Tools for Building Equitable STEM Learning Environments

Million Girls Moonshot | November Resources

The Indiana Afterschool Network is proud to be part of the Million Girls Moonshot initiative, working to inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through OST programs over the next five years. The Million Girls Moonshot is an initiative of the STEM Next Opportunity Fund.

The Million Girls Moonshot seeks to re-imagine who can engineer, who can build, who can make. See below for some information and resources that can help advance this goal!

Featured Webinars

Develop Professionally While Supporting Equity

Engineering Design Challenges Three-Part Webinar Series

Over three hour-long sessions this fall with Technovation, you’ll become an expert in leading engineering design challenges online that help students develop the following engineering mindsets:

use the engineering design process
work in teams
evaluate and iterate
persist and learn from failure
identify as engineers

Get ready for hands-on building during each session. You’ll be part of a supportive learning community. If you are looking for a way to step up your STEAM game in a fun and active way with your kids, this is for you. Help them think like engineers to build solutions to any sort of problem!

Session 1 - Recording Coming Soon
Session 2 - November 19, 2020 | 3:00 PM EST
Session 3 - December 10, 2020 | 3:00 PM EST

Equity & Inclusion in Afterschool: Youth-Centric Approaches in STEM Programming

November 17 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

Working with the National Girls Collaborative Project, STEM Next developed an Equity and Inclusion Framework to use as a guide for supporting programs as they identify resources and strategies that broaden participation. This webinar dives more deeply into the Youth-Centric concept and the strategies of: 1) Positive Youth Development, 2) Peer Support, 3) Supportive Relationships, and 4) Culturally Responsiveness. The webinar highlights research-to-practice as well as resources that can help educators and leaders center youth voice, experience, and leadership within their programs.

Equity & Inclusion in Afterschool: Skill Development in STEM Programming

December 15 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

Working with the National Girls Collaborative Project, STEM Next developed an Equity and Inclusion Framework to use as a guide for supporting programs as they identify resources and strategies that broaden participation. This webinar dives more deeply into the Skill Development concept and the strategies of: 1) curriculum, 2) professional development 3) collaboration, and 4) connected pathway. The webinar highlights research-to-practice as well as resources that can help educators and leaders center youth voice, experience, and leadership within their programs.

Best Practices & Professional Development

Best Practices, Resources, and Tools

Engineering Mindset 7: Evaluating and Iterating Designs

The Most Overlooked Step of the Engineering Design Process - In this article, an experienced STEM teacher shares her ideas about why the “Improve Step” of the Engineering Design Process is so important. She provides examples from her students who are designing ramps for model cars.

How to Integrate the Argumentation from Evidence Practice into Engineering Design - This brief shares the importance of supporting students as they collect and use data to help them decide what improvements to make as they redesign and iterate throughout the engineering design process.

What's one thing you might want to change? - In this video, a fourth grade teacher guides her students by asking them to name one thing they could improve about their own parachute designs.

Engineering Mindset 8: Persisting Through and Learning From Failure

Scaffolding for Failure Helping Students Navigate Engineering Design Failure - In this article, the authors offer suggestions about preparing students for design failure and helping them respond to it when it occurs. Before starting engineering, they suggest having explicit discussions with students about fail words and their meanings.

Failing Forward: Managing Student Frustration During Engineering Design Projects - In this brief, the authors acknowledge that engineering design failures can lead to significant student frustration and discouragement. They provide advice to help educators manage and redirect students' frustration, so that students can "fail forward" and learn from their mistakes.

The Importance of Failure - This blog presents a list of ways you can teach kids the importance of and even how to celebrate the opportunity to learn from failure in engineering design.

Engineering Mindset 9: Working Effectively in Teams

Boost Learning by Combining Teamwork and STEM - This article discusses the importance of helping young people develop teamwork skills in afterschool settings, and the unique contribution that STEM activities can make. From engineering challenges to group investigations, many hands-on STEM investigations are ready-made team activities, and can help foster an atmosphere of collaboration.

Building Teamwork in STEM Classes - This article by Ann Jolly offers solid advice for teachers on how to increase the quality and effectiveness of collaborative group work. From setting clear goals and procedures to monitoring teamwork regularly, these tips will help teachers support students as they work together in teams and build their 21st Century skills.

Do my student engineers have to work in teams? - This blog highlights the importance of student collaboration while recognizing some of the difficulties young children might have working together. The blog outlines four simple tips to help incorporate collaboration in your engineering space.

Engineering Mindset 10: Identifying as Engineers

Click2Science - This self-directed online course provides examples and practical tips about developing STEM identity in youth. Through a series of videos and activities, participants learn about the importance of self-identity and how they can provide experiences that build confidence in science and engineering. Professional development hours are available upon completion.

The Importance of Developing a STEM Identity - This blog reports on research from CAISE outlining the advantages of developing a STEM identity in youth. Developing a science-related identity increases engagement and also increases the likelihood that students pursue a career in a science or STEM-related field.

Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS) - The Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS) is a 20-item assessment that can be used to assess students’ interest and attitudes about engineering. Have students take this survey before and after engineering activities to see if their confidence and STEM self-identity grows.

Broadening Participation and Youth Voice

Youth Development in Out-of-School Time Setting (2018) - Comprehensive book on youth development in out-of-school time settings. It includes a chapter on 10 principles of effective youth development.

Together At Home

Additional Engineering & STEM Resources for Afterschool and Home

Engineering Mindset 7: Evaluating and Iterating Designs

On Target - In this activity, students are given a model of a zipline delivery system and are asked to modify or improve the technology so that will release a marble from a paper cup and hit a target.

Build, Test, Evaluate and Redesign - This webpage provides free materials for educators to improve their engineering teaching. This section provides questions to help youth evaluate their designs and determine how to improve them.

Iterative Design: How to solve a 'lion problem' - In this Ted Talk, Richard Turere, a young student from Kenya, describes the process he used to develop a system to protect his cows from lions. He describes the ways he improved and modified his original idea until he found a successful solution.

Engineering Mindset 8: Persisting Through and Learning From Failure

Flip That Flop! Turning Mistakes Into Opportunities - In this activity, students use a flip-flop template to write a description of a time they failed or made a mistake (the flop) and how they flipped that flop into an opportunity.

"Stick It Out - Even When It Gets Prickly" - A cactus-themed set of posters and classroom decorations that promote perseverance and a growth mindset.

How to Succeed by Failing - Crash Course Kids - Engineers need things to fail so they can understand how to make things better. In this episode of Crash Course Kids, the host talks about failure points and how they can lead to better solutions to problems.

Engineering Mindset 9: Working Effectively in Teams

10 Team Building Activities for Students - This blog outlines 10 team building activities that can be implemented to help youth develop the skills necessary to collaborate among peers. By accomplishing group tasks, students learn to listen, trust and support each other, while developing life skills such as communication and collaboration.

K-5 STEM Team Building Activity - In this video, students participate in a simple team building activity. Using one finger each, students must work together to lift and stack plastic cups. The task requires concentration and communication and serves as a fun and rewarding introduction to the value of teamwork.

How STEM Lessons Help Teach Kids Productive Teamwork - This blog is written for parents to help them understand why so many of their children's STEM lessons are designed to be tackled by small groups, rather than individually. It clearly presents the benefits of group work in terms of communication, creativity, and perseverance.

Engineering Mindset 10: Identifying as Engineers

Who Can Be an Engineer? You Can! - This short video shows a conversation between a teacher and her students as they begin to see themselves as engineers. The realization that students can one day play a role in the STEM workforce opens new doors for them.

Children's Books for Budding Engineers - This blog provides an engineering book list for middle school youth. It includes inspirational biographies of engineers, stories of women inventors, and fictional literature highlighting engineers.

Youth Voice Strategies for Practitioners

Best Practices: Techbridge Essential Elements - Techbridge Girls’ Essential elements are guiding principles for high-quality, equitable STEM programs for girls. These essential elements are based on Techbridge Girls’ 18 years of experience, their evaluation and research, and research from the field.

Additional Virtual Professional Development

Elevating Youth Voice in STEM Programming - This recorded webinar explores the research behind youth-focused programming and two exemplary STEM programs that uplift and empower their youth. Presenters share their knowledge and first-hand experiences promoting or using their voices and developing leadership skills to support and promote STEM learning in their communities Recording and resources here.