1) What is your background and how did you get
involved in STEM?
I have a varied background ranging from being a gymnastics
coach, to doing sound and lighting for various theatre companies. I studied
History in college and through an alternative certification program landed a
job in Elementary Education in DC Public Schools. While I am primarily a
language teacher, I have always possessed a natural curiosity about technology
and how it could help me. I carried this into my teaching and have become one
of DCPS’ School Based Technology Coordinators in addition to my regular
teaching responsibly.
The thing about STEM education is that no teacher is in it
for the money. We are not worried about profit margins, investors or the next
big thing. We are meeting the individual needs of the 30+ human beings who sit
in front of us every day. The teachers that are using technology, and using it
well, are those who have invested their own time, talents, and often money into
learning new things. They know that learning is so important that they are
willing to lead by example, showing students and the world that learning new
things is essential. In turn, their students see learning as essential. They
see technology as a tool. Many students that I work with do not have a computer
at home. Their parents do not own smartphones. Many of their parents can not
read, in any language. So it is imperative that they see technology as
something that can help them bridge a gap between them and their peers, not as
another hurdle. I think that the staff and students that I worked with this
year utilized technology in a way that was not intimidating to students or
families and saw measurable growth in academic performance.
2) Please describe your day to day responsibilities.
This past school year I fulfilled several responsibilities
at Thomson Elementary in DCPS. First and foremost I served as an ESL (English
as a Second Language) teacher to 37, preschool through 5th grade,
students. I also taught several sections of reading interventions. This was
targeted instruction for students identified as struggling readers. I also
served as the building leader for Dibles and TRC testing, which are our
benchmark reading assessments. And lastly, I was the building’s Technology
Coordinator, which involved the purchase and maintenance of the buildings
technology. I also trained employees on proper use of technology, acted as
in-house tech support and was the chief liaison with the districts various
technology offices. In this position I also developed a multi-year replacement
plan and updated an outdated and inaccurate inventory. I implemented various
pilot programs with technology including MP3 players, Apple TVs, iPads and
netbooks in the classrooms. Some of these will be implemented building wide
next year.
3) Can you tell us something about "Listening for Literacy"?
3) Can you tell us something about "Listening for Literacy"?
The necessity of a project like this has been evident since the
time I started at my current school. I teach at an urban public school in one
of the country’s most challenging districts. We proudly boast a very diverse
population including around 60+% ESL students. I worked closely with two other
teachers to develop this project. The idea was fairly simple, how can we
provide language support to our students outside of the school day? We decided to try giving them MP3 players to
take home containing differentiated language content specific for each student.
After pooling our remaining balances on Office Depot cards,
distributed by the district for school supplies, and pitching in a little cash
of our own, we purchased 32 small, 2gb MP3 players. They are nothing fancy, no
screen, but they are the perfect vehicle to launch this program. They are easy
to use, only a few buttons. All the buttons are pictorial and do not require
English literacy to operate. Best of all, they were only $10. Along with printing
and copying resources at school we felt that we were ready to see if this crazy
idea would work.
The idea of MP3
players evolved from the practices of a few teachers. I personally had sent
home CDs with material on them. One year I sent home the audio of Alice in
Wonderland, one chapter at a time. Last year, with kindergarten students, I
sent home CDs containing phonics songs and letter sounds. Another participating
teacher, used a tape recorder to record herself reading books. The other
participating teacher used a MP3 player with an individual student to help
bridge summertime learning. The idea of using MP3 players in not new, and there
are a lot of companies that are using them successfully. Our question was, can
a program be implemented at a low cost, using individualized materials? The
pre-packaged programs that were researched are applicable to usually to a
narrow range of students who were reading at or about grade level, most of our
students were significantly below grade level. We actually have one of these
programs in our first grade classrooms. The other difference is that most of
these programs require expensive equipment and are meant to be used in the
classroom. We specifically wanted something that went home with the students
each day. As far as we can find, we are the first group to put together a
larger scale program that is concentrated on sending home audio material that
does not require internet. While there are great things online for students,
most of our families do not have a computer or internet at home.
The other
difference between this and other ideas, was the strong parent connection. We
held parent meetings and let the parents go through the content before giving
it to the students. They gave feedback through surveys and parent reading logs.
All of the parent surveys indicated that they would like for their students to
continue in this program next year. Many of our parents are learning English in
an afterschool English class. We have learned that they are using the MP3 players
as well as the students, and in one case, the family purchased speakers and
listens as a family! These are the positive unintended consequences that we did
not even imagine.
Academically,
we have seen significant measurable growth among the students who participated.
Their middle of the year reading scores averaged a full point higher than the
average growth of the students who did not participate. Teachers have even
noted that they participate more regularly in class, and there are a few
students who, in one year, grew from far below grade level, to grade level
proficient. While certainly all of this growth cannot be attributed simply to
MP3 players, we do think that in addition to the language and reading
objectives that we set out achieve, it allowed our students to develop a love
of reading that had yet to be kindled within them.
Technology
helped us to achieve these goals that are not necessarily directly related to
any STEM subject. It showed students that technology can be a tool that helps
them. It showed teachers that individualized education is possible, and at a
manageable cost. I hope that the lesson learned for the educational community
is that with creativity, technology can be a catalyst to solving problems.
Next year
Listening for Literacy will continue with hopes of expansion. With a small
grant from Donors Choose, I was able to purchase an additional 10 MP3 players,
and all the headphones and accessories. Out hope next year is to start
incorporating video flashcards, and expand to a greater number of students.
3) The U.S. is not turning out the engineering students that we need to in order to compete as an innovative country. Why is this issue so important?
3) The U.S. is not turning out the engineering students that we need to in order to compete as an innovative country. Why is this issue so important?
As America pulls away from a manufacturing society, we have
become the innovators. I firmly believe that America will be the place to
create the “next big thing,” and then whatever overtakes that. It is our
ingenuity that has always set us apart in the world, and our creativity and
hard work that has allowed us to begin to solve problems, that do not even
exist yet. It is not necessarily formal engineering that will be lacking in the
coming years, but the engineering mindset, of being able to take things apart
and figure them out, and change them or improve them. It is the ability to
improve on existing designs, and take ideas and make them reality, that will be
truly important in the next generation. These very notions of problem solving
and creating solutions, start with our three-year-olds. I think that if the
country wants to see more college educated engineers, it needs to insist on
more education for three-year-olds. It needs to demand more technology and math
education in the youngest of its students. For the spark that will grow into a
full flame of dedication to engineering, starts earlier than college.
5) What’s the best STEM success case study/project that you have been personally involved in?
This year I was able to see a dream fulfilled with our
Listening for Literacy project. I was thrilled to see the results at the end of
the year! We took 30 students and a few hundred dollars and actually made a
measurable difference. I think so often people assume that to create change
involves large amounts of money, committees, and years to complete. Yet here at
a school, that has quite a bit stacked against it, a few people with commitment
and ingenuity are making change happen every day.
6) What’s the biggest misconception about STEM?
6) What’s the biggest misconception about STEM?
I think there are a few large conceptions when it comes to
STEM education. The first is that STEM initiatives should not begin until
middle school. Most programs and initiatives that exist, particularly those
targeted at girls or minority students, do not begin until middle school. While
all of these programs have merit and can be effective, I think exposure at an
earlier age may be more effective. I have found that it is assumed that
students all have the same elementary experiences. Nothing could be further
from the truth. While hard for some to believe, the first and only time some students
see things like iPads, laptops or even use the internet, are in school. They
are not witnessing these things at home. It is not until they are in school
that they are able to explore what technology really is, and how it can change
their lives. By the time they reach middle school they have not had enough
exposure to develop a love for STEM subjects.
The second misconception that I see is that science,
technology, engineering and math, are only taught in classes that contain one
of those titles. To truly energize students about technical thinking, it should
be a part of everything in a well-rounded curriculum. Particularly technology,
should not be taught in isolation. Students need to experience technology as a
tool, not as a subject. A computer can help them learn, and is not something
that they have to study. Once that love of technology is developed, I think it
will be almost impossible to stop it.
7) Who you admire in terms of STEM education?
I admire my mother. She is an engineer who went to MIT, as a
woman with two little kids. She would share stories of being the only woman in
a class, or studying with a baby in tow. She has been successful in her field
by anyone’s measurement and it is because of her that I never saw being a girl
as a barrier to any career.
8) What’s the future of STEM? The future of STEM is limited only by the future of technology. As long as teachers continue to be lifelong learners, and companies continue to see investments in education as essential to their success, STEM has endless possibilities. As an older generation of educators begin to retire, the majority of the teaching force will be those who have grown up with computers, cell phones and the internet.
How can other like-minded people get involved?
I think that there are some really great organizations and
projects that are proving successful. When looking at programs I think there
are a few signs as to whether the program will be effective. First, the program
needs to work with teachers. It is my personal experience that programs that
are brought in for a day, and then leave, or are prescribed to teachers are not
as successful. They do not have the buy in of the teachers or students.
However, programs that offer meaningful, ongoing experiences for students and
teachers can have long-term success. Initiatives also have to be relateable to
students. For example, there was a program that came into classrooms for a day
and wanted to talk about math in banking. I thought this was a worthy topic.
The material was not relatable for urban students. They spoke of holding
lemonade stands, when most of our students live in high rise buildings, and
they used examples that involved sheds, yards, mowing lawns, and raking leaves.
These are all things that my students have no experiences with. The students
did not connect with the content and were not excited about banking, at least
not in the way that was intended. While companies have admirable goals, they
need to put more effort into relating to students where they are. Students all
have different experiences and good teachers capitalize on those experiences,
instead of ignoring or discounting them. Corporations who wish to help schools
should do the same.
I would also recommend sites such as Donors Choose. Teachers
post projects for which they need funding. At the end of the day, teachers know
what they need for their students better than anyone. I think if people really
take the time to support the teachers and their creative and often genius
ideas, real change will start to happen. Sites and organizations like Donors
Choose aim to give teachers what they need. I think it is a really great way to
support new ideas.
