Excellence in STEM Award Finalists

Ed Darling, Mike Dowdle, John Wright

The first finalist is actually a team from Bloomfield High School. Physics teacher Edward Darling, biology teacher Mike Dowdle, and technology teacher John Wright will share this honor.

In their winning activity, the three teachers incorporated their design technology, biology, and physics content areas to develop a day-long integrated activity to meet the Group 4 Experimental Sciences Project requirement for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Students were assigned interdisciplinary teams where they would utilize and share their knowledge and experiences to research exercise machines in the school’s fitness center. The students were required to determine which machine provided the best workout in terms of muscle fatigue, heart rate, and flexibility; how incline and workout method affected the amount of power and work; how ergonomically adjustable the machines were; and how to design a fitness center that is energy efficient. Students then used their group’s findings to design improved exercise machines that could be used by a greater diversity of people. One week prior to the activity, students were given the opportunity to formulate research questions, develop a plan to explore the topic, and decide how to share the task with the other members of their group. Student teams then created a presentation to explain their research and findings to a panel of peer, teacher, and administrator judges.

From this project, students benefitted from being given the authentic opportunity of having to conduct research about their own school setting, analyze data, develop meaningful conclusions, and create a professional presentation. Teacher Edward Darling stated that the project “was just as much about the process as it was about the product…[the students] really were self directed, self motivated problem solvers.” Darling continued that he, Dowdle, and Wright are already looking for ways enhance the activity in the future, including planning the project more collaboratively with students.

According to Bloomfield Central School District Superintendent Michael Midey, the many hours of planning and development led to a superior and exciting interdisciplinary learning experience for students. “The effort of these teachers helped the students to rise to a level of understanding that I have not seen in a normal laboratory experience,” he said.

Jennie Peck

The second finalist, Jennie Peck, is an eighth grade middle school science teacher from Burger Middle School in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District.

In an effort to increase student motivation for learning human anatomy, Jennie developed a “menu style” approach that allows her students to take ownership in their learning as well as give them choices as to how they learn and demonstrate mastery of the material. Her menu choices are purposefully differentiated by ability, interest, and learning style, and allow the students to become an active participant in how they are evaluated.

For her innovative human body unit, each body system has its own menu that is broken into three levels, with Level 1 including basic content, Level 2 including more challenging content, and Level 3 being including enrichment activities. Students are given four days to work at their own pace and choose of the three levels to complete. Prior to taking a quiz for each system, students track their own progress and mastery on a chart to determine which areas need continued study. Jennie also meets with students individually during this process in an open dialog to evaluate their progress. One of her students stated that “I like the menu because I can move at my own pace and I don’t have to wait,” while another commented that “I like the free will to choose what I want to do to learn.”

In order to determine the effectiveness of the menu-style approach, Jennie conducted an action research project on student learning and motivation. Her students completed an online survey about their perceptions of the project, and Jennie also conducted a self-regulation questionnaire to determine changes in motivation. Jennie also compared her students’ scores to data from the district’s human anatomy exam, concluding that the majority of her students scored at or higher than the district assessment.

Jennie’s research indicated that students were positive about the choices that they were given as well as the aspects of self-assessment, pacing, and tracking. Her data also suggested that students’ motivation changed over the course of this unit from controlled regulatory style to more of an autonomous regulatory style. According to Jennie, “the evidence is overwhelmingly supportive of the use of this type of learning tool. The menu promotes self-sufficiency by encouraging students to locate resources outside of the teacher and to truly become autonomous. It is remarkable to look out into my classroom to know that my students are engaged in learning, as I take on the role of coach and cheer from the periphery.”

Richard Colosi

The third finalist, Richard Colosi, is a first grade primary school teacher from Canandaigua Primary School in the Canandaigua City School District.

 

This past school year was a landmark year in terms of technology education for teacher Richard Colosi and his First Grade students. Yearning to possess the newest classroom technology, Colosi’s class created videos promoting the use of technology education in schools among both boy and girl students. The class made a video set to Gwen Stefani’s pop song “Hollaback Girl,” focusing on girls using technology. Instead of the original song’s lyrics, which spell out “bananas,” the students spell “digital.” And instead of “Ain’t gonna holla back girl,” the lyrics read “They ain’t gonna hold us back, girls.”

“It’s about girls using technology ’cause people don’t think girls really like it,” said 6-year-old Bridget Wagner, who narrates the video.

Mr. Colosi shot the video during lunch periods and after school. The video shows what students are already doing, like using iPods and computer programs.

Colosi said that in his classroom, the girls are just as excited to use technology as boys.

“In our classroom … every kid uses technology,” he said. “If we had more technology, we could further spread this message.”

Students danced, jumped and screamed to spread their message.

“In my class, my teacher says girls can do anything with technology,” said Bridget on the video. “And I’m gonna shout it out that girls need to learn about this technology stuff.”