HERE. NOW.

How Project Based

Learning will take our
school to the next level

What is STEM?

Why STEM? Why now?

How does it look like?

Where do we start?
Why ?
Why now ?

Regional and National need for STEM workforce

Global competitiveness in knowledge-based

economy

National goal: strengthen Americas leadership

in the 21st century by preparing a 21st century
workforce

Department of Education - Budget 2013:

$150 m - effective STEM teaching

$270 m - professional development/education

Regional goal: prepare NC for the economic

realities of 21st century

NC job vacancies for this decade: 1.4 million

From these, about 833,000 will require

postsecondary education of some kind: 59%

Of those jobs, over a 250.000 will be STEM related

STEM jobs in NC that will require post-secondary

education: 91%

NC STEM employees: 3.84%, 2nd in the South.

(National Average 4.0%)
Why now ?
Sources:

2013 NC STEM Score Card (http://ncsmt.org/

wp-content/uploads/2014/03/
NCSTEMScorecard.pdf )

Carnevale, A.P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2010). Helped

wanted: Projections of jobs and educational requirements
through 2018. Georgetown University Center on Education and
the Workforce. www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/
State-LevelAnalysis-web.pdf.
Why now ?
From the NC STEM Scorecard:
Why here ?
From the NC STEM Scorecard:
Districts with STEM in Strategic Plan: 63%
STEM-specic focus on the districts website: 51.4%
STEM Advisory Council or Committee: 40.3%
Encourage participation in STEM competitions:
93.8%
STEM is priority in the districts strategic plan: 62.7%
Schools use of PBL to integrate STEM disciplines:
76.6%
Why here ?
ProjectBasedLearning
ProjectBasedLearning

A dynamic approach to teaching and learning.

Engages students in exploring their world through the inquiry process.

Structures subjects around a question or a real world problem to solve.

Teaches students to research, plan, design and create a product or

presentation of what they learned.

Includes collaborative student work on projects, in small teams, guided by

the teacher.

Offers a choice to the currently used model of direct instruction.

Inquire
Students
and
Choice
Voice
Students have
Students
Revise


Reflect
and
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Projects

Question
with a driving

Start
Need to Know
Learn
as
they
Students
Students
present
to a
public
Audience
How does it look like?
ProjectBasedLearning
STEM

How do we start ?
STEM Schools in NC:
1. PBL instruction for all students
2. Deliberate integration of curriculum across
all STEM areas
3. Assessment: Performance and project-based
4. Fostering STEM literacy (females, minorities)
5. Provide comprehensive information about
STEM careers
6. Virtual learning for all students
How do we start ?
7. Connections to post-secondary pathways
(real world experience based learning)
8. Virtual learning for all students
9. Technology integration in all classrooms
10. Ongoing professional development for
teachers
11. Partnership with businesses and industry
(mentors, externships)
STEM Schools in NC:
Sources:
Ozel, S. (2013) W3 of project-based learning. Who,
where and when: Revisited. In Capraro, R.M.,
Capraro, M.M., & Morgan, J. (Eds.) STEM
Project Based Learning: An Integrated Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Approach, (pp. 41-49), Rotterdam: Sense
Publishers.
School board
First Steps
School board
First Steps
1.
Support implementation of STEM instruction in
the school
2.
Advocacy for STEM adoption by the district
3.
Support professional development for STEM
instruction
4.
Support development of professional
communities of practices inside the school and
with other STEM schools. Benchmarking
5.
Develop partnerships with the community and
post secondary local institutions
Thank
you!