Blended Units: Engineering is Elementary Style

1. Blended Units:Engineering is Elementary Style STEMstitute– June 26, 2013 Presented by the Clermont County Gifted Program Fay Wagner, Gifted Intervention Specialist Bethel-Tate and Williamsburg Local School Districts in Partnership with the Clermont Co. ESC

2. Leonardo da vinci combined art and science and aesthetics and engineering…that kind of unity is needed once again. -Ben Shneiderman

3. The Clermont County Gifted STEM program • Implementing a program that blends virtual learning with face-to-face lessons • Utilizing Moodle, It’s Learning, and classroom space at the Gifted STEM Center

4. our philosophy… • 21st Century Skills (The 4 Cs) – Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Creativity • Mark Edwards (author of Every Child, Every Day) – Drivers of Student Engagement: instruction must be relevant, collaborative, personalized, and connected. • Beers & Probst (authors of Notice and Note) – “…rigor does not reside in the barbell, but in the act of lifting it.” Students should be engaged, observant, responsive, questioning, and analytical. • Carol Dweck (author of The New Psychology of Success) - Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset • Jim Stigler – Struggle for Smarts

5. research is showing that blended learning, when accomplished using best-practices, can increase student learning.

6. The new science processes…Where does engineering fit? Grades 5-8: • Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations • Design and conduct a scientific investigation • Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information • Analyze and interpret data • Develop descriptions, models, explanations and predictions • Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions • Communicate scientific procedures and explanations Grades K-4: • Observe and ask questions about the natural environment • Plan and conduct simple investigations • Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses • Use appropriate mathematics with data to construct reasonable explanations; • Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations; and • Review and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others

7. Engineering is elementary

8. Sample Unit 1 • An Alarming Idea – Electrical Engineering

9. Sample Unit 2 • Thinking Inside the Box – Plant Package Engineering

10. Other units from Engineering is elementary

11. Let’s revisit the question…Where does engineering fit? Grades 5-8: • Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations • Design and conduct a scientific investigation • Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information • Analyze and interpret data • Develop descriptions, models, explanations and predictions • Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions • Communicate scientific procedures and explanations Grades K-4: • Observe and ask questions about the natural environment • Plan and conduct simple investigations • Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses • Use appropriate mathematics with data to construct reasonable explanations; • Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations; and • Review and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others

12. Benefits of Blended Learning: • Challenging activities geared to the learning styles and needs of diverse learners • Tasks can be differentiated to match passions, talents, and ability levels • As the years progress, so to does the curriculum we will be able to offer because units can be reused • Parents can view any and all assignments • 24/7 availability and support • Affordable and Sustainable • Students are engaged in meaningful activities • Makes appropriate use of rich online resources now available • Improves students’ technology and keyboarding skills • Prepares students for the online testing environment • Collaboration between schools and districts becomes possible • Increased quality of student performance

13. Potential Challenges: • Ensuring that time and technology are available to students for online tasks • Allocating teacher time for unit development and facilitation • Educating students about online etiquette • Remember… Baby steps are necessary at first!

14. Happy Engineering! • Contact Information for Teachers: • Heather Frost-Hauck, Gifted Intervention Specialist: heatherfrost1@aol.com • Fay Wagner, Gifted Intervention Specialist: wagner_f@betheltate.org • Contact Information for Administrators or Professional Development Requests: • Amy Bain, Clermont County Gifted Coordinator: bain_a@ccesc.org Developing Units for Virtual Learning Environments For Gifted and Talented Students through Pieces of Learning