Prepared: Information about middle school, secondary, and /or postsecondary STEM programs and/or STEM career topics is shared quarterly among counselors (elementary schools may not have counselors) and all teachers.
10.2 - Information Sharing
There are numerous ways STEM career topics and STEM programs are shared with the teachers and staff at Patriots. To begin the year our guidance counselors do a unit with all students that is career focused and includes the engineering habits of mind. They have developed a website that is used for students but is also accessible to teachers as they integrate and embed STEM careers into their daily lessons. Our counselors also communicate with the representatives from JN Fries Magnet Middle to encourage retention and ensure a smooth transition for our students who continue in our STEM pipeline. The guidance counselors present information to students at Patriots about their magnet program, give tours of the facilities, provide open houses for families, and send information home about the STEM program at JN Fries. All of these events are scheduled through collaboration with the guidance counselors at Patriots, who then pass information along to teachers and students.
Each year we hold an Innovative Teaching Showcase for STEM teachers from our K-12 STEM Pipeline. K-12 teachers gathered at Discovery Education Studios to showcase their classroom work and original PBLs and have opportunities to talk with one another about student projects and teacher strategies. This event also gives our teachers time to learn more about the middle and high school STEM programs and build connections with teachers at all levels.
Not only do the counselors connect to share information, but the STEM coaches at both schools meet on a monthly basis to share program data and information. STEM coach discussions often revolve around pipeline retention and encouraging student participation in STEM. This year coaches arranged a field trip for current fifth grade students to visit JN Fires and shadow a STEM student for a day. After the trip students turned in STEM intention forms to remain in the STEM program. 94 out of our 174 fifth grade students are continuing in our STEM pipeline. This was an increase from 25 students the previous year. The coaches also communicate events and opportunities at their schools through the INSPIREational Newsletter. This monthly newsletter is sent to all teachers and staff members in our pipeline. This newsletter is a great way to showcase what is going on at each school. Many of our teachers share this information with students to spark their interest in our secondary programs.
Innovative Teaching Showcase: K-12 Teachers sharing and discussing strategies for quality STEM instruction. Patriots teachers see first hand the instruction and products of our secondary schools.
One of our partners at UNC Charlotte collaborated with our STEM team to create this video. It showcases the engineering department at UNC Charlotte and introduces the engineering challenge for the day.