Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix F: Ingredients for Success in STEM
Appendix F: Ingredients for Success in STEM
Pages 239-248
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From page 239... ...
There is substantial variation in mathematics and science education -- particularly at the K-12 level across schools, districts, and states -- with the range of variation reflecting everything from different approaches to teaching and learning mathematics in elementary school to the chasm between those who favor evolution and those who espouse creationism or intelligent design. STEM courses, moreover, may serve varied purposes for students on different tracks: • Students differ in their fields of study -- social sciences, psychology, mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, engineering -- each of which has its own traditions, culture, educational progressions, and career paths.
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From page 240... ...
In combination with the knowledge already gained from their experiences and interactions with the natural world around them, this reasoning ability can be funneled into constructive science learning when in school. This science learning, then, should develop over the course of years in elementary and secondary school and postsecondary education as a "learning progression." Such a progression can be based on vertically articulated curricula in which units in higher grades build on units and concepts learned in the lower grades.2 "Meaningful science learning takes time and learners need 1 National Research Council.
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From page 241... ...
Habits of mind, again by broad field, include: • Mathematics: Thinking conceptually, logical reasoning, experimental thinking, inquisitiveness and the willingness to investigate, and the ability to take risks and accept failure.7 • Engineering: Systems thinking, creativity, optimism, collaboration, communication, and attention to ethical consideration.8 • Natural Sciences: Understanding of how concepts fit together, ability to generate and interpret evidence to build and refine models and explanations, use of mathematical reasoning, and employment of critical reasoning skills.9 3 National Research Council.
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In this model, science learning can be based on the way real scientists do science, and content and process interact as students move toward proficiency. SOURCE: National Research Council.
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From page 243... ...
Strategies for Change: To ensure a smooth transition to student-centered teach ing and learning in undergraduate biology courses, all biology faculty and tenure review committees need to insist that the academic reward system value teaching and mentoring, set clear and concrete guidelines for assessment of these activities, and incorporate regular, formative and adaptive assessment of teaching effective ness. Faculty need to come to consensus on the overarching, central concepts of biology that should be taught within their division or department, and define learning outcomes for those key concepts so that all faculty are working together toward the same learning goals as students move through their department.
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From page 244... ...
Competence is critical to identification with a field of endeavor such as STEM. There is significant attrition from STEM majors at the end of the freshman year in college, and research has shown, for example, that those who switch tended to blame themselves and their abilities when they encountered difficulties, while those who persisted tended instead to blame an external cause, such as the professor, a teaching assistant, or available laboratory resources.11 A sense of competence is also significantly related to persistence, which, especially in mathematics, is critical to success.12 INTEREST, MOTIVATION, BELONGING, AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION Beyond providing threshold education and higher-level preparation for STEM pathways, schools can also identify and encourage students who are motivated in mathematics and science to more fully develop their knowledge base and potential.
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From page 245... ...
. Even if students are prepared, have adequate information, and are ambitious and talented enough to succeed in STEM fields, success may also hinge on the extent to which students feel socially and intellectually integrated into their academic programs and campus environments.
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From page 246... ...
They can also provide STEM employees who can serve as role models or mentors and they can provide internships that connect for students the worlds of science and work.15 Higher education institutions could engage in outreach and recruitment activities, in particular considering the development of targeted outreach programs that constitute a "feeder system" for their institutions. The federal government could engage in a marketing campaign designed to "change the face" of STEM careers in the public eye, and especially for families who play an important role in shaping the notions of what their children can become.16 Many students have insufficient information about educational and career opportunities and options, both in general and for STEM, at critical decision points in middle and high school.
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From page 247... ...
INSTITUTIONAL INGREDIENTS Although it is important that each individual student have access to the ingredients for success described above, there is also a set of institutional preconditions that affect all of these requirements for success in STEM education. They include qualified teachers who have strong scientific knowledge and understand how students learn; strong mathematics, science, and engineering curricula that provide knowledge, skills, and habits of mind; an institutional setting designed to provide or support each of the 17 College Board.
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From page 248... ...
248 APPENDIX F requirements and time to achieve them; counseling and mentoring, much of it stage-specific, that helps the student navigate the path; the financial and social support students need to sustain them; and the availability or accessibility of institutional research infrastructure -- that is, laboratories and equipment.
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