About STEM SPAWAR

The project is testable model for effective collaboration between STEM professionals and teachers towards improving K-12 STEM content understanding and attitudes towards careers in science.  In essence, the model involves teachers being immersed in three SPAWAR labs - one day in each lab, and SPAWAR scientists reciprocally visiting teachers’ classrooms.

Background and Need for Project

By all accounts there is a great need to improve STEM education in the United States, and San Diego is not an exception.  Many efforts on many fronts are being made nationally and locally to meet this challenge.  However, one resource that is largely untapped is the vast pool of practicing STEM professionals. The greater San Diego metropolis has roughly 500,000 K-12 students and teachers, and myriad STEM professionals employed by local industries and laboratories.

Although diverse efforts to facilitate collaboration between the STEM and education communities have made positive impacts, only a small percentage of STEM professionals, students and teachers have participated in these projects and none of the projects have enjoyed sustainability.  Additionally, little research has substantiated the effects of the collaborations.  

Activities Overview

Lab Immersion:  Each STEM will host a group of three science teachers for a full-day lab immersion where teachers will be engaged in research experiences, lab protocols, lab team meetings, etc. to approximate the work of the STEM.  The intent of this experience is to give the teachers a context for real world science and engineering practices that may relate to and extend core science instruction.

Classroom Collaboration:  STEMs will participate in classroom collaborations in the eighth grade classrooms with the teachers that were immersed in the STEMs’ lab. Teachers will identify optimal times in their curricula for STEM participation thus aligning the STEMs’ content expertise with classroom activity.  Classroom collaborations will include a presentation by the STEM regarding their professional life, field of research and interest in STEM topics.  During each classroom collaboration STEMs will participate with students in lab activities and discussions.

Program Impact

The STEM SPAWAR Partnership Program will:
•    Respond to the need to improve STEM education for our future workforce by delivering innovative and engaging science programs to our students.
•    Improve teachers’ science understanding which will influence the quality of STEM education that they provide to our students.
•    Provide positive scientist role models for our students that will influence their inclinations to pursue STEM careers.
•    Build bridges between the education and scientific research communities to ignite continuous improvement of STEM education.
•    Provide a model for productive interactions between STEM professionals, teachers and students.

Evaluation

Research will be conducted to test this model for effective collaboration between STEM professionals and teachers towards improving K-12 STEM content understanding and attitudes towards careers in science.