Open the Window - STEM Project-Based Learning
Keep Believing In Yourself!
Sky Is the Limit.
Great artists break the rules and new grounds all the time.
-
Achievement gap – The achievement gap between racial and social status families exists in my school. Students were struggling to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Only 64% of the disadvantaged group, 68% of the Pacific Islander group, 30% of the English language learners, and 4% of the special education group have met the HSA. School urgently needs an innovative model of learning to break through traditional teaching and learning. In order to raise students’ achievement gap, STEM education has become a new focus for learning across all districts in Hawaii.
-
Professional Knowledge – Majority of the teachers were not comfortable to teach STEM related topics, and they did not have the appropriate knowledge and disposition toward STEM intensive programs. Teachers’ adequacy, skills, and ability to carry out STEM programs were the biggest barrier at school. My school currently did not have enough STEM certified teachers to teach STEM field. Administrators should develop STEM professional development to educate teachers for STEM knowledge and teaching strategies. Our faculty meeting and PLC meeting should focus on exploring new projects and teaching strategies for the STEM content.
-
Leadership Barriers – Senior teachers wanted to guard the traditional way of teaching and opposed to new innovative approach. Teachers needed to be educated new trends of learning.
-
Insufficient Facility - My school didn’t have a designated area or building to build STEM programs. Administrators should start thinking to expand school campus and use facility efficiently in many different ways.
Challenges and Obstacles
The current school is a public Title I school in the Windward District.
-
Has large population of Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and English as a second language learner.
-
The percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch program is 50%.
-
Did not met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) in the past school year.
-
Need an urgent reform in leadership team, school culture, innovative curriculum, effective teaching strategies, and ongoing professional development.
-
Has reading (balance literature) and math (envision) program, however school didn’t have innovative programs for science and technology.
-
The school vision is to develop and implement STEM project-based learning in the future.
Current School and Current Practice
