ICLCS Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Simulation Thom H. Dunning, Jr., Edee...

ICLCSInstitute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Simulation

ICLCSInstitute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Simulation

Thom H. Dunning, Jr., Edee Norman Wiziecki, National Center for Supercomputing Applications

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rebecca Canty, A-C Central C.U.S.D #262

Brett Block, Paris Cooperative High School

STEM Smart Workshop: Lessons Learned From Successful Schools

April 10, 2012 - Chicago, Illinois

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. NSF EHR 06-34423

Computational Simulation

… profoundly changing the conduct of scientific research

STEM Smart Workshop •10 April 2012 •Chicago, Illinois •http://iclcs.illinois.edu

Computational Simulation Helps Us Understand


The Universe

TheNanoscaleWorld

The World We Live In

Computational Science and Engineering

Molecular Science Weather & Climate Forecasting

Earth ScienceAstronomy Health

Computing has enabled advances in a broad range of science and engineering disciplines:


ICLCS Project… enhancing chemistry education through computational simulation


ICLCS ProjectInstitute for Chemistry Literacy Through Computational Simulation

Funding

National Science Foundation, Education &

Human Resources

•A 5-year NSF Mathematics & Science

Partnership project

MSP Program

•Goal: to improve the content knowledge of teachers and the performance of students in the areas of mathematics and science

•Supports projects to improve math and science education through partnerships, which include, at a minimum, a high-need LEA and the mathematics, science, or engineering department of an IHE


• Strengthen rural high school teachers’ and students’ understanding of chemistry, including applications of chemistry to understanding the world around us

• Instill in teachers a sense of confidence and competence about their ability to teach chemistry by enabling them to use computational tools, modeling and visualization

• Build a strong learning community among high school teachers, as well as with ICLCS faculty and staff, to enable year-round professional development

• Create a cadre of leaders who will become advocates for excellence in mathematics and science


ICLCS Project

Goals of the ICLCS Project

ICLCS Project

Who Are the Teachers?

Rural high school chemistry teachers in ICLCS:

Number of teachers: 124

• Cadre I: 51• Cadre II: 55• Cadre III: 18• Cadres enabled impact of treatment to

be quantified

Number of districts: 119

•53% teach in rural Illinois districts with a low income-rate of greater than 25%

•Only 30% have major or minor in chemistry

•The average school population of ICLCS high schools is 626

•23% of Fellows being one of either one or two science teachers in their building

•Geographically and professionally isolated


ICLCS Project

Critical Elements of the ICLCS ProjectSummer Institutes

• Two weeks of intensive study each summer for three years

• Focused on teaching about computational tools and their use in the classroom (the latter as teams)

Virtual Professional Learning Environment (PLE) Support Infrastructure

• Community of Practice, with all communication through hub—no e-mail! Provides data on PLE usage.

• Used by ICLCS staff, faculty, and participants to work collaboratively.

Curriculum Integration

• Implementation and evaluation of use of instructional materials in the high school classroom.

• Refinement (based on classroom data) and deployment of vetted materials into high school courses.

Academic Year Course

• Evaluation of use of course material in classroom

• Refinement of course material based on classroom results


ICLCS Project

Emergence of Virtual PLE Community

Year 1 ➠ Year 2STEM Smart Workshop •10 April 2012 •Chicago, Illinois

•http://iclcs.illinois.edu

• Teacher network grew in both complexity and density

• Hierarchical nature of virtual learning community emerged

ICLCS Project

Key Success Factors• Use of Meaningful Computational Tools

• Computational tools focused on teachers’knowledge difficulties and deficiencies (to extent possible)

• Freely available tools and curricular materials


ChemSketch: Interactive building and visualization of

molecular structures

WebMO: Computation of molecular structures, electron densities, vibrational frequencies, etc.

ICLCS Project

Key Success Factors (con’t)• Support from the Virtual PLE

• Goes beyond the summer institutes

• Provides just-in-time support (e.g., tech problems) or content (why doesn’t this “work”)

• Provides professional, rapid (24 hours or less) response to most questions (monitoring is critical)

• Allows sharing of knowledge among teachers—what works, what doesn’t work in their classroom

• Repository of Vetted Materials

• Access not only to computational tools, but to lessons, modules, videos, tutorials, etc.

• Continued Professional Growth

• Academic year courses – reading and reflection on pedagogy; use of computational tools for practice; access to scientists/faculty/students for increased content development

• Leadership opportunities at partner schools or organizations.


ICLCS ProjectKey Outcomes

• Teachers

• Increased confidence in teaching with computational tools

• Increased understanding of basic concepts of chemistry

• Increased use of inquiry in the classroom.

• Increased use of instructional technology in general

• Students

• Increased knowledge of chemistry concepts (assessed by performance on standard ACS tests)

• Increased enthusiasm for chemistry

• Increased advanced course availability

• Schools and school districts

• Effective chemistry teachers who are competent and confident in using 21st Century computing tools and resources to teach science

• Increased opportunities for rural students (courses, HPC, University)

• Leaders and advocates for STEM education (technology, labs)

• Cost effective access to high quality resources and computing infrastructure


Expanding the ICLCS Project


Cloud ComputingFor Education

Computing infrastructure to allow students to:

•Interactively explore and learn science concepts

•Participate in authentic research experiences

Computational Tools

for EducationComprehensive computational tools and knowledge:

•Identify or develop interactive computational tools for teaching basic science concepts in other disciplines.

•Train teachers in use of the tools in the classroom

PLEInfrastructure

Virtual professional learning community support infrastructure to:

•Enable teachers to work together and with Illinois/NCSA to pioneer the proposed changes in the science curriculum

Assessment and

DisseminationAssessment and

dissemination of material:

•Assessment in the classroom

•Dissemination to other schools

Questions?


ICLCS Project

Lessons Learned


Goals for the future of US STEM Education (NRC 2011). The report states 3 broad goals and match the goals of the ICLCS.

Goal 1: Increase the number of students who pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields and broaden the participation of women and minorities.

Goal 2: Expand the STEM-capable workforce and broaden the participation of women and minorities.

Goal 3: Increase STEM literacy for all students, including those who do not pursue STEM-related careers of additional study in the STEM disciplines.

How do we accomplish this? Lessons learned from the ICLCS:

Partnerships between higher education and K12 schools and districts have the potential to transform STEM education and improve student learning and interest in STEM.

Professional Development can no longer be a 2-3 day workshop or even 2 week summer program without continued support if we expect teachers to teach with technology—it takes time to affect change.

Focus on Content is largely lacking in professional development programs, but there is a critical need for programs that support teachers who are teaching in or out of their content area to keep up with current research and methods.

What are the implications for your school/district in addressing these goals?

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