That STEM Thing: Creating an After School STEM Learning Community for Middle Schoolers
Children are inquisitive, inventive, and creative. The mandate of AYP and declining budgets leave little time for classes that encourage these traits. While students are technologically literate ( related to gaming/social media), few experience hands-on STEM. They don’t know how to tinker.
The Saturday Thing(TST) enables student innovation by providing a stimulating environment, a knowledgeable community of innovators, and necessary supplies and equipment. Kids can do anything they want, driven by their curiosity and inventiveness.
The project will extend the reach of TST by offering a similar program to middle school students in an after school setting, making it readily accessible for students who do not have the means or family support to participate in a Saturday event.
About You
About You
First Name
Robert
Last Name
Vieth
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Juneau Economic Development Council
Organization Website
Organization Phone
907-523-2342
Organization Address
612 W Willoughby Ave Juneau AK 99801
Organization Country
United States, AK, Juneau Borough
Country where this project is creating social impact
United States, AK, Juneau Borough
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
That STEM Thing: Creating an After School STEM Learning Community for Middle Schoolers
What change do you want to bring to the world?
Children are inquisitive, inventive, and creative. The mandate of AYP and declining budgets leave little time for classes that encourage these traits. While students are technologically literate ( related to gaming/social media), few experience hands-on STEM. They don’t know how to tinker.
The Saturday Thing(TST) enables student innovation by providing a stimulating environment, a knowledgeable community of innovators, and necessary supplies and equipment. Kids can do anything they want, driven by their curiosity and inventiveness.
The project will extend the reach of TST by offering a similar program to middle school students in an after school setting, making it readily accessible for students who do not have the means or family support to participate in a Saturday event.
What are the primary activities of your project?
1. Draw on and involve STEM content experts from the community. These experts will be given an orientation on how to work with middle school students and what to expect from students. They will work directly with students with a finite, defined commitment of time, with ongoing student management support from teachers.
2. Teacher Professional Development. STEM teachers will be recruited into a program that includes: a)credit-based workshops that reinforce current best practices for STEM delivery, b)content information & hands-on methods shared by experts/mentors and vetted by JEDC staff, c)on-going academic year support from JEDC and other stake-holders to facilitate incorporation of newly-learned content and approach into existing classroom curriculum.
3. A student-driven after-school program that provides a safe, intellectually challenging environment where kids can explore, invent, create, and socialize while learning new STEM content. The students will be provided with space, materials, tools, expert mentors, and the opportunity to “choose their own adventure”. For example, if the expert/mentor is in the IT field, students might choose to program robots, build quadcopters, or make “smart” devices. High school students interested in participating would be encouraged to take on leadership roles and act as social and academic mentors. Similarly, interested middle school participants will be encouraged to team with elementary school classrooms as STEM mentors.
4. On-going review and assessment to determine if the goals and metrics of the program are being met.
This is a unique approach in that it combines after school programming, teacher professional development and community resources, in a context that fosters engineering by design, creativity, tinkering, inventing, failing and learning.
What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?
Middle school students are often left with nothing to do after school and may engage in activities that are of little academic value or risky in nature. According to national research, the U.S. crime rate for this age group is triple during the first hour after school, and youth not in after school programs are three times more likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and sex. Surveys conducted by the Juneau Afterschool Coalition indicate that more than 2 out of 3 Juneau middle school students report “hanging out at home or with friends” 3 to 5 days per week after school.
Some local agencies and non-profits offer activities for youth out-of-school-time, but most are single occurrences and almost none focus on STEM.
The JEDC program described will offer high quality, engaging and on-going STEM activities touching ~350 (1/3) middle school students in Juneau. Activities will cover the rich spectrum of STEM, drawing on technical expertise found in our community and teaching expertise in our schools. What will make this program special is that teachers will increase their STEM content knowledge while earning University certification credit and enriching their pedagogical skills. Community experts will be given an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with an eager group of young people, with support from teachers grounded in the STEM content being presented.
JEDC’s considerable experience and expertise in STEM outreach will help bring stakeholders together to work as an effective team while maintaining excellence in program delivery.
What stage is your project in?
Idea phase
Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.
Alaska’s capital and third largest city, Juneau has a population of ~30,000 and is only accessed by boat or plane. Juneau is a center for fishing, tourism, and government. The Juneau School District has a total enrollment of ~5,000 students attending six elementary schools; two middle schools, two high schools, an alternative high school and a K-8 Charter School. Other District programs include Montessori, home school, and a Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy program. One in four of the district’s students are of Alaska Native heritage. One in five receive free or reduced price lunch.
The district did not meet AYP in 2010, and shows a significant achievement gap for Alaska Native and economically disadvantaged students. At the middle school level both schools have failed to meet AYP for multiple years.
Though Juneau’s economy has fared better than most communities in the lower 48, the district is experiencing significant budget cuts; $4.5 million for the 2012 school year. Afterschool clubs have been cut from 40 to 5 in Juneau's middle schools. In addition to school cuts, the local Boys and Girls Club was also forced to close its doors in 2010.
Recently, the City and Borough has shown their commitment to increasing after school support by voting for and investing in the creation of an “After School Coalition,” a key partner on this proposal.
As an economic development group, JEDC is aware of economic and political nuances in the community that impact education issues. Because of our organization’s spectrum of STEM programming for students, teachers, and the general public, we are able to engage a broader swath of the community than traditional education outreach groups. Our proven success in developing and implementing STEM outreach programs both in Juneau and statewide position us to make a significant impact on youth.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
The JEDC STEM initiative began in January of 2007 as a pilot project funded through the Dept. of Defense Office of Technology Transfer. JEDC’s Director seized the opportunity to advance STEM through a little known provision in federal Technology Transfer statutes. He passed along the task to a part time coordinator who was handed a laptop, budget, corner to work in, and freedom to create and innovate.
The STEM team quickly grew to a staff of two, each committed to and passionate about improving public education. They brought a mix of talents; one, a grass roots activist whose resume includes co-founding a parent-led charter school, organizing a statewide campaign to end State budget cuts to education, and policy experience within the Alaska Dept, of Education; and the second with a Masters in Science Education from Columbia’s Teachers College, 4 years teaching in Harlem, and extensive non-profit work. In 2010 a third member of the team was added, a professional scientist and educator, bringing a strong scientific and technical background to round out the team. The complementary strengths of the three team members - community organization, classroom practice and pedagogy, scientific and technical skill - has offered a solid, resilient base from which to operate in this complex and bumpy road of education reform.
Our work is driven by and grounded in an abiding belief in the importance of a sense of wonder and the need for students to be engaged in learning – through observing, tinkering, designing, engineering, building, creating, questioning, learning.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured
JEDC’s STEM program has been successful on many fronts. For example:
Four years ago, only a handful of students in Juneau’s gifted programs had the chance to work with FIRST® LEGO and NXT programming. There are now hundreds of students in Juneau and a fast-growing community of FIRST® Lego League’ers across Southeast Alaska, a result of JEDC’s outreach work.
In 2009 JEDC was designated as the lead for FIRST® Robotics in Alaska. Alaska now has the highest per-capita participation in FIRST® LEGO League and FIRST® Tech Challenge of any state.
JEDC consistently works with partners to leverage resources and offer programs not otherwise possible. Sun to Sea middle school camp is one example. NOAA contributes scientists and boat time, tools, and lab space, while JEDC hires instructors, purchases supplies and provides administrative support. The combined contributions make this a highly successful, sustainable approach, now three years running.
“That STEM Thing” is a natural extension of these outreach programs and partnerships.
Its success will be measured by quantitative and qualitative data:
o #s of students participating in activities: Year 1: 60 unique students
o Retention rate (Do students return after one visit? Goal 60%. Do students sign up for subsequent sessions? Goal 50% - given seasonality and changing menu of options)
o New students (is the word spreading that “That STEM Thing” is a place to be?)
o Student surveys and interviews to assess value, interest level and recommendations
# of teachers participating in professional development: Year 1: 6 middle school teachers
Teacher surveys and interviews to assess value and connections to classroom practice; completion rate for course: 80%
# of community STEM mentors: Year 1: 12 community members
Survey to assess success from a mentor’s perspective and refine process: 90% survey completion rate
How many people have been impacted by your project?
1,001- 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
1,001-10,000
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
Based on a presumed first year of success, we will work to expand the selection of STEM activities and recruit new mentors. Juneau has a rich spectrum of business and industries with STEM expertise including mining, fishing and fisheries management, marine transportation, and state and federal government installations including NOAA, US Coast Guard, US Fish and Wildlife, and US Forest Service.
We will share the model with other school districts and expand our network to include other stakeholders committed to STEM education in AK.
We will work to expand our cadre of mentors by developing a distance learning consortium utilizing the expertise of engineers and scientists from our collaborators across the country, including DOD Research Labs, NASA, and other government and NGO agencies.
Sustainability
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
Limits of Volunteerism: We will recruit volunteers for specific program goals over well-defined periods of time to not over-burden any one individual or agency. We anticipate that, as the program grows, additional community volunteers will be intrigued by and recruited by peers, word-of-mouth, and a sense of pride in their contribution. We will honor and recognize volunteers through media, letters of commendation and other means.
Effective recruitment and retention of students: We recognize at the outset students who choose to participate will represent a self-selected population. Again, word-of-mouth and peer recruitment can play a big role in drawing “non-traditional students” into the program. Also, by offering a wide spectrum of activities that may not be considered “traditional” science (activities such as leaded glass (soldering and heat transfer), quilt making (the mathematics of fractals), motorcycle and small engine repair (mechanics, forces and motion)), we can serve the interests of a broader range of students.
Breaking teachers out of the formal classroom mode: Many teachers are reluctant to “probe the boundaries” to offer STEM content. This project seeks to allow teachers to couple community based STEM expertise with curricular support and connections to existing standards to increase their comfort level with scientific content and hands-on approaches. The goal: increased presence of STEM activities and inquiry practice in classrooms.
Financial Sustainability: This is always an issue. As the program progresses and starts to enjoy success, we will make a strong public relations effort to communicate its success to the business and philanthropic community. The community has already been generous with in-kind donations of supplies and tools, as well as financial support for the Afterschool Coalition’s work.
Tell us about your partnerships
Support for STEM is growing. From the Nation’s highest office to the local hardware store owner, there is growing awareness of STEM and the need for hands-on, engaged learning.
The JEDC STEM program enjoys the benefit of being part of the National Defense Education Program, and although budget cuts are coming to the Defense budget we are confident there will be sustained funding for this initiative. JEDC is also looking to broaden its funding base, soliciting support from the oil, mining and engineering sectors in Alaska, all of which remain profitable in this tight economy.
Funding is essential, yet volunteerism more so. Our existing STEM works relies on volunteer commitment and in-kind contributions from STEM professionals. This proposal continues in this tradition, asking individuals and agencies to make a finite but definite commitment of time to work with students after school hours. The greatest cost is in coordination, with secondary costs in student recruitment, professional development course development and follow-through, and materials.
The Juneau Afterschool Coalition, of which JEDC is a member, has laid a solid foundation of community commitment and support for after school programming for middle school students. Their fund raising strategy has proven highly successful - essentially asking many to contribute small amounts; No one agency is asked to shoulder the financial load to pull together a comprehensive after school program. This strategy will serve the Coalition and “That STEM Thing” vision well; it offers a high probability of success in securing long-term, sustainable support. In addition, “That STEM Thing” relies on many STEM professionals contributing time in “bite size, do-able pieces”. This taps the reservoir of STEM talent in a coordinated, meaningful way without exhausting people or the pool of willing talent.
Current annual budget of project, in US dollars
$500,001‐1 million
Explain your selections
Examples include:
Friends and family: Students in a Discover Design Research @ UAS module needed bicycles during field research in Gustavus/Lower Glacier Bay. Solution: borrow bicycles from friends and family.
Individuals: JEDC community events rely on volunteers, such as retired master teacher, Linda Torgerson who will offer a child friendly activity involving slugs, bugs and worms, and Sam, a college student who will lead “Eggbot” activities at the Aug 3, Family Science Night.
Foundation: Although no foundations are directly supporting JEDC’s STEM program (yet), indirect support exists through the Juneau Afterschool Coalition.
NGO’s: Major contributors & partners: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and FIRST® who support JEDC’s statewide SeaPerch and FIRST® programs, respectively.
Businesses: Valley Lumber, a family owned building supply store, donated tools and supplies to start up of “The Saturday Thing”; for each of two years BP Alaska has donated $60,000 for FIRST® programs.
Regional government: During the 2011 session the Alaska State Legislature allocated $250,000 to JEDC for STEM programming over the next 5 years.
National government: The U.S. Dept. of Defense provides the base of funding for JEDC’s STEM initiative.
Customers: There are fees for summer camps; a six-day Advanced Rocketry Camp is $150.00; Discover Design Research @ UAS, a 12-day residential high school camp that includes field research in remote sites is $1600. (Scholarships available)
How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?
Finding the balance: Although our concept is to have STEM activities driven by the creativity and imagination of students, we will need to balance that goal with the technical expertise available in the community, the needs of teachers vis a vis classroom curriculum, and the resources available to the program. This will likely be an on-going process based on formative evaluations of program efficacy. While we would like to maximize a “student centric” model, the balance must be driven by the success of the program.
Utilize distance education opportunities: As the program grows and matures, we would like to find ways to draw on expertise from outside Juneau. For example, JEDC in the past has worked closely with Dept. of Defense engineers and scientists to offer STEM activities during summer science camps. We would like to tap this national expertise via distance learning where scientists can “call in” to the after school program. Our partnership with the Alaska Distance Learning Network may provide the equipment and expertise to facilitate this type of long-distance content delivery.
Developing a student mentor network: As students move through the initial three-year program and on to high school, they would be encouraged and nurtured to become peer mentors not only to middle school students, but to elementary school students.
Partnerships and Accountability
Please tell us more about how your partnership was formed and how it functions. What specific role does each partner play? What unique resources does each partner bring to the initiative?
Since its inception, JEDC’s STEM program has relied on partnerships. This includes formal and informal working relationships with school districts, individual teachers, federal, state and local government agencies, non-profits, the business community and community volunteers, including:
Federal Agencies
8 Defense Research Laboratories
U.S. Coast Guard
NOAA NMFS Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
NOAA National Weather Service, SE Regional Office
US National Park Service, Glacier Bay National Park
NASA Goddard History of Winter Program
US Forest Service, Tongass Region
State Agencies
Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game
Alaska State Museum
Alaska Dept. of Education
Business/Industry
BP Alaska
Conoco Phillips
Alaska Electric Light & Power
Siemens Engineering
Exxon-Mobil
Nonprofits & Community Organizations
Juneau Afterschool Coalition
Girl Scouts
Boy Scouts
FIRST®
Society of Marine Architects & Engineers
Imaginarium, Anchorage Museum
Canvas Arts
Educational Institutions
University of Alaska, Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchorage campuses
Alaska Summer Research Academy at UAF
Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program
23 School Districts
Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a State Boarding School
“That STEM Thing” after school program will rely on many of the above partners. Of particular note:
Juneau Afterschool Coalition (JAC): JEDC is an active member of the Juneau Afterschool Coalition whose goal is to increase the quantity and quality of after school opportunities for middle school youth; JAC student surveys and research findings are openly shared an an invaluable resource. To date the Coalition has raised $82,500 from grant sources including the City & Borough of Juneau, Juneau School District, Rotary Clubs, Tlingit Haida Central Council, Alaska School Boards Association, and private foundations. A coordinator will be hired to work with and support Coalition partners in developing and implementing after school programs of which “That STEM Thing” is one.
Juneau School District (JSD): Juneau School District will work with JEDC to create the graduate professional development course and encourage district math and science teachers to participate; provide space at the two mainstream middle schools - Floyd Dryden, and Dzantiki Heeni; assist in advertising program to students and parents; and provide transportation using existing after school buses.
University of Alaska (UA): A professional development course will be offered through UA Continuing education office; JEDC staff will serve as instructor of record.
MIT Edgarton Center – “Saturday Thing” founder, Ed Moriarty: JEDC will continue to consult with Ed Moriarty on development and execution of the project.
STEM Community Talent – Community members, as well as State and Federal scientists will be enlisted to share their expertise with teachers and students, with a limited, defined time commitment. For example, NOAA and Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game researchers will be recruited for a marine science strand. Agencies will be asked to sponsor their employees, allowing time with students to be considered part of a volunteers’ working day. Another non-traditional resource is the Panhandlers Motorcyle Club (think Harley Davidson bikes) will be enlisted to assist with a small engines strand.
Over the last four years JEDC has successfully partnered with many organizations to offer summer camps with instructors recruited from their ranks, with time commitments ranging from two weeks (full time) to a discrete two hours. The part-time, limited nature of the proposed “That STEM Thing” makes Agency and individual volunteerism highly likely.
STEM Community Talent – JEDC has a solid track record in recruiting and working with community volunteers. For example, last year 52 adults volunteered to help run the Regional FIRST LEGO League Tournament in Juneau organized by JEDC.
How are you building in accountability for students' successful STEM learning outcomes? Please provide a summary and examples.
The ultimate goal is to give students the chance to experience success that is gained by recognizing that failure is an important part of engineering and science.
Students will be expected to see projects through to completion, with guidance and support along the way to assist in overcoming whatever barrier and stumble points are encountered. The high ratio of adults:students will allow for careful monitoring of student progress and ready assistance through guided questions.
Students will also be asked to document their work (primarily through photography and video), similar to the way projects are documented on MAKE.com, Instructables.com and other DIY sites. Time will also be set aside for students to share their work, ask questions of each other and problem solve collaboratively. These reporting sessions will also help instructors and mentors monitor student progress and make strategic suggestions to guide student inquiry and continue to improve student skills, process and content knowledge.
JEDC will also collect data on student course selection and conduct student surveys to determine if their experience with That Saturday Thing program has influenced their selection of courses towards more STEM-related work.
There are always multiple pathways to get to a working product; it will take creative problem solving and “tinkering” to get there. That’s the power and potential of STEM.
Needs
Investment, Human Resources/Talent, Research/Information, Innovation/Ideas.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add needs that may not be listed.
Investment: A grant from Changemakers would provide funds to launch That STEM Thing and, depending on the award, carry the program into subsequent years. We will also turn to the community to invest: with dollars, in-kind support, time, expertise, as well as policy and practical support.
Human Resources: As indicated previously, technical mentors are needed. In addition, the program will be more successful if parents and extended family give their support to the program.
Research/Information: A virtual network where current best practices research is exchanged and discussed is invaluable.
Collaboration/Networking: Collaboration and exchange with other similar programs will make all of our programs stronger.
Innovation/Ideas/Mentoring: All part of the Changemakers network.
Offers
Human Resources/Talent, Collaboration/Networking, Innovation/Ideas.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add offers that may not be listed.
Human Resources/Talent: We are interested in forming partnerships with organizations delivering K-12 STEM content (or interested in doing so), and sharing/learning from those providing STEM Professional Development.
Collaboration/Networking: JEDC has a broad network of educators and organizations that deliver STEM programming. We are happy to share these contacts, resources (e.g. online high quality materials discovered on specific topics) and ideas. We’d appreciate others’ ideas and energy when obstacles are confronted.
Innovation/Ideas: Given the wide range of expertise and experience of the JEDC STEM team, we are always willing to offer our ideas and activities that we have found successful. We are also willing to share roadblocks, failures, and strategies tried.
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 | 97 weeks ago Robert Vieth updated this Competition Entry. |
| 98 weeks ago Robert Vieth updated this Competition Entry. |
| 98 weeks ago Robert Vieth updated this Competition Entry. |
| 99 weeks ago Robert Vieth updated this Competition Entry. |
| 99 weeks ago Robert Vieth updated this Competition Entry. |
| 99 weeks ago Robert Vieth submitted this idea. |
