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Building Effective K-12 Outreach in S.T.E.M.(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

A Holistic Solution from IBM

Welcome

Annie Cheng, IBM Technical Support Engineer

Co-Chair, IBM WING BC

awcheng@ca.ibm.com

Sari Stikans, IBM Global Delivery Oversight Manager

sstikans@ca.ibm.com

Agenda

Welcome and Introduction

IBM’s Outreach and EWeek

A Holistic Solution

Running Outreach Programs

Building Outreach Programs

Q&A

Why K-12?

Girls start to lose interest in math and science during Middle School

Girls interested in S.T.E.M fields are higher achievers, better students, have stronger support systems and have been exposed to S.T.E.M. fields

Make a difference in a young person’s life

Data from Girl Scout Research Institue

Kids aged 13-17 thought computing would be a good major

Freshman intend to major in STEM fields

Boys 74% Girls 32%

Men 50% Women 20%

IBM Outreach

EWeek

E.X.I.T.E Camp

I.G.N.I.T.E Camp

Robotics Challenge

Family Science Saturday

MentorPlace

Bring a Kid to Work Day

Women In Technology

P-TECH

Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) http://www.ptechnyc.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1

EWeek/Engineers Week/DiscoverE

http://www.discovere.org/

Coalition of corporations, professional organizations, and government partners

To celebrate engineering and give students hands-on experience with engineering

Started in 1951

2014: IBM 25th consecutive years

IBM EWeek Vancouver EWeek

Typical Outreach Structure

Engineering impact/concept

Interactive activities/challenges

Review/Call to Action

Use a Kit

Elementary school• Simplified presentation or no

presentation• Interactive activities• Questions, Observations, Objects

Middle and High school• Presentations• Hands-on activities

- Engineering Everything

- Explore Careers in Engineering

Holistic Approach:What Does This Mean?

Holistic Approach:

Recognize emerging engineers in elementary school

Stay available to them through their developing years

Ensure students understand opportunities and encourage them to choose the profession

Recognizing Emerging Engineers K-Grade 5 (Elementary School):

• Questioners - children who like to ‘create’, ‘explore’, and ‘ask questions’

• Ages 4-6 – basic math concepts in a fun way

• Ages 7-9 – math used for other purposes

Grades 6 – 8 (Middle School):

• Theory Testers - children who tie together a science experiment with a possible reason for deciding to perform the experiment

• Ages 10-13 – being applied in measurements, computation with fractions and decimals, exponents, statistics

Grades 9 – 12 (High School):

• Budding Business People - youth who start to hypothesize why things work the way they do and how something might be able to work better for a specified reason

• Ages 14-17 – application of math in physics and chemistry, calculus, geometry and trigonometry, computer programming, and applied mathematics (i.e. robotics)

IBM Education Volunteer Materials

IBM Volunteer Program - Activity Kits

Available IBM Activity Kits – Middle & High School

Feet of Engineering – (10-13)

Hello, Watson – (10-13)

Marble Ramp – (10-13)

Robotics Concepts for Kids

– (10-14)

Mission: Innovation – (10-16)

Engineering Everything – (11-14)

Driving on Sunshine – (11-16)

Clean Water Difference – (13-17)

Explore Careers in Engineering – (14-17)Information on IBM’s Watson System

Available IBM Activity Kits – Elementary School

Math Games for Kids – (3-12)

Moving Atoms – (5-15)

Puzzles Galore – (8-12)

What are you Working on? – (8-14)

Recycling Machine – (9-13)

IBM MentorPlace

http://ibm.mentorplace.epals.org/Engineer.htm

5 Activities:

Choosing a Career

What’s It Really Like?

Let Me! Let Me!

Are You Ready for the Big Time?

In Which (Computer) Language do you Write?

IBM MentorPlace – Math & Science Education Kits

MentorPlace Activities

Exploring Fractions

IBM – Stories of Service – Educating the Young

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/stories/Rick_McMaster_US_October_2013.shtml

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/stories/SS_Mentorplace_aug_2012.shtml

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/stories/IT-skills-jan-12.shtml

1st grade (7 years old) to 6th grade (12 years old)

IBM’s YouTube Video Library

IBM's YouTube Library

IBM’s YouTube Video Library (Education)IBM's YouTube Library

Example Videos – IBM YouTube Library

How Does a Sailboat Actually Work?

Amazing Magnetic Force - Science Experiment!

How to Clean Up Space Junk

Other Outreach Materials

- YouTube- EWeek/DiscoverE

YouTube Videos on Running Sessions

Engineering Ideas for KidsSTEM Advertisement - Robotics for Children with Lego

Example videos available from YouTube

Engineering for Kids

Is Engineering Right For Me?

Engineers Make Things (Stick People)

NASA For Kids Intro to Engineering

EWeekhttp://www.discovere.org/

Volunteer Kits

Videos

Slideshares – Educating Volunteers

Picture Files

PDF Files

• Managing Projects

• Applying engineering practices: ‘theory applied’

• Pursuing the thrill of engineering something of value

• Patent the results of engineering efforts

• Managing the implementation of an IT based creation

• IBM Distinguished Engineer – represent IBM to professional societies, standards boards, industry associated, government agencies and academic associations.

• IBM Fellows – highest recognition in IBM for technical achievements IBM Fellow

Using Engineering Credentials in Companies Like IBM

IBM CEO,Electrical Engineer Virginia Rometty

Process to Build Outreach Programs

1. Volunteer Engagement

How to recruit volunteers• Annual email campaign• All disciplines welcome• Highlight benefits to volunteers as well as students/society

How to train/retain volunteers• Kick-off meeting: welcome, share experience• Gather a set of materials to use during outreach– presentation deck,

activities/demos, videos, handouts, posters and banners. Show them this presentation!

• Post Materials in community / wiki.• Pair new volunteers with experienced volunteers• Appreciate volunteers for their impacts• Communicate with members on news and lessons learned.

2. School Engagement

How to reach school authorities• Research your area • School district office -> principles -> teachers• Approach your university’s recruiting counsellors• Annual email campaign sent to school district• Single contact point for school officials• Keep an email template for recurring use

How to work with schools• Schedule school sessions based on volunteer availability• Negotiate with schools for alternate dates• Maintain a log of requests and assigned speakers available • Most sessions will be coordinated with the school technology, math

or science teachers or by the career center.

3. Program Delivery

Logistics• Ask teacher to invite students to come with questions• Request presence of a teacher in class during the entire session• Confirm again with the teacher/volunteer 2 or 3 days in advance

Delivery• Decide what materials and activities to use based on age groups.• Engage and interact with students during the session

- ask questions, conduct activities, give-aways- Bring demos of your projects – even personal projects

• Session length:- Elementary students: 30-45 minutes - Middle and High school students: 60 – 80 minutes- Allow for 15 minutes for Q&A

Lessons learned

Scheduling• Finding volunteers is not hard.• Matching school sessions to volunteers is important.• Ask schools to provide a set of dates instead of one date only.• Communicate openly with schools about schedules.• Group sessions back to back.

Materials• Make sure volunteers are available and basic outreach materials are

prepared before engaging the schools. • Use the material and activities you learned today!• Share this presentation!

Lessons learned

When meeting with an entire class, do not expect all students to be interested.

Sessions targeted for student groups or clubs have a lower attendance number, but all students from the group are interested.

Ask for help if you cannot fulfill the school requirements. Rather than turn down a request from schools, reach out to other groups like:

• IBM: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/volunteers.shtml

• APEGBC:https://www.apeg.bc.ca/Home

• (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in your province)

The future depends on you!

A Holistic Solution – Easier than you thought!

Add your piece to the puzzle

Questions?

Appendix: Resources

IBM’s Smarter Planet YouTube Location:

• http://www.youtube.com/profile?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_980867&user=ibm

IBM’s Activity Kits for Volunteers

• http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/volunteers.shtml

IBM’s MentorPlace Location:

• Login: http://ibm.mentorplace.epals.org/

• Activities: http://ibm.mentorplace.epals.org/Activities.htm

• Engineering Kit: http://ibm.mentorplace.epals.org/Engineer.htm

Eweek:

• http://www.discovere.org/

As part of our centennial celebration, IBM shared a range of

volunteering resources that IBMers have used in communities

around the world.

IBM’s community service initiative supports volunteering by more

than 150,000 employees and retirees, who collectively record more

than 1 million hours of service every year worldwide.

© IBM Corporation 2011

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