From here, take one step

I've found that geeky, high-tech images tend to dominate conversations about STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math) education. Our imaginations (thanks to The News) easily envision the tech-centric world: self-driving cars, amateur designed phone applications that make tons of money overnight, computer programming as the must-have skill of the future, tech-heavy medical devices, artificial intelligence, etc. This is, of course, an inaccurate mental picture. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put STEM jobs at 6.2 percent of US employment in 2015 (about 1 in 16). 45 percent of those, were “computer occupations”, 19 percent were engineers. Where is the other 96 percent of the work force?

STEAM in Social Studies?

Well, of course, it depends on how you count. What jobs and careers are connected to STEAM? 6th graders at Marshall Math Science Academy just finished an educational unit that explored careers that use drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV's). Teams of students were assigned a field/career which they researched and presented to their peers. These careers covered the spectrum from real-estate advertising to power-line inspections, from Search & Rescue operations to agricultural research. They learned about career paths, educational requirements, airspace jurisdiction and the tricky ethics of emerging technology. Further, they practiced their communication skills through giving presentations and providing feedback on their peers' presentations.

One afternoon about midway though their research, students gathered in the school auditorium for a presentation and demo flight from the professionals at ARGOS Unmanned Aerial Solutions. (Huge thanks to our presenters!) It was a highlight moment for everyone. The teachers said “this is exactly what we wanted for our students”. The students were energized and their imaginations were captivated. And the rest of us? We just had fun being with the students. Twice we had to cut the discussion short: during Q&A regarding drones / careers and while giving our presenters feedback on their presentation. What a great problem to have!

Instructions not included

Capacity building, like project-based learning (and, well... life!), comes without instructions. Most of the time, it looks like this: Where are we? Where do we want to be/go? What is one step that we can take right now? Repeat. The Drone Careers unit this year followed roughly this path. Working together, the teachers and I prepared a rough sketch of the content of the unit, the order of delivery and some ideas for student work. We chose to emphasize Communication as the key 21st Century Skill. While they refined the details for in-class work, I connected with ARGOS and researched some possible student projects. It turned out to be an excellent first go-around for this project. But we are still a ways away from developing it into robust PBL. And that is fine, for next year we will again ask: What is one step that we can take right now?