Title: Instructional Strategies Promoting STEM and Technological Literacy
1Instructional Strategies Promoting STEM and
Technological Literacy
- Maurice Frazier, Ph.D.
- Oscar Smith High School
- Chesapeake, Virginia
2Have you Ever had a Conversation Start like this
- Person 1 So what do you teach?
- Person 2 Technology Education
- Person 1 Hmmm what is that?
- Computers? Shop?
- Can the average secondary technology
- education teacher sufficiently explain
- what they teach and why?
3The Nature of Secondary Technology Education
- Support the Core Subjects
- Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and
English/Language Arts - Promote technological literacy and reinforce STEM
curriculum.
4It is Important to Know the Difference
- Technology Education versus Educational
Technology - Technology education teachers, core subject
teachers, and administrators need to understand
the difference. - Technology education is intended to foster
technological literacy and educational technology
supports the implementation of technology
education.
5The Importance of STEM and Technological Literacy
- Why is it important for us as educators to
integrate the core subjects into technology
education courses? - Research tells us it can be helpful in boosting
students performance on standards assessments. - Students can relate the material to Real World
applications - National technological literacy assessments are
on the horizon.
6A Study Worth Noting
- Technology education completers (courses taken in
sequence) scored significantly higher on their
standardized assessments in three out of four
core subjects than non-completers.
7Study Results
- Mathematics
- Completers- 466.9 Non-Completers- 441.7 (25
points higher) - Social Studies
- Completers- 502 Non-Completers- 463.8 (38 points
higher)
8Study Results (cont.)
- English/Language Arts
- Completers- 474.7 Non-Completers- 464.6 (10
points higher) - Science
- Completers- 459.7 Non-Completers- 430.8 (29
points higher)
9Curriculum Integration Ideas and Suggestions
- It is important to actively integrate material
from the core subjects as much as possible. - Collaborating and sharing ideas with other
instructors that teach similar subjects is one of
the best ways to start.
10Integrating English/Language Arts
- Speed Writing
- One to two minute daily writing sessions where
students write about what they know and what they
have learned about a new topic. - Current communication devices and modes of
communicating - Impacts that communication devices are having on
our daily lives
11Integrating English/Language Arts (cont.)
- Active Notes and Paraphrasing
- Students take notes and then work with a partner
to paraphrase and dictate examples of what they
have learned by adding their thoughts to their
partners notes. - Students then read what their partner has written
to the rest of the class.
12Integrating English/Language Arts (cont.)
- Word Discovery
- Students must look up a word that relates to the
current material that they are not familiar with.
The student must record the definition, cite
examples of how to use it properly, and teach a
three minute lesson to another student about how
it relates to what they are learning.
13Integrating Mathematics
- Measurement Scavenger Hunt
- Students walk around school and outside to find
and measure objects that are in a given range of
measurements that have been designated by the
instructor. - With that activity students integrate estimation,
decimals, fractions, and ratios.
14Integrating Mathematics (cont.)
- Real World Word Problems
- Students develop a word problem for one of their
class mates to solve based on the material that
they are learning. - The student must explain how that math that they
used to solve the problem could also be applied
in a job or career that relates to that subject
they are studying.
15Integrating Science
- Environmental Impacts
- Students can use various forms of science to
study the global impacts of technology on the
natural environment. - Impacts on the atmosphere and natural resources
(Earth Science) - Agricultural technology, pesticides, and
fertilizers (Chemistry)
16Integrating Social Studies
- Social Impacts of New Technology
- Students can explore the various ways that new
technology has changed local and global social
interactions over time. - New communication technology
- New construction and
- production methods
- New digital imaging and
- video technology
17Integrating Social Studies (cont.)
- Understanding Ethics and Responsibility
- Students explore ethical awareness and how it
might have an impact on other people and the
world around them. - Ethics and the medical field
- Ethics and environmental practices
- Ethics and public privacy
18How do we Know we are on the Right track?
- How do technology education teachers know that
they are supporting core standards? - Is there a way for technology education teachers
to know that they are supporting a STEM
curriculum and promoting technological literacy?
19Suggestions for Articulating Curriculum and
Standards
- Technology education and core subject teachers
need to collaborate. Neither group seems to know
exactly what the other group is teaching. - Align instruction
- Develop activities
- Reinforce standards
20Suggestions for Articulating Curriculum and
Standards (cont.)
- Workshops to stay abreast of current trends
relating to technological literacy and
educational strategies. - New Technological Literacy Standards (NAEP
Testing) - Trends in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
standards - New instructional strategies and delivery methods
21Discussion, Questions, and Idea Sharing
- What are some of the ways that you are
integrating core subjects into your technology
education curriculum? - What are some ways that we can change the
perception of technology education? - Are technological literacy standards a good idea?
22Final Comments and Remarks
Thank you for you time and attention.
Maurice Frazier Oscar Smith High
School Chesapeake, Virginia Mfraz004_at_odu.edu