This project is increasing grade 4-8 student learning of science concepts, as well as mathematical concepts related to data analysis and measurement, by using an engineering design-based approach to teacher professional development and curricular development. The partnership involves the University of Minnesota's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Center and the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), the Saint Paul Public Schools, the North Saint Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District, and the South Washington County Schools. These three school districts are contiguous, and represent schools that are inner city, urban, and suburban.
This project is helping 200 teachers develop engineering design curricular units for each of the major science topic areas within the Minnesota State Academic Science Standards for grades 4-8 with a focus on vertical alignment and transition from upper elementary to middle-level, impacting 15,000 students over the life of the grant. The partnership is using summer professional development and curriculum writing workshops, paired with a cognitive coaching model, to allow teachers to design engineering design-based curricular units focused on science concepts, meaningful data analysis, and measurement. These curricular units are going through an extensive design research cycle to ensure a quality product and then will be submitted to TeachEngineering (teachengineering.org), an online peer-reviewed digital library, for use across the United States and beyond.
Measurable outcomes of the EngrTEAMS project are to: - Increase student mastery of grade-level standards in science and data analysis/measurement. - Increase student understanding of engineering and engineering design. - Promote a coherent transition between intermediate and middle school science learning through aligning the curricula for developmentally appropriate learning of concepts and aligning the pedagogies for research-based learning opportunities for students. - Develop a more effective and sustainable coaching model to support teachers in science classrooms. - Promote curricular design that allows content to be taught more meaningfully in the same or less time as more standard ways of approaching the teaching of science.
This project is advancing understanding about engineering design-based pedagogies and cognitive coaching models in science and the impacts of those on 4th-8th grade students' achievement in mathematics, science and critical thinking abilities. It is enhancing the student learning in and attitudes towards STEM fields.
The project partners' student population is diverse. Many of the Saint Paul School District's students come from immigrant or refugee families and 45% live in homes in which English is not the first language spoken. Because the teachers who teach in high-needs schools will implement the curriculum modules, this project is documenting the learning outcomes of underrepresented populations when presented with curriculum modules. The research findings are providing directions for designing effective curriculum and learning of STEM. The dissemination of the curriculum modules on peer-reviewed websites and the findings of the research studies are informing practitioners, administrators, researchers, and policy makers who aim to improve student achievement and interest in STEM careers.
