University of Pennsylvania
Approach to Sustainable, Mission-oriented, K-16+ STEM Education
Partnerships
Overview K-12 STEM education problems Higher Ed STEM education problems K-16+ STEM Ed partnerships generally
are not linked to a systemic, mutually-beneficial, mission-oriented solution to these problems; thus not sustainable
Penn’s ABCS approach
Problems with K-12 STEM Education
Students are not learning science by doing science; classroom instruction is passive and/or disconnected from their world
Lack of focus on STEM education Effective implementation requires the
combination of: Locally appropriate activities and labs Additional human and intellectual resources for
curriculum development and implementation Focused, interactive
professional development
Problems with Higher Ed STEM Education
Students are not learning science by doing science; classroom instruction is passive and/or disconnected from their world
Uneven access to undergraduate research opportunities
Lack of interaction between undergraduate and graduate students
Undergrad and grad students need key professional skills, e.g., collaboration, communication with non-scientists
Science researchers and science educators not connected
Predominant K-16+ Partnership Approaches
Outreach is not aggregated for change Lack of coordination of efforts Efforts are widely scattered
K-12 and higher ed STEM education problems addressed separately
Not integrated with core mission K-16+ relationships not mutually beneficial Outreach is viewed as service, not connected to
research and teaching
Academically Based Community Service (ABCS): an integrated,
mission-oriented approach Credit courses and associated research
at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty level
Incorporates service that is rooted in and intrinsically linked to teaching and/or research
Emphasizes collaborative, real world problem solving
Breadth of ABCS
Penn has offered: Over 160 courses Through 36 Departments & 11 Schools 60+ courses are offered each year
STEM ABCS Courses Include: Biology 150: Learning Biology by Teaching Biology Biological Basis of Behavior 150: ABCS of Neuroscience Biological Basis of Behavior 007: Sex Differences: Biology,
Chemistry, and History Math 123: Math Community Teaching Project Engineering and Applied Science 296: Learning Multimedia
Tools by Teaching Multimedia Environmental Studies 404: Urban Environment - Lead
Poisoning Prevention Psychology 386: Research Experience in Developmental
Psychology
Psychology 386 Advanced research methods course that involves juniors and
seniors in original research projects assessing K-12 students’ STEM learning
Student projects are linked to teaching and learning partnerships in Access Science classrooms
Projects have examined: High school students’ geometry learning via Math 123 Middle school students’ learning about robotics and fractions Elementary students’ learning related to a unit on biological
classification Apply research methods based
in cognitive science
Math 123 GK-12 Fellow Sarah Mason has worked as
the course TA and is the current instructor K-12 Partner - University City High School
Geometry Teacher Scott Koehler 20-30 Penn undergraduates enroll in the
course Students learn by developing and teaching
hands-on geometry curriculum.
EAS 296 - Learning Multimedia Tools by Teaching GK-12 Fellow Mark Van Langeveld
developed and teaches the course K-12 Partners - Sayre and University City
High Schools Enrolled undergraduates are required to
become proficient with a multimedia tool Each undergraduate develops a
tutorial & uses it to teach at the schools
Conclusion
Sustainability: Made possible via an integrated, mutually-beneficial approach based on core mission
Core Mission: Research, Teaching, and Service Development of graduates who are actively engaged
in collaborative, real-world problem solving Our Integrated Approach:
Academically Based Community Service Course (ABCS)
Contact Information Cory Bowman
Associate Director, Center for Community Partnerships
Katie Schu Access Science Coordinator [email protected]
Dennis DeTurck Professor of Mathemathics,
Dean, College of Arts and Science
Christine Massey Director, Pennlincs [email protected]
www.upenn.edu/ccp/AccessScience