September 2019 Iowa STEM News

September 2019

Monthly News

IN THIS ISSUE

Mathematics as a Magnet

to STEM

Employers, Now is the Time to Plan for 2020 STEM Teacher Externships

Family STEM Festivals Spark Interest in STEM

Elementary Schools Prepare to Implement Computer Science in the Classroom

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 4, 2019 - 9:00 a.m.

ILCC Advanced Manufacturing Festival

More information

October 10, 2019 - 4:00 p.m.

Johnson County STEM Festival

More information

October 12, 2019 - 1:00 p.m.

NIACC Family STEM Festival

More information

October 16, 2019 - 3:00 p.m.

South Central Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting

More information

October 17, 2019 - 11:00 a.m.

Southeast Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting

More information

October 19, 2019 - 1:00 p.m.

Iowa Central STEMfest

More information

October 24, 2019 - 12:30 p.m.

Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival

More information

October 28, 2019 - 6:00 p.m.

DMACC - Ankeny STEM Fest

More information

October 29, 2019 - 4:00 p.m.

Quad Cities STEM Festival

More information

October 29, 2019 - 5:00 p.m.

Woodbine Elementary STEM Festival

More information

October 31, 2019 - 8:00 a.m.

STEM & Arts Career Festival

More information

Mathematics as a Magnet to STEM

America’s Strategy for STEM Education maps out the Federal Government’s five-year plan for STEM education to help position the United States as a global leader in STEM literacy, innovation and employment. Mathematics as a magnet, where students are drawn in to STEM study and careers as a result of a strong and meaningful mathematics foundation, is a key component of the success of this strategy.

As noted in the national STEM plan, “Students who learn mathematics and statistics in context, with emphasis on logic, reasoning, and critical thinking, are more adept mathematical thinkers, and more able to apply mathematics to solve problems during their everyday lives.”

The STEM Council’s special mathematics Scale-Up Program menu is being offered to help increase understanding, reasoning and interest in mathematics among students in Iowa. Support was provided for the mathematics menu through an additional investment made during the Iowa legislative session.

Educators can apply for programs on the Scale-Up Program mathematics menu through October 1. The mathematics menu includes Bootstrap: Data Science , Desmos Middle School Math and Differentiated Math Centers .

Awards will be announced on October 31, 2019, for implementation in classrooms and other educational settings during the 2019-2020 academic year.

For more information about the STEM Scale-Up Program and the mathematics menu, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/Scale-Up .

Employers, Now is the Time to Plan for 2020 STEM Teacher Externship

Ashley Mitchell, a Mathematics Teacher at St. Theresa Catholic School in Des Moines, completed an Externship with the Iowa National Guard in 2019.

Work-based learning offers valuable experience for today’s students to gain knowledge and training for future workforce opportunities. For teachers too, the STEM Teacher Externship Program helps connect classrooms to careers through the immersion of STEM educators in workplace settings for six weeks in the summer.

Ashley Mitchell, a 2019 Teacher Extern and Mathematics Teacher at St. Theresa Catholic School in Des Moines, said, “Students will not know what types of jobs are out there if we are not putting in effort to explain to them what they are. We should also be making an effort to show our students that what we are teaching can be seen in different career fields.”

Businesses and other workplaces that host teacher-externs recognize the value of the experience as well. The majority of 2019 extern employer-hosts monetized the value of the contributions of their extern between $2,500 - $10,000.

Results from the 2019 externship survey indicated that the most valued outcomes for externship host employers were:

Getting the word out into the community about their workplace.
Increasing interest in STEM in the future workforce.
Establishing a school-business partnership.
Gaining experience for the teacher extern and the workplace relevancy brought to the classroom.

The STEM Council is currently seeking interested workplace hosts for summer 2020. To express interest, please visit https://iowastem.gov/externships-host-commitment . For more information about the Teacher Externships Program, visit https://iowastem.gov/externships .

Family STEM Festivals Spark Interest in STEM

Students enjoy hands-on STEM activities at the Cedar Valley STEM Festival.

Family STEM Festivals appeal to families in communities across Iowa for the fun-filled and educational atmosphere. From virtual welding and testing chemical reactions to robotics and medical simulations, Family STEM Festivals are exciting and enjoyable for all ages.

Designed to spark student and parent interest in STEM, Family STEM Festivals feature exhibits that provide interactive, hands-on experiences. Festivals are a great opportunity for community partners to engage local youth and adults and showcase their business or organization through related activities.

Family STEM Festivals are held in each of the six STEM regions and are facilitated by the Regional STEM Managers along with dedicated planning committees and volunteers.

Upcoming Family STEM Festivals in October:

October 4: Iowa Lakes Community College Advanced Manufacturing Festival at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville
October 10: Johnson County STEM Festival at Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville
October 12: North Iowa Area Community College Family STEM Festival at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City
October 19: Iowa Central STEMfest at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge
October 24: Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival at Keystone AEA in Elkader
October 28: Des Moines Metro STEM Festival at the Des Moines Area Community College FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny
October 29: Quad Cities STEM Festival at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf
October 29: Woodbine Elementary STEM Festival at Woodbine Elementary in Woodbine
October 31: STEM & Arts Career Festival at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant

For more information about exhibiting, volunteering or attending other Family STEM Festivals near you, please visit the STEM region websites at https://iowastem.gov/regions .

Elementary Schools Prepare to Implement Computer Science in the Classroom

Educators from the twelve Computer Science is Elementary project schools test out resource tools and materials for potential use in the classroom.

Twelve schools are leading the way for computer science instruction in Iowa as part of the Computer Science is Elementary project. Nearly 100 educators and administrators from these schools gathered at the FFA Enrichment Center located on the Des Moines Area Community College campus in Ankeny for the Computer Science is Elementary Institute. At the institute, they gained ideas, insights and coaching and left inspired and motivated to take the next steps in planning and implementing computer science across the curriculum in their schools.

The institute featured a wide array of engaging and informative speakers, including:

STEM Council Executive Director Jeff Weld who welcomed attendees and spoke about the imperative for computer science education for today’s students.
Collins Aerospace Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility Adriana Johnson who echoed the importance of the future workforce being trained in computer science from an employer perspective. Collins Aerospace is one of the lead sponsors of the Computer Science is Elementary project.
A large portion of the day was led by educator and best-selling author of Code Breaker and Block Breaker Brian Aspinall who shared valuable insight and enthusiasm on computer science instruction. He provided hands-on demonstrations of programs and materials for potential use in the classroom.
Hamburg Community School District Fifth Grade Teacher Lindsey Fann who shared information about Computer Science Foundations.
Johnston Community School District Instructional Technology Coordinator Ann Wiley and University of Northern Iowa Director of Computer Science Education and Associate Professor Ben Schafer who spoke about Iowa’s computer science standards.
Governor Kim Reynolds who attended the institute to share her support and excitement for the implementation of computer science in Iowa schools.
Loess Hills Computer Programming Elementary School Principal John Beeck who spoke about their experience with weaving computer programming throughout curriculum in an imaginative and enjoyable way.
A panel of representatives from various Iowa schools who showcased efforts to integrate computer science into classrooms in innovative ways.

The institute allowed educators and administrators to network, ask questions, share ideas and challenges and to collaborate as a planning team for each of their schools.

Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise closed the day with a motivational message prompting action and next steps towards reaching their goals.

The Computer Science is Elementary project is a joint effort of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council and the Iowa Department of Education and is made possible by the generous support of private-sector partners and the Iowa Legislature. For more information about the Computer Science is Elementary project, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/CSElementary .

Contact the Iowa STEM Operations Center by phone at (319) 273-2959

or by email at info@IowaSTEM.gov.