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

bowman@pobox.upenn.edu

Katie Schu Access Science Coordinator kschu@sas.upenn.edu

Dennis DeTurck Professor of Mathemathics,

Dean, College of Arts and Science

deturck@math.upenn.edu

Christine Massey Director, Pennlincs massey@linc.cis.upenn.edu

www.upenn.edu/ccp/AccessScience