November 2019
Monthly News
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IN THIS ISSUE
Growing STEM BES
T
®
Community Invites New Partners
Workplace Hosts Needed for Expanding Externships Program
Compute to Compete: 12 Elementary Schools Blaze a Trail
Scale-Up Starts a STEM Buzz at School
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December 19, 2019 - 10:00 a.m.
Northwest Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 10, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.
Northwest Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 10, 2020 - 12:00 p.m.
North Central Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 14, 2020 - 1:00 p.m.
South Central Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 16, 2020 - 9:00 a.m.
Southeast Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 16, 2020 - 1:00 p.m.
Northeast Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 27, 2020 - 12:00 p.m.
Southwest Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
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Growing STEM BEST
®
Community Invites New Partners
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STEM BEST® Program model Ankeny Orbis spoke with school board members and administrators about the STEM BEST® Program at the Iowa Association of School Boards Annual Convention.
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The STEM BEST® Program continues to demonstrate momentum through growth and impact of the program in school districts across Iowa. Of 63 total STEM BEST® Program awards, there are a total of 58 models involving 83 school districts and more than 5,000 students that formed more than 1,300 workplace partnerships from 2014 to 2019. Additional data is being gathered to determine where past STEM BEST® Program participants are now post high school. Outcomes from this study will be used to drive the future of program.
To take part in this effective, work-based learning model and build a community-based STEM BEST® Program, the initial steps are:
- Assemble a team. Identify a team to help create partnerships and identify community needs. All STEM BEST® Program applications must be submitted by an Iowa public or non-public school or school district. Teams should have a project lead engaged with that school or school district. Connecting with a district administrator, curriculum coordinator or an impassioned educator is important. Community representatives such as business and industry, higher education, economic development, non-profits and area school districts sectors will help round the team.
- Bring Partnerships Together. Reach out to local industries and businesses to develop partnerships where real-world student-led projects can connect students to the community at large. Identify key community leaders and team members who will commit to the development of this plan. Also, connect with existing STEM BEST® Program models to learn what is working in other communities.
- Develop Rigorous, Relevant and Dynamic Integrated STEM Curriculum. 21st Century skills are needed in the current and future workforce. The school or school district team should discuss how to develop a curriculum that is innovative and uses collaborative, work-based learning opportunities with partners.
- Consider Cost-Share Contribution. All STEM BEST® Programs are required to have a 1:1 cost-share contribution. Between the school/school districts and partners, contributions may come in the form of cash contributions or in-kind services.
- Connect with the Regional STEM Manager. Reach out to the Regional STEM Manager for guidance and feedback to help bring the STEM BEST® Program to the community.
The STEM BEST® Program application will be open February 10 through May 15, 2020, for implementation during the 2020-2021 academic year. Learn more about the STEM BEST® Program and how to apply at
www.IowaSTEM.gov/stembest
.
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Workplace Hosts Needed for Expanding Externships Program
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Bob Grant, a mathematics teacher at Storm Lake High School, completed a STEM Teacher Externship in 2019 at Merrill Manufacturing in Storm Lake. He helped complete a statistical analysis of data for the time required to assemble a hydrant in order to provide up-to-date information to assist the management team in the decision-making process.
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Planning for the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program is gearing up for Summer 2020. Each summer, educators are matched with business hosts where they learn about career opportunities that use the skills students are learning in the classroom while addressing needs of local workplaces.
Since 2009, nearly 200 Workplace Hosts have had the opportunity to work with nearly 600 of Iowa’s most talented STEM educators. By opening the door to a STEM Teacher Extern, Hosts help build a partnership that will enhance the workplace and the community’s future workforce.
To ensure the best outcomes for both Workplace Hosts and Teacher Externs, here are a few tips for preparing to host a STEM Teacher Extern:
- Identify team members. A team will be helping the teacher complete projects and solve problems. Letting your team members know that a teacher will be joining the team in the summer is important to an overall successful experience. Teachers and hosts often find the most benefit from the experience when teachers are viewed as a contributing team member from day one.
- Identify team member roles. Identify a point person at the work site, as well as the person who will most likely be working with the teacher on a daily basis. It is also important to identify secondary team members who the Extern can turn to for smaller projects in order to build a complete picture of how the organization works.
- Identify projects and/or needs. It can be difficult to know the projects or needs in advance of summer. Longstanding “to do” lists that have been shelved are often the seeds that grow other opportunities during the summer. Multiple projects, varying in breadth, depth and time should be considered in order to accommodate for variable circumstances and to ensure maximum productivity for the teacher.
- Consider Cost-Share Contribution. All hosts are asked to cost-share at least half of the total per teacher costs via a tax-deductible donation of $3,000. If this is not feasible for your organization, discuss other options with the STEM Teacher Externship Program coordinators.
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Compute to Compete: 12 Elementary Schools Blaze a Trail
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Students at Kingsley-Pierson Elementary take part in the Computer Science is
Elementary project provided by the Iowa Department of Education and the Governor’s
STEM Advisory Council.
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Planning and implementation are well under way for 12 awarded Computer Science is Elementary schools, a joint project of the Iowa Department of Education and the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. For Kingsley-Pierson Elementary, students are already building confidence in computer science after only a couple months of implementing computer science into the elementary curriculum.
As a former high school business teacher for Kingsley-Pierson High School, Erin Chute was aware of the many careers that involve computer science skills so she began teaching them in her classroom. The Coding Buddies program was formed to partner high school students with elementary students and introduce computer science at a young age. With the computer science skills elementary students were learning early on, Chute knew curriculum would need to be developed to continue to grow and teach new computer science skills to students as they moved on to the next grade level.
This mindset led Chute, now the Curriculum Coordinator, instructional coach and digital literacy coach for Kingsley-Pierson Community School District, to pursue the Computer Science is Elementary award. Once awarded, the district wasted no time in planning and implementation. A group of educators found resources, wrote curriculum and held workshops over the summer to help prepare for implementation at the beginning of the school year.
Strong support from the community has helped bring awareness to many local careers that depend on computer science knowledge. Community engagement has ranged from guest speakers and open houses to demonstrations and field trips to see how computer science is used in the workplace.
“The Computer Science is Elementary award opened so many doors for our students. We were able to put computer science in the hands of our students a lot sooner. It can be taught in lessons, however, being able to have a hands-on computer science experience has made it come to life,” said Chute.
In the future, the goal is for computer science to be fully implemented across the Kingsley-Pierson elementary, middle and high school curriculum.
Kingsley-Pierson Elementary and eleven other schools will serve as models for Iowa educators interested in implementing computer science instruction. More information about the Computer Science is Elementary project and awardees can be found at
www.IowaSTEM.gov/cselementary
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Scale-Up Starts a STEM Buzz at School
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Members of the Southeast Regional STEM Advisory Board visited John Glenn
Elementary to learn about their STEM makerspace made possible through a STEM
Scale-Up Program award.
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When John Glenn Elementary fourth grade teacher Jarrett Bertog applied for the STEM Scale-Up Program Making STEM Connections provided by the Science Center of Iowa, he was looking for ways to incorporate hands-on STEM learning into his classroom curriculum. He hadn’t imagined that it would turn into a school-wide makerspace.
Bertog received this STEM Scale-Up Program award for implementation during the 2018-2019 academic year. After implementing the materials in his classroom during the school year and some experimentation, a STEM committee was formed with other educators and the school administration. When a section reduction freed up space in the school building, the STEM committee came up with a vision for incorporating a makerspace using the STEM Scale-Up Program materials.
With help from fellow educators, first grade teacher Shelly Harmsen and sixth grade teacher Sam Nichols, the available space was transformed into a collaborative learning environment where educators and students can look at education a little differently. Stations were created in the makerspace featuring a sewing machine, hand tools, robotics components, circuit materials, among others. Educators reserve the makerspace for various lessons. A coding club has been created and regularly utilizes the space as well.
Bertog has noticed a new buzz around STEM at the school. Students are taking on a problem-solving mindset and are excited to have the opportunity to access the makerspace.
“There are so many ways for students to explore learning, not just visually and audibly. My hope is to continue to shift curriculum to allow opportunities for more hands-on learning experiences,” said Bertog.
To learn more about the STEM Scale-Up Program and how to apply for a program for your school or educational organization, visit
www.IowaSTEM.gov/scale-up
. The STEM Scale-Up Program menu and application for the 2020-2021 academic year will be available in January.
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Contact the Iowa STEM Operations Center by phone at (319) 273-2959
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