Spotlighting AUSL’s STEM Programming Part 3: Building Our Students’ 21st Century Skills

Fast facts

Publish date: February 27, 2019
Categories: AUSL Innovates
Post author: ausldevelop

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Students from Harvard School of Excellence

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It seems like everyday in the news we hear about the need for the students of today to build “21st century skills” to meet the demand for the jobs of tomorrow.  Organizations like McKinsey & Company have even started entire businesses dedicated to better understanding the pace and extent of the shifts in the global economy – and in turn to help us better understand what those 21st century skills are.

At AUSL, our Associate Director, Science Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Alissa Berg, has been staying on top of this research, always considering how, during the school day and after, we can help our students build skills that they can capitalize on the Digital Age.

 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][stm_title title_tag=”h3″ title=”FIRST Program, A Partnership With Boeing”][/stm_title][vc_column_text]In SY18, AUSL implemented the FIRST program (For Inspiration and Recognition for Science and Technology), with the support of The Boeing Company. This program strives to “inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership”.  Through this program, our students engage in “research and robotics [activities] that help them become science and technology leaders, as well as well-rounded contributors to society”. With different types of engagement opportunities starting in kindergarten through high school, students are able to build 21st century skills in a rigorous yet low stakes environment where they work on real-world problems. [/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7370″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]

Students from Morton School of Excellence

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Students from Tarkington School of Excellence

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][stm_title title_tag=”h3″ title=”The Elementary and Middle School Experience”][/stm_title][vc_column_text]Our elementary and middle school students have the opportunity to participate in the FIRST Lego League (FLL), where, in teams, they are challenged to research a real-world problem based on the season’s theme, then create an original solution for that problem that involves designing and building a robot using a standard LEGO kit. To help schools and school teams, FIRST provides a “FIRST Steps” curriculum to guide them to a successful start. The theme is typically a STEM concept like food safety, recycling, or energy – and it changes each season, requiring teams to be extraordinarily creative. The season culminates with regional competitions where teams share what they learned and compete against one another using their robots, while exemplifying FIRST’s Core Values, such as gracious professionalism.  

 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1547498869424{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-left-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][stm_blockquote css=”.vc_custom_1551301335493{margin-top: 1px !important;margin-right: 1px !important;margin-bottom: 1px !important;margin-left: 1px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”]This engineering relates a lot back to Math, how we use estimates, especially measuring the distance a robot goes to do a specific mission. It works your mind![/stm_blockquote][vc_column_text]– Student, Morton School of Excellence[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][stm_blockquote]It’s just been a blessing for us to be able to provide the kids, not with just these resources but with the [associated curriculum that FIRST provides] to make it happen well.[/stm_blockquote][vc_column_text]Andre Westhelle, Piccolo School of Excellence[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Cva99oKOghk”][stm_title title_tag=”h3″ title=”The High School Experience”][/stm_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”10″][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Our high school students, on the other hand, participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge (“FTC”).  Teams of students similarly are challenged to design and build a robot using a standard “kit of parts” and within a common set of rules to play a sophisticated field game (which changes every season). However, to challenge them further to grow their abilities to communicate and collaborate in diverse teams, the program pairs teams up randomly in advance of competition to compete together against other pairs of teams.  Prior to the competition, the paired teams negotiate who should start where on the field given the strengths of their respective robot designs. In addition to building their communication and collaboration skills, our FTC students are gaining invaluable experience with engineering their robots to accomplish these particular tasks, troubleshooting problems along the way, and coding. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7372″ img_size=”large”][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1551302662118{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-left-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][stm_blockquote css=”.vc_custom_1551302620253{margin-top: 1px !important;margin-right: 1px !important;margin-bottom: 1px !important;margin-left: 1px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”]The robotics program helps the students to be more collaborative…not only do they do a lot of measuring, they do a lot of coding.[/stm_blockquote][vc_column_text]– Kendra Mallory, Morton School of Excellence[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_zigzag color=”custom” custom_color=”#1e7fc3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7373″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]

Students from Casals School of Excellence

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In SY18, three Pre-K through 8 schools participated in the FIRST LEGO League and one high school, Solorio Academy, participated in the FIRST Tech Challenge, winning then the FTC rookie award at the Chicago South League qualifying tournament. All teams have returned this school year (SY19), with an additional six new elementary FLL teams and two more FTC high school teams. Casals School of Excellence has won the FLL Rookie Award at their qualifying tournament and Solorio Academy qualified for and competed in late February in the state championships this year.  Join us in cheering on and supporting these emerging leaders of the 21st century!

 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1547480636767{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-left-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #1e7fc3 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column][stm_blockquote]Whether our students pursue STEM careers or not, the FIRST program is setting them up with the skills to be the dynamic problem solvers of the 21st century.[/stm_blockquote][vc_column_text]Dr. Alissa Berg, Associate Director of Science Curriculum and Instruction, AUSL[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1551303102576{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #1e7fc3 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

 Read about other STEM Programming at AUSL here!

Join us and volunteer at our annual STEAM Fair April 4, 2019!
Submit this form by March 15.

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