, and relentless support from many amazing people to 'pull off' something worth wile.  I had the opportunity to speak in a session at the Schools of the Future Conference (SOTFC) at the Hawaii Convention Center yesterday.  I agreed to this last school year because Hope asked me to give it a shot.  I thought, what the heck, I can talk about PLTW and what we do in the classroom.  I've had countless visitors to my class over the past two years; what's the harm in speaking about this to a room of people.  No sweat... Right...

Now we Fast-forward: wife gets pregnant (of which we were intentionally trying for several years, so Yay!), decided to go back to grad school (of which I am forever grateful and appreciative, even though it may drive my wife a bit nuts), preemie baby, baby's home, we're trying to learn how to be parents (of which I can say Luca's still thriving and he smiles every day... that's more on him than on us... we lucked out with this lil one), family visits (mostly good with the usual crazy mixed in), school year starts, juggling 27 plates at a time.... then....

Oh, right, I did agree to speak in front of a room full of my peers about PLTW, NGSS, and CCSS...

So I whip-up what I can.  I have the awesome support of my PTT, Hope, my co-worker Stacy, and we get it done.  I feel relieved the second it's over and I'm talking to some of our awesome STEMS^2 peeps after the 'show.'  Tara, Joe, Eo, Waynelle, Kaai, and of course Hope; you all showed me the love and support through your actions and words.  We are so lucky to have a learning family like this!  Big Mahalos to you all for taking the time to be with me!  Just knowing you were there, and sorry Eo, Waynelle, and Joe... I did't see you at first, but was so happy to see you there.. what can I say, Tara naturally has people gravitate toward her - like a nice shiny sun; I guess I'm no different.. ha

Being a very small part of the SOTFC was a humbling and honored experience.  I had a room with about 50 participants, in a conference of over 1,500 educators, administrators, parents, and professionals from various public and private entities.  For a short time, these 50 or so people were giving me their time and energy.  I was trying to give them back all they deserved and wanted to respect their efforts by providing a total experience.

The power of our voices and actions are evident in times like these.  Through my presentation, I had so much running through my head which I wanted to share.  I attempted to sneak in some ideas I feel represent a small slice of STEMS^2 while respecting the platform and venue I was a part of.   I mentioned A'o as a vital concept in what PLTW does; Project LEAD the Way's design supports and encourages students as leaders in the classroom.  This is not just a line, I believe it and try to make it happen in my classes.  I spoke about the real connection between engineering education in the K-12 setting connected to our University trying to attract and keep local engineers here to create and expand current industry.  I also mentioned the importance of collaborative teamwork which is embedded in the PLTW system; another tenant of our STEMS^2 experiences.  I tried to connect the PLTW curriculum, with its initial stories which lead into the projects and activities, with the need for a more connected and represented cultural component.  Our new PLTW lead, Diana Papipi Warren, is dedicated to create more meaningful connections between the PLTW curriculum and our host culture across Hawaii's schools.  Through this small window of time, I hope my words were appropriate and from my heart.

What is so refreshing and reassuring is how our state has this conference EVERY YEAR.  The establishment and continuation of this event is a true public-private partnership.  Yes, there are political, ethical, and cultural impacts and I'm not saying this conference is the best example of what STEMS^2 stands for.  It's not..yet.... but, I guess my challenge is, if we feel a conference of this magnitude is a useful platform to share our STEMS^2 ideas and agenda, why are we not proliferating our message to the masses?  How can we use amazing events like this to spread our information and causes to the rest of the state?  After experiencing this for the first time, I think the SOTFC provides a safe and useful platform for us STEMS^2ers to engage, challenge, and inspire others.

So, next year, who's commin' with me?  What is your STEMS^2 passion?  How can you capture that passion, compress it into one of the various platforms offered at this conference (poster sessions, speaking sessions, activity sections), and spread some STEMS^2 all over that bread!?  Just a suggestion and a minor call to action for the next 50 or so STEMS^2 cohorts... make this SOTFC, or other conferences like it, part of the STEMS^2 curriculum.  Embed the opportunities and challenges of public presentations in educational settings as part of the STMES^2 learning process.  This may have dual ramifications and I'd like to invite discussion and debate on this issue.  In no way do I think this suggestion is a solution to a problem.  It's more of a idea of possibility for the future of STEMS^2 and how it is seen/heard/felt/and sensed in our place.  In the comments below, feel free to share your ideas, questions, or comments.


Check out these links if you like!

Schools of the Future Conference: Homepage


My PLTW, STEM, NGSS Presentation


As always, I appreciate my learning family!  It is an honor to be a part of this experience and share it with you all; thanks for reading!

Creating a STEMS^2 Curricular Unit (#5)

What is a STEMS^2 Unit, what does it look like, how does it engage the students, what will the outcomes be, and why is all this important?

Questions, questions, questions...

Here's my breakdown...

1.  Start with the ends in mind.  What do I want my students to experience through this unit?  How can this experience fundamentally change them for the better?  How do these experiences support their academic, social, personal, and cultural growth?

A good STEMS^2 unit has several predetermined ends in mind.  Even though careful thought and planning go into determining these ends, one should not assume these will be the only ends or the most meaningful for each student.  I also believe a good curricular unit allows for adaptation, evolution, and adjustments based on student input and feedback.

2.  Create a holistic experience. How can this unit combine and interconnect ideas, materials, and people with meaning and purpose?  How will this unit develop further exploration and expansion in the individuals involved?  How will this experience support and respect those involved and inspire others to become involved?

 An effective STEMS^2 unit weaves and melds together multiple academic concepts with cultural experiences.  It connects individuals with themselves while supporting a group dynamic.  This unit should blend multiple learning spaces, materials, people, and resources.  While the concepts can be content-specific, the overarching connections should be evident and planned.  Integration and collaboration are keys when developing and experiencing STEMS^2.  These integrated experiences and collaborative efforts don't need to be specific to any one area (academics, social interactions, cultural components, ethics, civics, etc.).  

3.  A'o is a foundation.  How will this unit allow for every individual involved to teach and learn?  Why is this belief vital to supporting a STEMS^2 unit?

One of the tenants of our STEMS experiences has been our personal involvement in teaching each other.  This crucial concept lends itself to any meaningful, group-oriented, perspective-changing learning experience for students of any age.  I feel this has been a concept I have stressed to my students (K-2) since day one of this year.  It is a term I often refer to, remind them of, and challenge them to live up to in each class.

4.  Respect our Hawaiian (host) culture and all other cultures present.  How can we demonstrate respect to the Hawaiian culture through our actions and words?  How do we integrate any culture into our learning experiences with respect and dignity?    

A STEMS^2 unit strives to share and celebrate the many positive aspects of the Hawaiian culture through meaningful actions and thought-out words.  I will never be, nor do I want to be a Hawaiian.  I most certainly want to continue my learning and evolution in how to respect and share in Hawaiian cultural experiences.  I want to share my understandings and continue asking people of the Hawaiian culture how I can best spread the aloha (in the truest meaning of the word).  I want to provide spaces and places within my curriculum so any culture can be celebrated, learned, and respected.  I want to celebrate difference while recognizing similarities across all cultures.

5.  A STEMS^2 unit is based in sound academic practices, research-based strategies, and uses meaningful data to drive the instructional adjustments.  How can I use meaningful data (observational notes, student feedback, etc.) to drive and adjust my instruction to support greater meaning through this unit?  Why are best practices vital to the student experience?

Teaching is not just a "throw it on the wall and see what sticks" venture.  Teaching is an art, a craft which needs continuous monitoring and adjustment.  Teachers need to KNOW how important the power of change is if it is based in meaningful and effective reasoning.  Change for the sake of change can be fruitless.  Change because we know there is a better way can bear a lifetime of fruit.  Evolving and adapting should be required in a profession of ever-evolving and adaptable students who live in a constantly-evolving environment.

Through these 5 elements, there are many more components and ideas.  Through everything we do in STEMS, there is Love.  There is Compassion.  There is the Individual and the Collective.

Mahalo!
 

STEMS^2 Free...What Do I Do Now?

So, this is a "free" write and will be a reflection of what I'm doing, how I'm doing, and where I think I need to be...

Our STEMS^2 experiences thus far have taken us on some truly transformational paths.  I can feel the weight of our experiences and interactions through polar-opposite forces.

 First, I feel support through our STEMS^2 community foundations.  I know we are all in this together and all bring our own perspectives, places, strengths, and needs.  We are a strong collective unit of A'o; sharing a multitude of voices in many safe and supportive spaces.  We have encountered challenging ideas and situations which intentionally placed us in places of discomfort.  We have overcome and worked through these obstacles together... We have each other's backs!



On the other hand, I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed with the constant bombardment of important and influential information, learning reflections, and revolutionary teaching and learning ideals.  It's a constantly HEAVY feeling in my chest.  I'm being smashed by these Huge concepts and systemically-altering ideas!  Not to mention the work we are doing in our class... It's very meaningful and influential to our work as teachers; I guess that's why it feels so immense when I try and wrap my brain around all of it...


But here's the thing.. I think, this is completely my rationalization, this is supposed to not be all good or all bad... It's like life!  If life was all good with no challenges or life-altering experiences, it would be pretty boring!  If life felt all bad with it's constant barrage of crap then we can't see the beauty and potential in these kinds of situations...

To connect this to our learning so far, I think we're dealing with Gruenewald's 5 components of place through all of our experiences.  It's been political through what I'm reading, ecological through my space I choose to work, sociological through the content of the information, perceptual based on what I 'get' out of what is presented through the readings, and ideological through my interpretations and understandings of the work.

 I've just spent the past 4 hours doing some 'light' research for my Lit Review... I've learned and read some Amazing stuff; I've also gone cross-eyed about 17 times reading through so much information.  My intention is to use the Lit Review assignment as a rough draft of my Lit Review section for my Plan B.  Which leads me to another issue... What will my Plan B be?  I'm constantly trying to wrestle the ideas from my brain to articulate how I can connect all the dots in my teaching and learning experiences to develop my curriculum and Plan B.

Here's my attempt as narrowing down my ideas so far.  I want to incorporate my work with my Garden Club students and our school's garden.  I want to also connect to the Hawaiian cultural elements I've been trying to actively engage in (and have my students engage in) through my new classroom rituals, routines, and vocabulary.  I also want to incorporate elements of how I continue to try (this is constantly being re-worked, revised, and re-thought) engaging our school staff in this culture and sense of place through our school garden.  I realize I can not force my sense of place on anyone, nor should this be my intent.

There are certain keys to my madness so far: ideas like spaces and places to learn (meaning all areas of our life), collaboration (with our community), learning from the past to influence the future (connection to Hawaiian culture and values), and evolving our potential for learning and teaching through place-based activities.  

Some possible ideas for my Plan B are: The Importance of a Multi-Layered approach to evolving a Sense of Place through student-engaged, culturally-relevant, and place-based curriculum.... OR
Sense, Scents, and Cents of Place: How to connect a multi-layered, evolving, student-engaged, culturally-relevant, place-based education in an elementary school setting....

Both seem like a rambling, nonsensical, jumble of words right now... But I am trying to make sense of it all....

Well, It's back to the 33 articles I've found.. Time to categorize, narrow my focus, and put this all together somehow....

Thanks for listening to my musings.  As always, it's a joy and a pain to do this work; a perfect blend of what it means to learn and grow.

Aloha All!