STEM Spirit: Learning via Student Ownership and Empowerment in a Rural School

This paper describes an innovative approach to project-based learning (PBL) in STEM education grades 9-12 in a rural school of Central Texas. Rural schools face unique challenges in their efforts to deliver good STEM instruction, especially with regard to teacher recruitment and delivery of work-related instruction that aligns with the needs of their students and communities. The core of this approach is the Engineering Design Process (EDP), but the means by which the EDP is implemented here arose through students who insisted on hands-on learning and who took ownership of their classroom experience. The resulting approach is now being implemented and evaluated at Tivy High School in Kerrville, a rapidly growing town of 24,000 people in Central Texas. Stakeholders at the school agree about student autonomy. Students, teachers, and administrators are gradually seeing that these methods align with Federal and state standards. In this talk, first, the specific tools for delivering this STEM curriculum are explained in detail, i.e., (a) Engineering Design Process, (b) Project Method, (c) EDGE Model, (d) S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting, and (e) formal grading policies. Because engineering subjects at Tivy HS are taught as electives (non-core courses) the roles of instruction, hands-on modeling, technology, and workplace exposure are also discussed. Next, the rubrics by which student learning is assessed are presented, i.e., class participation, journal entries (a.k.a., engineering notebook), project planning (and execution), prototyping, and student safety. Finally, project descriptions are presented to explain how this instructional approach is being applied in the classroom. In closing, the authors discuss their plans for the evaluation and future development of the “Tivy model”. They invite collaboration with like-minded schools and programs.