New Instructional Design Proposal
What is STEM and PLTW?
I. LEARNER PROFILE
This module will be designed with St. James Elementary School grade level teams (Child Development, Kindergarten, First Grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade) in mind. The age range of these targeted learners is vast, and that must be kept in mind when planning instruction. The level of teaching experience among my learners is vast as well. Some learners are seasoned veterans whereas some are new to their positions. One thing they all have in common is their newfound interest in STEM Education. As my targeted learners are currently busy with the opening of schools in these uncertain times, instruction will not be provided until Mid-October.
II. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT
For this module, learners will be learning about the concepts STEM Education and Horry County Schools’ STEM Curriculum, Project Lead The Way (PLTW). The Essential Questions developed for this module is, “What is STEM Education?”, “What is PLTW?”, and "How can I utilize STEM in my Science class?"
This content was selected because there was an evident need and interest vocalized by my target audiance.
The idea for this development came to me after a conversation with my school’s fourth grade team. Horry county schools is slowly implementing our STEM Curriculum, PLTW into grade level science classrooms.
STEM Education is new to Horry County Schools at the Elementary level. It was introduced last year, the Fall of 2019, and was somewhat cut short due to the closing of schools in March. Administration, Curriculum Coaches, and classroom teachers did not have a lot of time to observe STEM classrooms, and were never formally explained the concepts of PLTW’s curriculum.
After having a conversation with my supervisor, (Carol Foster- SJE Curriculum Coach), we decided that presenting to grade level teams seperatelyon content pertaining to STEM and PLTW would be beneficial to everyone involved.
Module/ Session Title: What is STEM and How Can I use it in my Science Classroom?
Section 1: STEM /PLTW
Essential Questions:
What is STEM?
What is PLTW?
Learning Objective:
Teachers will be sent this 15 minute introductory video to view independently the day before our in person training.
Section 2: PLTW
Essential Question: How can I use STEM/PLTW in my Science classroom?
Learning Objective:
***My next blog post will provide a more detailed outline for each grade specific professional development.***
III. MEDIA ASSETS / DEPLOYMENT
Grade level teams are small at my school (10 or less people per team). Therefore I will be providing the trainings for module 2 in person. I am currently planning to utilize two means of content disbursement. Module 1 will be presented as a pre-recorded session and distributed through Google classroom for learners to view at their own pace. Module 2 will be presented as an in person training. This will provide real time feedback for my leaners questions, opportunities for hand-on learning, and a more personalized experiance.
IV. ASSESSMENT
Participants will look at one of thier lesson plans for an upcoming Science module. They will analyze the lesson and develop a plan that allows them to implement STEM. I will look over their adjusted plans and make suggestions for implementation and preperation.
I. LEARNER PROFILE
This module will be designed with St. James Elementary School grade level teams (Child Development, Kindergarten, First Grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade) in mind. The age range of these targeted learners is vast, and that must be kept in mind when planning instruction. The level of teaching experience among my learners is vast as well. Some learners are seasoned veterans whereas some are new to their positions. One thing they all have in common is their newfound interest in STEM Education. As my targeted learners are currently busy with the opening of schools in these uncertain times, instruction will not be provided until Mid-October.
II. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT
For this module, learners will be learning about the concepts STEM Education and Horry County Schools’ STEM Curriculum, Project Lead The Way (PLTW). The Essential Questions developed for this module is, “What is STEM Education?”, “What is PLTW?”, and "How can I utilize STEM in my Science class?"
This content was selected because there was an evident need and interest vocalized by my target audiance.
The idea for this development came to me after a conversation with my school’s fourth grade team. Horry county schools is slowly implementing our STEM Curriculum, PLTW into grade level science classrooms.
STEM Education is new to Horry County Schools at the Elementary level. It was introduced last year, the Fall of 2019, and was somewhat cut short due to the closing of schools in March. Administration, Curriculum Coaches, and classroom teachers did not have a lot of time to observe STEM classrooms, and were never formally explained the concepts of PLTW’s curriculum.
After having a conversation with my supervisor, (Carol Foster- SJE Curriculum Coach), we decided that presenting to grade level teams seperatelyon content pertaining to STEM and PLTW would be beneficial to everyone involved.
Module/ Session Title: What is STEM and How Can I use it in my Science Classroom?
Section 1: STEM /PLTW
Essential Questions:
What is STEM?
What is PLTW?
Learning Objective:
- Learners will be able to identify the meaning of STEM and PLTW.
Teachers will be sent this 15 minute introductory video to view independently the day before our in person training.
Section 2: PLTW
Essential Question: How can I use STEM/PLTW in my Science classroom?
Learning Objective:
- Learners will be able to navigate the PLTW student portal.
- Learners will gain knowledge of grade-specific STEM/PLTW modules.
***My next blog post will provide a more detailed outline for each grade specific professional development.***
III. MEDIA ASSETS / DEPLOYMENT
Grade level teams are small at my school (10 or less people per team). Therefore I will be providing the trainings for module 2 in person. I am currently planning to utilize two means of content disbursement. Module 1 will be presented as a pre-recorded session and distributed through Google classroom for learners to view at their own pace. Module 2 will be presented as an in person training. This will provide real time feedback for my leaners questions, opportunities for hand-on learning, and a more personalized experiance.
IV. ASSESSMENT
Participants will look at one of thier lesson plans for an upcoming Science module. They will analyze the lesson and develop a plan that allows them to implement STEM. I will look over their adjusted plans and make suggestions for implementation and preperation.