Remembering the “T” and “E” in STEM Education Ohio Mathematics & Science Coalition May 9, 2008

1. Remembering the “T” and “E” in STEM EducationOhio Mathematics & Science CoalitionMay 9, 2008 Dr. Yvonne M. Spicer, Vice President Advocacy and Educational Partnerships National Center for Technological Literacy® Museum of Science, Boston, MA

2. The Museum of Science™soaring to new heights!!

3. National Center for Technological Literacy® Mission of the Museum of Science, Boston: Leverage the Museum’s unique position as a science and technology center, its expertise in working with students, educators and the public, and its spirit of fun education to promote technological literacy globally among people of all ages. • Create Standards-Based Educational Products • Conduct Research • Assist Others through Advocacy and Outreach

4. Vision for the NCTL “Our goal is to foster appreciation and understanding of the human-made world by infusing technology and engineering into K-12 schools and museums nationwide. By applying science and mathematics as well as engineering processes, children and adults will solve real world problems and learn about the creation and implications of technologies. We aim to inspire our nation’s next generation of innovators, inventors, and engineers.”

5. Is There A Crisis in the U.S. and Around the Globe?

6. A National Governors Agenda • Call to Action for STEM education—an imperative • Governors making a commitment to improving the quality of STEM education nationwide • Competitive grant funding for states to implement innovative STEM programs (CO,HI,OH,MN,PA, VA)

7. What About Ohio? • 88 counties, over 11,353,140 people • 14.9% people of color • Person below the poverty level 11.1% • Population increase of one hundred thousand people annually since 2000 • Nearly 21% residents hold a bachelor’s degree • Median income $43,711* *(2004 figures) -US Census Bureau, 2006 (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/39000.html)

8. 2003: U.S. Ranked 24th out of 29 OECD Countries in Mathematics Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2003 Results, data available at http://www.oecd.org/

9. 2006 PISA Results The results show the average combined science literacy scale score for U.S. students to be lower than the OECD average. U.S. students scored lower on science literacy than their peers in 16 of the other 29 OECD jurisdictions. On the mathematics literacy scale, U.S. students scored lower than the OECD average. Thirty-one jurisdictions (23 OECD jurisdictions and 8 non-OECD jurisdictions) scored higher on average, than the United States in mathematics literacy in 2006.

10. The “Pipeline” Rationale • China graduates six times more engineers than the USA • It’s harder to import talent from abroad • Engineering drives our economy • Engineering is essential for sustainable development • Few students learn what engineers do, so they’re not likely to choose it as a career

11. STEM Degrees Awarded, 1970-2003 Source: Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress, June 2006

12. Countries with Modern K-12 Engineering Education Programs Finland Russia Scotland Ireland United Kingdom Singapore China Spain Israel Botswana Australia Chile South Africa New Zealand

13. So Why is the “T” and “E” so Important?

14. What’s In A Name? Robert C. Wicklein- University of Georgia • Engineering is more easily understood and valued than technology. • Engineering elevates the field to a higher academic level. • Engineering provides a solid framework to design curriculum. • Engineering is ideal for integrating mathematics and science. • Engineering provides a focused career pathway for students.

15. Science Identify a question Research the question Generate ideas Formulate a hypothesis Conduct an experiment Communicate results Identify a new question Engineering Define a problem Research the problem Generate solutions Create a prototype Test the prototype Communicate product Redesign and improve Processes Similar—Goals Different

16. Our History As A Profession • Backbone of America’s infrastructure • Critical to the Industrial Revolution • Strong support for school programs until the latter part of the 20th century • Primarily a male-dominated field of study • Reinventing ourselves to be consistent with technological change

17. So What Has Changed? • The demand for knowledge workers vs. skilled labor • Population growth in this country • Demographic change in America • The focus on global competitiveness and innovation

18. What is the impact on schools? • Accountability for student proficiency • Result-driven educational programming • Constant retooling of curriculum to meet federal and state guidelines

19. Engineering is a Way of Thinking

20. NCTL’s Formal Education Initiatives

21. The NCTL’s Approach Standards Research Curriculum Assessment Instruction

22. Elementary School CurriculumPlanting the Seed Early • Engineering is Elementary curricular program • Integrates engineering into science, mathematics, and other subjects • Series of children’s illustrated storybooks • Each story features a child in a different country • Solves a practical problem using engineering • Has an adult mentor providing support • 14 books have been completed, with 20 planned • On line resources at: www.mos.org/eie

23. Middle SchoolNurturing the Seeds Building Math • The goals of the middle school project are for all students to: • enhance algebraic reasoning and learn how technologies are developed and the impact that technology has on their lives; and • improve their abilities to use the engineering design process • Available at Walch Publishing: www.walch.com/buildingmath Photo courtesy of Andrew Brilliant

24. High School CurriculumSowing the Seeds • NCTL created a full-year course: Engineering the Future: Science, Technology and the Design Process • Introductory course designed for first year high school students • Standards-based, teacher tested curriculum • On-line Professional Development and direct workshop • Available at: www.keypress.com/etf

25. The NCTL approach is to “train the trainer” model Currently we are working with teacher educators at: Universities, collaboratives and teacher preparation programs Museums and Science Centers State science/technology education networks We are developing support documents including professional development handbooks and other resources Professional Development

26. Opening the GatewayEngaging the Entire Village • Three-year grant funded project that IMLS supports work of leadership teams from 53 school districts in Massachusetts • Purpose is to share ideas for how to implement the Technology/Engineering standards in Massachusetts for ALL STUDENTS • Model for other states to implement

27. Creating Leaders for Community College & High School Technology/Engineering

28. Alabama Colorado Florida Maine Minnesota New Jersey North Carolina North Dakota New Hampshire Texas National Advocacy & Educational Partnerships

29. Our National Impact

30. And we are moving across the globe… United Kingdom Thailand Singapore Greece