Making Connections: Preparing Teachers to Integrate STEM Presentation (Faculty180)

cited authors

  • Cioc, Carmen; Lambert, Judy; Tsapranis, Melody; Velikaz, Katherine; Marley, Cynthia

description

  • Making Connections: Preparing Teachers to Integrate STEM, is a collaborative effort between Toledo Public Schools (TPS) and The University of Toledo (UT) that provides professional development (PD) in science, math, and special education for TPS teachers on the integration of STEM in the classroom. The program, which focused on the physical sciences, included the use of 5E Inquiry and Thinking Math instructional methods, technology, and differentiated instructional strategies for special needs students. Teachers participated in online simulations, experiments, and engineering design challenges, all of which required them to collect, record and analyze data. At the end of a 10-day summer institute, teachers were given assistance in writing integrated STEM lesson plans, which they were required to implement in the fall. Presenters will provide a short overview of the PD including its format and activities, goals, and program outcomes. TPS teachers will share with the audience an integrated STEM unit they experienced during PD. This unit based on the concepts of force and motion included online simulations; a science experiment (May the Force Be with You) using Vernier’s LabQuest devices to collect data on how surface texture affects frictional forces; math skills of recording experiment results, calculating average friction of different surfaces, and then graphing the data in Google Sheets. An engineering design challenge, which extended the concepts of force and motion, was a variation of the NASA’s Satellite Delivery Rocket activity in which teachers designed and tested the distance of paper and balloon rockets. Teachers will describe lessons they created and the results of implementation of those lessons. Presenters will also provide handouts and solicit audience participation. You can download the presentation at: http://www.stemcon.net/download-presentations-2017/

authors

publication date

  • 2017

presented at event