For the month of June, we've presented our technology grant to Cynthia Menocal from the Paul W. Bell Middle School in Miami, FL. At her school, Cynthia creates inclusive STEAM learning opportunities for a student body that's comprised of 97 percent Hispanic students. Knowing these students don't always have access to hands-on learning and high-quality STEM opportunities, she's been in search of creative ways to unlock these chances for them. Using grants to maximize her resources, Cynthia came across ours and we're excited to help her facilitate some truly transformative learning for her students—starting with constructing and interactive oceanic ecosystem mural right in their school's courtyard.
Since they're in Miami and 'Sharks' is their school nickname, Cynthia's students love exploring tropical marine species in STEAM projects. She'll also be combining numerous elements of both STEM education and real-world skills development along the way. For starters, students will lead their own research on marine organisms, underwater environments, the importance of ecosystems, and more. Then, besides this research, students will also read nonfiction books, investigate the geography of these environments, and collectively design the mural using a scientific approach. She's even planning a field trip to the state Natural Sciences Museum, so students can discover questions to drive research. They'll also determine the most important elements to include in the mural and learn about tropical species in their area.
Creating PBL experiences with this technology grant.
Cynthia's also a project-based learning fan and, after receiving her technology grant materials, she plans to incorporate similar elements. As we mentioned, students will begin with thorough research and, once comfortable with their findings, they'll start designing and sketching their part of the mural. In this phase, students will have the opportunity to implement design thinking and collaborate with one another. Cynthia wants their final work to be something both children and adults can learn from—a unique and intriguing wrinkle to an interactive classroom STEM project. Plus, she plans to tie in language arts standards as students research and write about these findings in their journals. Along the way, their note-taking abilities and attention to detail will be tested as they learn to evaluate key pieces of information, save them for later, and incorporate them in their final projects.
Even before Cynthia receives the technology grant materials, the first part of the project will involve student research. Cynthia will be challenging them to draw pictures of certain organisms, explain their behavioral adaptations, and clarify how these adaptations help them survive in their environment. While researching various habitats, students will discover things to include in the final ecosystem they help design. Plus, it will also help them learn what to include in their 3D models of these organisms later on. Also, at every stage of the project, Cynthia plans to use various formative assessment strategies to gauge student progress. Not only does she want to ensure they're learning key information and beginning to formulate a plan, she also wants to make sure they're comfortable with all the new knowledge they're discovering.
Tying this project to real-world experiences.
As you might expect, this is going to be a long-term project. As such, Cynthia is planning on providing progress reports for each student along the way. These will help inform her instruction and even drive the remainder of student work on their individual and collective projects. Plus, students will be taking detailed project notes so they can see how they progress and grow over time. Additionally, Cynthia is planning to utilize self-assessments with each student, including reflective questions on what they're learning, where they're struggling, and the next steps of their plan. This is what will eventually help them gain mastery of these concepts and better understand where they need to be.
One other instructional strategy Cynthia plans to incorporate after receiving her technology grant materials is peer coaching. This will involve students interviewing each other about the different processes they went through and potentially further inspiring their classmates. She'll also administer various quizzes to both check for retention and ensure students understand the elements of the overall ecosystem. Once they begin building the ecosystem, students will include all the different components, like the animals, plant life, and, of course, the water. Living in South Florida definitely creates a unique opportunity for this type of hands-on learning and Cynthia plans to make the most out of the technology grant to educate students about various animals and ecosystems.
Cynthia's technology grant materials.
To help Cynthia and her students, we'll be sending some 3D printing supplies as part of the technology grant. They'll receive a new FlashForge Adventurer 3 V2 3D printer and some classroom accessories. As we've said, students will 3D printing the scannable QR codes to place within the ecosystem. This is truly a unique way to combine hands-on learning, 3D design, and emerging technology to help illustrate its value in the real world while simultaneously helping everyone in the school community learn more about all the elements within the ecosystem students build. Plus, since these students haven't had much exposure to technology, this thoughtful project will definitely serve multiple purposes.
Once again, we congratulate Cynthia on her selection as this month's technology grant recipient and thank her for applying. We're very excited to contribute to this project and help create more equitable tech-based learning opportunities for these students. Specifically for students who need some added inspiration and stimulation beyond traditional instruction, this project is perfect for enhancing engagement. Ultimately, Cynthia hopes to open new STEM-related doors for these students and we're excited to assist! If you'd like to apply for our next technology grant, the application for July is now open. Anyone who applies before July 20 will be in the running for the next award. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more.
