July 2008 — Features
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High Schools : An Equation That Works
Teach Kids First
I was recently reminded of the popular axiom within education circles that elementary school teachers teach kids, while secondary school teachers teach a subject. No matter what age or what the subject matter, we are always teaching kids first, and this change in mindset may be an important key to keeping them engaged and achieving. This is not to say that high school teachers do not need in-depth content knowledge as a foundation, but it cannot come at the sacrifice of strong instructional practices.
Especially in the teaching of high school STEM content, good instructional practices can be joined with technology to engage students. Manipulating molecules on an interactive whiteboard to understand reactions; graphing and modeling formulas through Excel to learn algorithms; visually mapping out problems and solutions-- these are all ways technology use can contribute to students' acquisition of STEM skills and their participation in 21st-century learning.
Bailey Mitchell, chief technology officer of Forsyth County Schools (GA), has worked with other officials in his district to implement technology tools and resources supported by ongoing professional development to produce compelling STEM instruction. Teachers in Forsyth have embraced the rich collection of digital content provided by ExploreLearning, a catalog of modular, interactive simulations in math and science that the company calls Gizmos.
"The results have been promising, with students developing a deep and lasting understanding of key concepts in math and science through inquiry and exploration," Mitchell says.
He explains that using technology compels students to draw on higher-level thinking skills and makes the basic ability to recall information secondary. "As students create their learning communities using Web 2.0 tools, being able to recall factual information becomes less important than being able to evaluate and synthesize information. These students are achieving on state tests, but are also learning critical 21st-century skills."
Technology is also being used to benefit STEM education in Alabama, where the ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide) initiative provides students with web-based courses in STEM subjects. The program is currently offering 10 advanced placement courses; many of the enrollments come from rural schools that had never offered an AP course before. Fannie Major-McKenzie, the superintendent of Dallas County Schools in Selma, AL, says ACCESS has allowed her district to make courses available to its students even when it is unable to either find or pay for a qualified teacher.
