I was so excited to learn that I was accepted into ASU’s ASAP Fellowship. I would finally receive the support and resources I needed to help deliver more meaningful STEM opportunities in my class. I was expecting for this to happen in my class. I did not expect that along the way, I would discover some unintended benefits.
My class is on the STEM radar.
Since joining ASAP, my class has been linked to STEM learning opportunities that we did not know existed! I didn’t know there were Professional Developments that linked students to STEM through Literature. That is what happens at Stemology Club Stories and STEM. This is a great way to link students that prefer literature to STEM activities. I also received an invitation from NASA to participate in their Air & Space Forces K-12 STEM Programs. Through this program, we have had separate ZOOM guided instruction sessions with a Major and a Sergeant. I never thought that I would get to co-teach with the Air Force! These are only a few of the unintended relationships that have developed since becoming an ASAP Fellow.
There is a natural push to the next step…then the next, and the next.
The long-term planning supported through ASAP has encouraged us to keep turning the next corner. For example, my affiliation with ASAP led to an invitation for my students to apply to Creighton University’s Mini Medical School Program. This was an on campus event where students and their parents spent the full day on campus with medical students and staff receiving a glimpse of what it would be like to be a doctor and attend medical school. As a result, students that did not see the medical world as a realistic option now see it as an achievable goal. Their interest continued in the classroom. Now, we are preparing to do some age-appropriate dissection and a full Medical Detectives unit. ASAP funding is being used to secure the materials the students will need to do this at the level of their learning needs.
Increase in student choice, voice, advocacy, and ownership of learning.
The Montessori approach to learning at the elementary level includes an important element called Going Outs. A Going Out is an opportunity for a student or small group to go out into the community to gain additional knowledge, information, experiences, and learning opportunities. They are based on real-time student learning needs and are planned by the student. Although student-led, an adult attends the outing with the students for safety purposes. Being the only Montessori school in our public school district, some administrators are not aware of the role that Going Outs play in student learning. Administrative changes led to the unintended consequences of increasing the student wait time for Going Outs. Now, I have already shared with you some of the STEM interests occurring in my class since starting ASAP and there are several others. Many students found that they needed to go on Going Outs to get additional information, research, make observations, and so on. The added wait time was causing them frustration. Instead of complaining, they got active. They invited administrative staff to attend going outs with them as a chaperone. During this time, the administrators saw firsthand the value of the opportunity. They even taught one how to ride the Light Rail! They also invited staff to a class discussion on the topic and wrote letters voicing their concerns. Next, they decided they may need to educate the Governing Board. All of this is because something got between them and their science!
In closing, I am sure that there will be many direct and expected outcomes from the ASAP program at the teacher, student, classroom, school, district, community, state, and national levels. Yes, it is that powerful. Let’s also remember to look for those indirect benefits that will also impact student learning.
